Affordable Family Vacations

Summer Giggles

Remember when you were a kid and the whole family loaded up in the station wagon to go camping, or daytripping?  Or maybe you don’t have those kinds of memories but you want to create them for your kids.  Quincy, California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California offers the perfect chance to do just that at affordable prices.

What could be better?

Family vacations do not have to be expensive to be memorable.  You can get just as many screams and giggles out of kids being pulled on inner tubes behind a rented ski boat as you can on a ride at Disneyland for a fraction of the cost.  Watching an Osprey steal a fish from a Bald Eagle can create just as many oo’s and ah’s as an IMAX movie.  A hotdog and a s’more around the campfire sometimes beats the best high priced dinner anywhere.  You’d be amazed at the conversations you can have with your kids while sitting on a sandy lake beach, or walking through an amazing field of ferns in the forest, or laying at the rivers edge at night watching for falling stars.  Free, but priceless!

Bucks Lake Marina Kayaks

Just 16 miles from Quincy is Bucks Lake.  Rent a boat or kayak, walk the miles of forest trails including the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), fish, bike, or just lay around doing nothing but watching for Bald Eagles!  For a very nominal price you can tent or r.v. camp, stay in a cabin or the bed and breakfast.  Or if you’d rather stay in town and play in the forest during the day, we have many affordable, yet lovely lodging options.

If it’s winter fun you’re looking for, go no further, avoid the high priced lift tickets and crowds of Tahoe.  With miles of famous snowmobiling trails, snowshoeing and cross country skiing opportunities, Quincy’s surrounding area is the answer.

Downtown Quincy

Quincy’s downtown area offers quaint coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries and an old fashioned, historical movie theater.  If it’s history you’re after, we’ve got it.  Take the kids to the Plumas County Museum and learn something about the gold country, the railroad, and logging industry.  Trace your roots to the area in the geneology section of the museum.

Plumas County Museum

 

During the Fall Season visitors from miles around come for the fall colors.  Photography buffs have endless photo opportunities all year round but the fall colors alone are worth the drive.  While you’re here check out the fall festivities;  Girls Night Out brings hundred’s of women out for a night on the town, Beer Fest, Barn Quilt Tour and many walking, biking and driving tours pointing out the best trees in town. 

Downtown art galleries hold Art Walks several times during the year, showcasing local artists’ work.

So whether it’s Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall activities you’re looking for, Quincy, California and it’s surrounding areas have the accommodations to fit every families budget.  Come escape the rigors of everyday life, relax and spend time re-connecting, soak up the sunshine, the stars and the clear mountain air; these are the things that create memories that last a lifetime! 

For information about Quincy check out the tabs at the top of this page…. there is information on restaurants, lodging and directions to Quincy.

If you have a great family vacation memory please share with us in the comment section below!

Emily’s Garden

Our plans for this website is to showcase a new business each week.  This week, Emily Webb from Emily’s Garden, located on Main Street next to the Town Hall Theater, tells her story:

         I founded Emily’s Garden 31 years ago in the town of Taylorsville, Ca. It began as a manufacturing company of fine bath and body products, wholesaling to stores, mail order catalogs and internet sites across the nation. As time went on, the company grew to sell large quantities to stores like Nordstrom’s, Smith & Hawken, internet/mail order catalog sites like The weddingchannel.com and redenvelope.com or custom corporate gifts for hotels like Pebble Beach.

For about 25 of those years, there was always the constant yearning in the back of my mind for my little “Dream Store.” A place where I could create more and “mass produce” less. As I would visit national trade shows each year, I would always pick up catalogs and ideas for the “Dream Store” that I would one day have and tuck them away in my “Dream Drawer”. Then about a year ago, while driving down Main St. in Quincy, I saw a “For Rent” sign on the perfect little store front. It was then, that I knew it was a “now or never” opportunity.

I began sketching, collecting and creating for my Grand Opening on the night of “Sparkle,” a yearly holiday event on Main St. which draws the community out for a night of festivities. The opening was a grand success, far surpassing my expectations. What I hadn’t expected was how my little store affected people emotionally. It’s a very “pretty” store and what I didn’t know, was that when you are surrounded by “pretty” it makes you feel good. Whether its intoxicating lotions and soaps, vintage antiques or little pots of flowers, when you leave you always feel better. I still do some wholesaling, but my true love is my little store and the people who feel good every time they come in.

Emily’s Garden is open  Weds.-Fri. 12:00-5:00 Sat. 10:00-4:00

        

           Emily’s Window for Sparkle

Why Do I Live in Quincy, California

So, I’m looking frantically for ideas and content for describing Quincy, and it occurs to me… I have my own reason for living here, just tell it.

