Nevada City’s Food Love Project now offers You Pick Veggies every Tuesday afternoon (between 4:30 and 6:30).  Stop by the farm, located at 16200 Purdon Road, on the Burton Homestead, and learn where your veggies come from.  Farmer Amanda, who runs the farm as an educational tool for local students, encourages families to come out and show your kids how vegetables grow and what they look like in the ground.  This week’s harvest included kale, green onions, beets and garlic.  Nevada City has so many opportunities for fresh, locally grown produce, whether its at the Nevada City Farmers Market, the Nevada County Growers Market, the Outside Inn’s free veggie cart, Riverhill Farm stands, a local CSA.  So, what’s your favorite go-to place for fresh summer veggies?

© 2013 InnSide Nevada City

School’s out, summer has officially started and it’s time to go to your favorite swimming hole on the South Fork of the Yuba River.  The river is one of our favorite recommendations for things to do in Nevada City, regardless of the season, but the warm summer days make swimming a great family friendly activity.  There are a number of magical spots, either at 49 Crossing (pictured here), Edwards Crossing, Purdons Crossing, Washington, Bridgeport, Jones Bar, to name a few.  So what are you waiting for?  Grab your river gear and enjoy the sunshine!  If you need directions to the river, feel free to stop by the Outside Inn’s office, we’re always happy to help figure out which location is best suited for you.  And if heading to the river isn’t the right spot for you, we’ve … Read More »

The Nevada City Foreign Car Show took over Broad Street today, with over 80 vintage cars and motorcycles on display.  Pictured above on the top left is a Model T Fire Truck replica from a New Zealand 1913 Ford Fire Truck.  While the heat certainly detoured some, many car enthusiasts were excited to get the opportunity to see the cars up close and talk to their owners.  In addition to the cars the Nevada City Chamber organized a wine & beer tasting event throughout downtown shops.  Thanks to  Smith Vineyard, Chacewater Winery, Coufus Cellars, Nevada City Winery, Clavey Wines, Szabo Vineyards and Ol’ Repbulic for participating in the event.  The pub crawl included McGee’s, Matteo’s Public, Coopers and the Crazy Horse Saloon (to name a few).  My young assistant liked the Nevada City Soap Box Derby cars the best, voting for Mr. Potato … Read More »

Nevada City’s First Friday Art Walk kicked off with a bang last night, despite the heat.  The event, organized by Cynthia Levesque, of  Neva Co Artisan Boutique, involved numerous downtown Nevada City merchants staying open late on Friday night to welcome locals and visitors.  Around town were special receptions for artists, entertainment and special store discounts.  Photos from last night’s event include Sage and Eva singing at the Nevada City boardwalk, The Balloon Girl in front of Treats, plus shops showcasing art (Voici, Love the Parlour,   Deborah Gail at Neva Co, Mountain Temple Gallery, My Favorite Things and Kitkitdizzi).  The Robinson Plaza had a great youth artist showcase with an interactive project from Your Community Canvas and information from Nevada County Makes and Peace Love Swap).  When I sat at Szabo Vineyards tasting room and chatted … Read More »

The 2013 Nevada City Adventure, organized by Mini Mania, was a celebration of all things Mini last Saturday here in Nevada City.  Over 100 cars and 200 enthusiasts took part in the celebration, with ice cream from Lazy Dog and live music by Paige Anderson and the Fearless Kin.  The poker drive took a pit stop at the Highway 20 lookout, for your copy of the above photo click here for a poster.  ”Thirty-nine Minis part in our poker run and scenic driving tour, the most we have had by far!  They traveled 20 miles of windy, lush highway stopping along the way several times to collect their poker hand.  The destination was Washington, CA, a picturesque, little town nestle in the Sierra Foothills on the edge of the Yuba River,” wrote marketing associate Kelli Phenix.  For the car … Read More »

This Saturday is National Trails Day and the Bear Yuba Land Trust has organized a wide range of activities to encourage folks to get out and explore.  So whether you head out to the Deer Creek Tribute trail or take a nature walk with Alicia Funk on the Hirschman Pond or ride your bike with BONC, there are lots of opportunities to celebrate.  For a full list of the day’s agenda click here.  The Outside Inn has a great selection of local trail maps, so if you miss the fun on Saturday, feel free to stop by our office and we are happy to point you in the right direction to get outside and play.  What’s your favorite Nevada County trail?  And the winner of last week’s Organic Grill giveaway is Cheryl Noble.

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Did you make it the Sierra Festival of Arts today?  Organized by the Grass Valley Downtown Association the all day event included over 40 artists, music and food stalls.  Local artist Roseanne Burke commented that there “were lots of great activities for the kids,” include painting by The Artist Workshop, clay by Mud Hut at ASiF Studios and a mural that will be on display at the next event.  Sierra Festival of the Arts juror Moira McLaughlin said the event had lots of “great energy.”  While I only managed to capture some of the artists, there are photos of works by Art Discovered, Roseanne Burke, Ruth Chase, Neighborhood Center of the Arts, Krista Tranquilla Studio, Nevada County Makes, Katie Wolff, Jane Kiskaddon and Schad Studio.  It’s always great to have an event where you can connect with local organizations, … Read More »

The annual Nevada City B.E.A.R. (Be Excited About Reading) Storybook Character Parade is another fabulous reason why I love our community.  School children marched proudly down Broad Street dressed as their favorite book character to the cheers of supportive fans.  ”We are so lucky to live in a town/community where they will close down the street for an hour for our kids to be able to show off their love of reading,” said Kathryn Boswell.  ”I am so proud to be one of those parents and I know my boys were grinning from ear to ear the entire walk down Broad Street today.”  Thank you to Joe Limov,  Julie Bryan and the Nevada City School District PTA for continuing such a fabulous local tradition.  Kudos to the Nevada City City Council for kicking off the parade, we loved … Read More »

Contributed by Katy Spoto

Here are my top five things to do with kids in Nevada County on a sunny day.  First up, pull on your cowboy boots and gallop over to Purpose Ranch.  Wranglers welcome visitors to make friends with 26 rescued horses. Call for best time to visit.

Get on your bike and ride at Nevada County Fairgrounds.  Hilltown living makes learning to ride a bike challenging; but, the benefits extend into your child’s problem-solving abilities. Enter at gate four and bring a helmet.

Commune with nature on Rock Creek Nature Trail. Strap on baby and peace out on this ¾ mile loop of forested bliss.

Be a tourist at the Empire Mine. Take in the century-old gardens while kids toddle along paths. Listen for frogs at the reflecting pool, explore machinery and find the moon rock in the mineral exhibit.

All aboard the NCNG … Read More »

Our friends at Treats are introducing a new product….Treatsicles.  While we love their ice cream, gelato and fresh baked cookies, with the warmer months up ahead, sometimes a refreshing ice cold bar made of local seasonal fruits and veggies, might be perfect.  The first round of flavors will be “spring strawberries, rhubarb, citrus and sweet potato,” says owner Peggy Wright.  She plans to always keep espresso, coconut, tea and chocolate in stock and offer a variety of flavors as they become available at the Nevada City Farmers Market.  The Outside Inn’s blog is happy to have a giveaway of two free popsicles, please post a comment on this blog post on what flavors you think they should have and I’ll draw the winner on Monday, April 1st.  Please note that the Treatsicles will be available in … Read More »