Airport Commuter Black SUV + Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chauffeur for the Holbrooke Hotel — the 1862 Grass Valley Gold Rush hotel + California's oldest continuously-operating hotel in the Mother Lode + California Historical Landmark #914 + home of the Golden Gate Saloon, in operation since 1852 + reborn through an Acme Hospitality restoration in 2020 + 28 rooms + the sister property to the National Exchange Nevada City, deepening AC's Gold Country / Sierra Foothills sub-region.
The Holbrooke Hotel at 212 West Main Street, Grass Valley is the 1862 Gold Rush hotel built in Mother Lode masonry style + California's oldest continuously-operating hotel in the Mother Lode + California Historical Landmark #914 + and it incorporates the Golden Gate Saloon, in continuous operation since 1852 (the oldest saloon in Northern California and among the oldest west of the Mississippi). The hotel was comprehensively restored by Acme Hospitality — the same group that restored the National Exchange Hotel in neighboring Nevada City — and reopened in January 2020. Grass Valley and Nevada City were the twin centers of California hard-rock (quartz) gold mining + at roughly 2,400 ft in the Sierra Nevada foothills on CA-49, the Golden Chain Highway. The Holbrooke's guest register has famously included Mark Twain, Presidents Ulysses S. Grant + Grover Cleveland + Benjamin Harrison, Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtree, and the gentleman bandit Black Bart.
28 rooms across the hotel + the 1874 Purcell House annex. Period Gold Rush-era detail with modern comfort, the result of a comprehensive Acme Hospitality restoration + the 1874 Purcell House Victorian annex across Main Street.
The Golden Gate Saloon (since 1852). The oldest saloon in Northern California + the living-history bar and restaurant at the heart of the hotel + mahogany bar + the historic register + Gold Country dining.
California Historical Landmark #914. The Holbrooke is a registered California Historical Landmark + the Mother Lode's oldest continuously-operating hotel.
Main Street walking access. The hotel sits on Grass Valley's historic Main Street + a 5-minute walk to the Lola Montez House, the Del Oro Theatre, and the historic downtown.
Empire Mine State Historic Park (5-10 min). One of the oldest + largest + deepest + richest hard-rock gold mines in California (1850-1956) + 367 miles of underground passages + the Willis Polk-designed Bourn Cottage manor + formal gardens.
North Star Mining Museum (5 min). Home of the largest Pelton water wheel ever built (30 ft diameter) + Cornish pump + Grass Valley hard-rock mining heritage.
Lola Montez House (5 min walk). 248 Mill Street + the reconstructed home of the Gold Rush celebrity dancer who lived here in 1853 + mentored neighbor Lotta Crabtree.
Del Oro Theatre (5 min walk). The 1942 Streamline Moderne movie palace + a Main Street landmark.
Cornish heritage. Grass Valley had the largest Cornish population outside Cornwall + the Cornish pasty + the Cornish Carol Choir + the December Cornish Christmas street festival.
National Exchange Hotel + Nevada Theatre, Nevada City (15 min N). The 1856 Acme-restored sister Gold Rush hotel + Lola restaurant + the 1865 Nevada Theatre, California's oldest original-use theater.
South Yuba River State Park + Bridgeport Covered Bridge (30 min). The longest single-span wood-covered bridge in the United States + Sierra swimming holes + the Independence Trail.
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (45 min). The largest hydraulic gold-mining site in California + the North Bloomfield ghost town.
North Lake Tahoe + Truckee (1:30 east via CA-20 + I-80). Donner Summit + the historic railroad town + AC's Lake Tahoe properties.
Old Sacramento + the Delta (1:10 south). The Delta King 1927 stern-wheel steamboat + the Ryde Hotel + the California State Railroad Museum.
SMF Sacramento International (closest major commercial). 1:05-1:20 south via CA-49 + I-80 + 60 miles + the primary AC arrival for the Gold Country.
RNO Reno-Tahoe International. 1:25-1:40 east via I-80 over Donner Summit + 78 miles + the Sierra alternate arrival + ideal for guests pairing Gold Country with Lake Tahoe.
Nevada County Air Park Grass Valley (O17) + AUN Auburn Municipal. 5-10 minutes (Grass Valley) + 25 minutes (Auburn) + general aviation + private jets into the Sierra Foothills.
SFO San Francisco. 3:00 via I-80 + 148 miles + the AC's most-used arrival for Bay Area origin guests.
OAK Oakland. 2:45 via I-80 + 143 miles.