We came from the Bay Area about 10 years ago.  At the time the kids were young, one in kindergarten, one in first grade.  One day I was driving the kids to school, going along minding my own business, doing the speed limit…. the guy in back of me started screaming at me when he passed, using not so nice hand gestures, calling me names….the speed limit wasn’t fast enough for him.  I got so rattled  I had to pull over.  I started crying, the kids started crying…  that was the day I decided, “We’ve got to get out of here!”

My husband’s family has been vacationing at Bucks Lake for decades, some of his fondest memories of growing up were his two weeks a year at Bucks.  His sister had come to Feather River College and ended up staying, she’s been here over 20 years now.  So, in our quest for “what do we do now”, Quincy was a good place to start.

We came up for a non-vacation visit and instead of heading straight for Bucks Lake, we drove around and took a look at the town with a different lens.  We talked to the Principal of the school, ate at some of the restaurants, noticed there was no coffee after 4:00.  We fantasized about being so close to the lake, and rivers.  It didn’t take us long to feel giddy with the possibility of actually living here.  We looked for a house and found one in Meadow Valley, went back home and started putting things in motion for the move.

Moving to Quincy was the best thing we’ve ever done for our family.  Yes, there are downfalls, but there are anywhere.  But in my opinion, the positives like:

• I can let my kids walk downtown without ANY fear for their safety
• People know not only my name, but who my kids are and who my husband is
• The community cares about each other and when there is a need, we are there for each other
• I can literally walk out my door and get to a hiking or biking trail within 3 minutes, to the lake within 15, snowshoeing, fishing, kayaking, boating, camping…. it’s all practically in my backyard
• The only hand gestures I get on the road is a wave

these outweigh any negatives.  I love Quincy,  California and am grateful for that guy that flipped me the bird!

Introduction To Quincy, California

Quincy, California is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, in Plumas County.  We hope this website helps to introduce our wonderful community to the World and intice you to come visit. 

With year round activities and celebrations, Quincy makes for an exciting yet affordable vacation destination.  Choose from the many riches of our area; the high sierra mountains with it’s unlimited lakes and rivers offer both winter and summer fun, local festivities including such events as Sparkle (the 1st weekend of Dec.), Girls Night Out (September), Plumas County Fair (August), Beer Fest and Leaf Peepers Tours (October), High Sierra Music Festival (July), just to name a few.

Quincy, the Plumas County seat, is nestled against the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range and tucked at the edge of the lush American Valley. 

The largest community in Plumas County, Quincy is located midway between Oroville and Reno on the Feather River National Scenic Byway (State Route 70).

Quincy’s Main Street is known for its attractive downtown historic buildings that have been the focus of preservation and restoration. Many of these are featured on a self-guided walking tour that begins at the Plumas County Museum, located behind the county courthouse. 

Plumas County Courthouse

The four-story courthouse building on Main Street is the county’s most dominant and impressive structure. Built in 1921, it features huge marble posts and staircases. Outside, expansive grassy areas with benches and sitting areas are a favorite location for local events, including the Quincy Main Street Sparkle in December.

This enchanting town has a strong commitment to the arts, with numerous musical and dramatic events being staged at the historic Town Hall Theatre and up and coming West End Theater.  The Plumas County Arts Commission is headquartered in Quincy, in one of several Main Street galleries that feature changing displays of work by regional artists. The galleries host a series of Friday night “Art Walks” throughout the year.

 Quincy also offers an abundance of services and shopping opportunities.  (Please see Merchants Page)  Numerous motels, cottages, a bed and breakfast inn and a variety of restaurants (Places to Eat) are ready to accommodate visitors.  (See “Places to Stay”)

Just west of Quincy is Feather River College, a two-year college set on a hill overlooking the valley. “FRC” is well- known for its outdoor recreation, equine studies and natural resource curricula. A new walking/bike trail connects the college with Gansner Park and Quincy’s bike path.

Quincy also is home to the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds, located on the eastern side of Quincy off Highway 70. 

For more information on the Quincy area, visit Quincy Chamber of Commerce or call 530-283-0188 or (877) 283-0188.

Take a look around the site.  We have pages that you can select at the top of the main page such as Lodging, Merchants and Fun Things To Do.

This is brand new….. so be patient with us while we build our site to include photos of our beautiful town and surrounding areas such as Bucks Lake, The Feather River Canyon, Feather River College and so on.