Located in the heart of California's Gold Country, Calaveras has a rich pioneer history. Numerous important landmarks dot the countryside. You can even visit the house where Mark Twain lived during the Gold Rush, and where he wrote his famous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The annual Country Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, which was inspired by his story, draws vistors from all over the world.

Calaveras' many picturesque and historic gold rush towns are a joy to explore. The register at the Murphys Hotel boasts signatures from Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, J. P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor, Ulysses S. Grant, Lord Byron, and Charles Bolton...aka Black Bart. Nearby Columbia State Historic Park is a living museum that transports you back to the exciting days of the Gold Rush. You can even try you hand at gold panning!

Three major area caverns await your exploration:

• Mercer Caverns - The longest continually operating commercial caverns in California. Visitors get a close up view of an amazing variety of beautiful and unusual crystalline formations, stalactites and stalagmites, soda straws, curtains, Angels wings, and more.

• California Caverns at Cave City - An extensive cavern that takes over an hour just to see the lighted trails. Wild cavern trips are available that take you deep into the earth.

• Moaning Cavern - This immense limestone cave is large enough to hold the Statue of Liberty. It is also an imporant archaeological site, containing the oldest human remains ever to be found in North America.

Outdoor recreation abounds in Calaveras County! Hunting, fishing, camping, and winter sports only scratch the surface of then endless outdoor activities available in this beautiful country.

• Big Trees State Park offers two magnificent groves of Giant Sequoias, and over six thousand acres of pine forest on both sides of the Stanislaus River. Campgrounds, picnic areas, and many miles of hiking and bicycling trails make Calaveras Big Trees one of the county's most popular destinations.

• Bear Valley Ski Resort is a mere 26 miles from Forest Meadows and offers a variety of excellent terrain for skiers of all abilities. In addition to its alpine and cross country winter sports, Bear Valley is gateway resort for Ebbetts Pass and a variety of high mountain summer sports like mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, fishing, and more.

• New Melones lake on the Stanislaus river features over 100 miles of shoreline and 12,000 surface acres. Boating, water skiing, camping, fishing, and swimming are favorite pastimes for locals and vistiors alike.

• Whitewater adventure tours of area rivers are available for the adventurous. The North Fork Stanislaus and nearby Tuolumne rivers are known for their maximum intensity whitewater thrills.

The mild climate of the foothills has given rise to several excellent wineries that produce some of the finest premium grapes and award-winning wines in the world. A variety of special events, including the annual Calaveras Grape Stomp, and wine tours are available year round.