Sutter Creek lies in the heart of California’s Gold Country and overflows with both indoor entertainment, outdoor recreation and cultural activities. Let Hotel Sutter be your home-away-from-home while you explore all that Amador County has to offer, from wineries, antique shops, and boutiques, to white water kayaking, fishing, and skiing.
Wine Tasting & Vineyards
Just 10 miles north of Sutter Creek, the Shenandoah Valley is overflowing with world-class wineries, all of which offer unique tasting rooms, picturesque estates, and award-winning wines. Tour wine caves, enjoy music and food, and of course, sample the wines of Jeff Runquist, Easton, Dillian, Rombauer, Charles Spinetta, Turley, and so many more!
Wine tasting rooms on Main Street in Sutter Creek:
- Amador Vintners
View the Amador County Wine Map to see the latest list of wineries nearby. - Wine on 49
A group of tasting rooms and wine events in Sutter Creek. - Sutter Creek Wine Tasting Rooms & Wineries
Sutter Creek is the perfect launching point for your wine tasting exploration.
Keep an eye out for these annual wine events:
- Behind the Cellar Door
Held at multiple wineries in March. - Amador Four Fires Food & Wine Festival
Held each May at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, CA. - Barbera Festival
Terra d’Oro Winery hosts this well-loved in September. (Cancelled for 2022) - Big Crush Harvest Festival
Celebrate the harvest at multiple wineries in October. - The Copper Room Wine Events
Check our own event schedule for special wine events, many of which complement the local celebrations above.
Amador County History
Amador Central Railroad
Ride the train tracks by motor car.
The Knight Foundry
Set in the heart of Sutter Creek, this is America’s very last water-powered foundry and machine shop. Open for self-guided tours on the second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Explore Sutter Creek Tour
Download this PDF map to enjoy a short, self-guided tour of Sutter Creek’s historical spots.
Tales of Sutter Creek Main Street Tour
Download this PDF map for a more extensive self-guided tour of Sutter Creek and all of its stories.
Preston Castle
Constructed in 1894 as the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, a reform school for boys, the Romanesque Revival style of architecture was to make the building look like a school rather than a prison.
Amador County Museum
The Society was founded to solicit, acquire, preserve and provide access to a collection of artifacts, historical paper, photos, ephemera and miscellany of Amador County history.
Chaw’se Indian Grinding Rock State Park
This collection of more than 1,100 bedrock mortars in Pine Grove is the largest in North America, and was created when native people ground acorns and other seeds against the rocks, slowly forming the cup-shaped depressions. The native name for the site is “Chaw’se,” the Miwok word for “grinding rock.” The Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians has led and completed the restoration efforts, including the reconstruction of the traditional, ceremonial roundhouse. The Miwok Village is a registered California Historical Landmark and is one of the only known occurrences of mortars intentionally decorated with petroglyphs. The museum has a large collection of Sierra Nevada Indian artifacts, offers free admission with paid parking and is open 10 am – 4 pm. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Outdoor Adventures
Amador Flower Farm
On the outskirts of the Shenandoah Valley sits 30 acres of scenic flora.
Calaveras Big Tree State Park
Just 30 minutes to the south, visitors can take in the grandeur of the giant sequoias.
The Mokelumne River
Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, there’s no shortage of activities for nature lovers. The natural beauty of The Mokelumne River, which secured its “Wild & Scenic” designation in 2017, is perfect for kayaking, with a modern entrance point just 5 miles south of Sutter Creek on Highway 49.
Kirkwood Mountain
For outdoor fun all year round, including skiing, mountain biking, and hiking around dozens of high lakes and streams. Kirkwood Resort, at the easternmost edge of Amador County, offers wintertime skiing and summertime mountain biking for the entire family. With a base elevation of 7800 feet and peaks towering at 9800 feet, it is a popular destination offering world-class skiing. The 2300 skiable acres include terrain from beginner to expert. In addition to the resort, there are other places where you can spend a day snowboarding, snowmobiling or snowshoeing.
Gold Country
Roaring Camp
This family-friendly camp is open May through September and offers tent camping, cabins, guided tours, a museum, an active placer mine, miniature golf course, a playground area, ping pong and horseshoe pits. You can hike the trails used by the 49ers and it’s right on the Mokelumne River where you can swim, raft, fish or pan for gold. The trading post has all the supplies you’ll need.
Kennedy Gold Mine
This mine is famous for being one of the deepest gold mines in the world (at 5912 feet), and demonstrates how gold changed an entire way of life in California.
Gold Mine Trail Sutter Creek
Download this PDF map for locations and descriptions of the gold mines in the area.
Miner’s Bend Park
The Sutter Creek Community Benefit Foundation transformed one of Sutter Creek’s parking lots into an amazing historical display of Gold Mining history. Artifacts from the Argonaut Mine and the Sutter Gold Mine have been donated to show visitors and residents the rich Sutter Creek Gold Mining history. Along with the mining artifacts, the new passive park has informative plaques for the artifacts, picnic benches, trees, and “Chinese” rock walls lining the park, which are historic for the area.
Golfing
- Castle Oaks in Lone
- Mace Meadows in Pioneer
- Greenhorn Creek in Calaveras County
- La Contenta in Valley Springs
Casinos & Gaming
- Jackson Rancheria Casino
Try your luck, just 10 minutes from Hotel Sutter. - Harrah’s Northern California Casino
Hop on the Harrah’s Shuttle Bus that goes right through Sutter Creek!
Caverns
Black Chasm Cavern
Discovered in 1854 by a group of explorers that braved the unknown, this cavern showcases the phenomenal beauty that exists below the surface, including a bright blue lake and millions of sparkling crystal helictites that seemed to twist from the cavern walls in every direction.
Moaning Caverns
Gold miners first explored Moaning Caverns in the 1840s and 1850s, but today visitors enter by descending a metal spiral staircase for cave tours for the whole family.
Main Street
Sutter Creek’s Main Street is home to a variety of antique stores and boutique shops. Enjoy browsing these unique places to shop in Sutter Creek while immersing yourself in our historic small town atmosphere.
Live Entertainment
Explore live music, theatrical works, dance, film, and other artistic events that are engaging to a diverse regional audience.
Live Music
Enjoy live music every Thursday with the locals and our famous Townie Tacos.
Relaxation & Refreshment
Treat yourself to a massage or sensory experience designed to nourish your body and inspire mindful renewal.
- Refresh at Sutter Creek
Boutique spa with massage services & body treatments in Sutter Creek. - Amador Wellness Cottage
A self-care and wellness center in Plymouth, CA. - More Than Just Hair Salon
Full service salon, facials & beauty services in Sutter Creek.
Spirits & Libations
Savor fine spirits and unique libations at these Sutter Creek purveyors.
- Copper Room
Whiskey tasting - Sutter Creek Provisions
Craft beer bar - Simply Bubbles
Champagne and other bubbles
Art & Antiques
Browse for a variety of fine art and antiques at our local galleries.