The Holbrooke Hotel (Grass Valley, 1862) is California's oldest continuously-operating hotel in the Mother Lode + California Historical Landmark #914 + and incorporates the Golden Gate Saloon, in continuous operation since 1852. It and the National Exchange Hotel (Nevada City, 1856, 15 minutes north) are the two great Gold Rush hotels of Nevada County + both restored by Acme Hospitality + sister properties. Grass Valley and Nevada City were the twin centers of California hard-rock (quartz) gold mining + together the richest lode-gold district in the state + and remain the most intact Gold Rush townscapes in California. AC chauffeurs guests booking nights at each to experience both Victorian towns, with the Empire Mine (one of the deepest + richest hard-rock mines in California, 367 miles of passages) between them. The 2-property Gold Country / Sierra Foothills cluster mirrors AC's other historic pairings: McCloud Hotel + Mount Shasta Resort in the Cascades; Tallman in Lake County; the Delta King + Ryde in the Sacramento Delta.
The Golden Gate Saloon, the bar and restaurant inside the Holbrooke Hotel, has been in continuous operation since 1852 + making it the oldest saloon in Northern California and among the oldest continuously-operating saloons west of the Mississippi. It was built in 1852 by Stephen and Clara Smith, among the first to invest in the Grass Valley boomtown + a single-story Exchange Hotel annex was added behind it in 1853 + the saloon burned in the 1855 fire and was rebuilt with fieldstone and a brick facade + and the surrounding hotel was rebuilt as a two-story structure after the 1862 fire and renamed the Holbrooke in 1879. The bar's mahogany + the historic register signed by Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtree, and Black Bart are part of the saloon's living-history character. AC chauffeurs guests for dinner and drinks at the Golden Gate Saloon as the centerpiece of a Gold Country evening.
The Holbrooke Hotel's guest register has famously included three United States Presidents - Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison - plus the author Mark Twain (who lectured in the Gold Country), the Gold Rush celebrity dancer Lola Montez (who lived in Grass Valley in 1853), the child-star actress Lotta Crabtree (Montez's Grass Valley protegee, who became one of the wealthiest entertainers in America), and the gentleman bandit Black Bart (the Wells Fargo stagecoach robber and poet). The hotel preserves this living-history character through its restored Golden Gate Saloon, its period guest rooms, and the 1874 Purcell House annex. AC's chauffeur retainer comes with a Gold Country history script covering the Holbrooke + Grass Valley + Nevada City heritage.
Grass Valley was home to the largest Cornish immigrant population outside Cornwall, drawn to the deep hard-rock mines, and the heritage survives today. From the Holbrooke base: Empire Mine State Historic Park (5-10 min, one of the oldest + deepest + richest hard-rock gold mines in California, 1850-1956, 367 miles of passages + the Willis Polk Bourn Cottage), the North Star Mining Museum (5 min, the largest Pelton water wheel ever built at 30 ft), the Lola Montez House (5 min walk, 248 Mill Street), the Del Oro Theatre (5 min walk, 1942 Streamline Moderne), the December Cornish Christmas street festival + the Cornish pasty + the Cornish Carol Choir, the National Exchange Hotel + Nevada Theatre Nevada City (15 min N), South Yuba River State Park + Bridgeport Covered Bridge (30 min), Malakoff Diggins (45 min), Sierra Foothills wineries, and Old Sacramento (1:10 S). AC builds a Gold Country + Cornish heritage walking-and-touring chauffeur retainer around these.
Yes - Grass Valley sits at the Sierra Foothills crossroads + and the Holbrooke is a natural base for several AC chauffeur itineraries. North Lake Tahoe + Truckee (1:30 east via CA-20 + I-80 over Donner Summit, pairing with AC's Lake Tahoe properties - PlumpJack, Edgewood, Ritz-Carlton, Resort at Squaw Creek). Old Sacramento + the Delta (1:10 south via CA-49 + I-80, the Delta King 1927 stern-wheel steamboat + the Ryde Hotel + the California State Railroad Museum - a Gold-Rush-to-railroad-to-Delta heritage loop). Gold Country / Mother Lode CA-49 touring south through Auburn + Coloma (the Sutter's Mill gold-discovery site) + Placerville + the Shenandoah Valley Amador wine country. AC arranges a 5-7 day Gold Country + Sierra Foothills + North Tahoe + Old Sacramento Delta heritage grand tour pairing the Holbrooke + the National Exchange with vehicle positioning at SMF + RNO + SFO. RNO Reno is the alternate arrival for guests pairing Gold Country with Lake Tahoe.