The town of Volcano was once the largest settlement in Amador County, With a population in the thousands, it boasted three breweries, sixteen hotels, thirty-seven saloons, and a great deal of gold.
The town became the site of California’s first astronomical observatory, an early law school (in the basement on the site of our amhitheatre), and appropriately, the state’s first amateur theatrical company. But when the gold ran out, so did the people. Today, with a population something over one hundred, Volcano is a quiet village full of history, set in an idyllic valley once thought to be the remnants of a volcanic caldera.
Surrounding attractions include Shenandoah Valley, home to some of California’s finest small wineries and a popular destination for day trips and weekend getaways. Try wine tasting, visit historic Gold Rush towns, museums, and the moody remnants of fabulous mines (the famous Kennedy Mine is open for tours); enjoy cave tours, snow sports, hiking, boating and fishing; browse the antique shops and boutiques of Sutter Creek, Amador City, Jackson and surrounding towns.
Historic hotels and a range of bed and breakfast inns provide attractive and varied accommodations through the county. Further information can be obtained from the Amador County Chamber of Commerce (209.223.0305).
LOCAL LINKS:
Amador Chamber of Commerce
Visit the events page to find all the happenings in and around Amador County.
http://amadorchamber.com/
Amador Council of Tourism
Interested in visiting Amador County? There are LOTS of things to do in the area and this website can help you plan your visit!
http://touramador.com/
Amador Flower Farm
Amador Flower Farm offers nearly 1200 daylily varieties in pots all year at the Flower Farm, which is nestled in beautiful Shenandoah Valley, California, among world-renowned wineries and historic gold-mining towns, only an hour from Sacramento. A pleasant country drive will bring you to fourteen acres of gardens, including growing grounds, a potted plant area, and four acres of landscaped demonstration gardens. The nursery boasts a wonderful selection of deer resistant plants.
http://www.amadorflowerfarm.com/
The Black Chasm
Black Chasm Cavern was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976 after being recommended by local members of the National Speleological Society, and as such is considered a “nationally significant natural area.” Visitors to the cave are enchanted by the beauty of a wide variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flow-stones and the vast arrays of rare helictite crystals, for which Black Chasm Cavern is justly famous.
http://caverntours.com/black-chasm-cavern-national-natural-landmark/
The Kennedy Mine
The Kennedy Mine, famous for being one of the deepest gold mines in the world (at 5912 feet), demonstrates how gold changed an entire way of life in California. Open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday from 10 AM to 3 PM, for guided surface mine tours.
http://www.kennedygoldmine.com/
Volcano, California (Wikipedia):
The town is named for its setting in a bowl-shaped valley which early miners thought was caused by a volcano. Early morning fog rising from the valley floor only reinforced that belief….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano,_California
