Murphys, California is a little town tucked in the gold rush country. This town is now more known for its wine-tasting venues, which there are many since the last time I visited.
I would say the town of Murphys is pretty accessible, although there are a few shops that you might not be able to access and one sidewalk that you would have to cross the street and enter at the end of it and then exit the same way as there is “old-time” steps in this area that were here long before we were! But 25 feet away from the Victoria Inn is the best restaurant in town with an accessible ramp. It is called Grounds. It doesn’t matter if you have breakfast, lunch or dinner there. It is the best food with the finest ingredients and is moderately priced.
Another great restaurant that you would have to walk or drive to on the other end of the main street is called Alchemy Restaurant. It serves a lot of organic foods. I’m not much for major organic but whatever they do, they do it well. The bread they serve before your meal is homemade with bits of whole corn, garlic, and such and it is one of the best breads I have tasted. Truly. There is a third more casual restaurant/cafe on the main drag called Firewood. What makes this so unique is that it looks like it was an old garage and has a rolled-up large front that you can roll right in with cement floors and casual dining. It has an upper deck where there is more seating and looked like that had live music from that level that radiates down to the main floor. We wished we had seen it sooner as we would have gone for sure. There are many wonderful shops for gifts, antiques, wine-tasting rooms, artwork, and photo ops. Enough to pique anyone’s interest.
The road to get here is a bit curvy but short-lived and the scenery is lovely. Best to check the weather as it can snow in this area. They also are very busy on St. Patrick’s Day weekends and in the nearby town of Angels Camp where they have an annual frog jumping contest. So make your reservations with these things in mind. Otherwise, it is worth the drive and just 2 hours East of the Bay Area. If you go to Murphys, enjoy as we did and you might just be lucky to see a little Leprechaun too!
Where to Stay
I came upon a gem for a great stay in an accessible cozy inn. It is called The Victoria Inn in Murphys, California.
This Victoria Inn… has a great accessible room called the “Mae’s” suite. It looks like an old Victorian but yet everything inside looks new. There is great parking right in front of your room, and a good ramp that meets the cute personal porch with two chairs before reaching your door. Inside is a queen size bed and a glorious-sized bathroom all equipped with a TRUE roll-in shower with bench, hand spray nozzle, and good lighting.
The sink area is so big, two people could fairly easily move easily around the space. The room is cozy and plush with wonderful access right in the middle of town so you wouldn’t need to get in your car until you left the area. The only downside that I could see with this room is that your and several cars would be in close proximity to your porch and room which might cause a problem if another guest might leave early the next morning.
