Historians note that early-day Plymouth moved around a bit. It wasn’t until nearby quartz mines became profitable that the community settled into its present downtown area. It’s still hard to find.
...you’ll drive by one of the town’s three B&Bs and on into the quiet downtown section still sporting several historic buildings...
The little city park marks the heart of downtown and the gazebo invites you to sit at one of the picnic tables and wait for the band to start up.
As you zip through the city limits on Highway 49, you’ll breeze by several contemporary retail stores and too easily assume you’ve seen Plymouth. Don’t make that mistake.
Turn west onto Main Street, which becomes the Fiddletown Road east across Highway 49. Quickly you’ll drive by one of the town’s three B&Bs and on into the quiet downtown section still sporting several historic buildings that could use a coat of paint and a hotel that is getting a facelift; meanwhile, the beer is cold and the wooden front porch is cool. There are modern shops including a place to satisfy your need for a mocha or latte. The little city park marks the heart of downtown and the gazebo invites you to sit at one of the picnic tables and wait for the band to start up.
Plymouth is renowned for kicking up its heels each year and hosting the Amador County Fair, one of the liveliest in these parts. Plymouth is also the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley, the heart of the Amador Wine Country, known as the “Tuscany of California.” Just continue east up Main Street and follow the Fiddletown and Shenandoah Valley Roads.
Take your bike and a picnic lunch and you have the perfect, aerobic outdoor activity. The rolling foothills, spring wildflowers, or summer’s golden, grassy meadows and deep green oaks with many miles of paved, winding county roads offer a lovely setting. If you are pedaling, some of the hills will make you work for your wine; so pace your riding as well as your sipping, unless its water. There are numerous paved roads that can keep you away from the heavy traffic along Highway 49. Favorite destinations are Fiddletown, Mt Aukum, Fairplay, Volcano, Daffodill Hill, and Sutter Creek. And if you’re up to it, and up and up, an uphill pedal to Cooks Station on Highway 89 via Omo Ranch will get your adrenaline going. So will the mostly-coasting ride back down. Then again, just relaxing in a day of quiet revelry celebrating yesterday’s high-country adventures of mountain biking, motorcycling, hiking, or whitewater sports and you have the perfect weekend.
You don’t have to go far to find whitewater. Above Plymouth, the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River offers a relatively little known whitewater run that experienced enthusiasts rate much better than many of the more famous rivers. It’s a short-season, classic snowmelt romp of 10 miles that slips by some impressive granite walls and gardens. The put-in shuttle is a mere half hour, then a half-mile walk, unless you have a 4WD. The run dumps you out at the Highway 49 Bridge about 5 minutes out of downtown Plymouth.
As you enter the edge of downtown, there’s a funky bright yellow eatery and drinking parlor that is the perfect place to tell stories and relive the day. Then there is a quiet B&B just down the street . . . Hopefully, you called ahead for reservations.
| Population: | 2,214 | Links: | Chamber of Commerce: www.amadorcountychamber.com |
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From Sacramento follow Highway 50 east out of town for about 6 miles until you reach Highway 16, the “Jackson Highway.” Turn right (southeast) and follow it for 34 miles until you reach the Highway 49 intersection just east of Plymouth. Continue straight (northeast) onto Highway 49. Downtown Plymouth is two miles but you’ll start picking up modern retail stores and restaurants within a mile.
You can also reach the community via Highway 49 either south for about 21 miles out of Placerville or north from Jackson for about 13 miles.