Sonora, CA

In 1848, miners from Sonora, Mexico headed to the Sierra Nevada Foothills at the height of the California Gold Rush. While Sonora has changed and grown since then, the essence of the frontier town -- especially with its historic buildings -- still exists. For tourists, it is still somewhat of a frontier -- it is the last city before entering Yosemite National Park, 70 miles southeast. Stanislaus National Forest, popular for hiking, camping, snowmobiling, and river rafting, is 15 miles east.

Sonora is considered the cultural center of the region, home to a variety of museums, theaters, and art galleries. Downtown Sonora provides a beautiful and historic shopping district, filled with top-rated restaurants and a variety of charming shops. The false-front architecture, awnings with wooden posts, and small balconies with wrought-iron railings will take you back in time -- you might even imagine you can hear horses' hooves and the calls of cowboys heading for the mountains, hoping to strike it rich.