The Self-Guided Downtown Auburn Walking Tour

Auburn is a community filled with iconic landmarks and historic buildings that harken back to the quintessential architecture of the past.

While the Old Town Walking Tour brings the visitor to the early beginnings of Auburn, and the nearby Bernhard Museum Grounds Tour treats guests to experience the oldest building in town, this Downtown Walking Tour features the growth and development of the community as it expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The tour is a leisurely, partly downhill .6 miles (one-way) stroll from the Gold Rush Museum to City Hall. The Placer County Museum and Old Town are just beyond where you can find plenty of places to stop for a rest and some food or refreshment before heading back to the Gold Rush Museum. The walk back is largely flat but with a couple of notable inclines.

The tour begins at 601 Lincoln Way which is a historic train depot as well as the current home of Placer County's Gold Rush Museum.

Head downhill on Lincoln Way and the Hotel Auburn will be on the left side of the street.

Across the street and a little further down the hill you will find the Placer County Bank.

Keep headed down the hill until you reach the stoplight. Across the intersection stands The Tahoe Club building. 

Take a left to stay on Lincoln Way and head down to Central Square where you'll find a statue of a Nisenan man as well as several sidewalk tiles featuring historical figures from Auburn's past. Across the street to the left is a stand of five buisness which is also the site of the Auburn Opera House.

Around the corner from where the Opera House would have been is Lewis Street. Head up Lewis Street and Saint Luke's Church will be on your right.

Turn around and head back toward Central Square. Once you reach the corner, look to the left and you'll see the side of the old Firehouse/City Hall.

From City Hall, head back to the Central Square intersection and look across Central Square to get a nice view of the Masonic Hall.

From in front of the Masonic Hall, continue down Lincoln Way. On the left, you should see the Marquee of the State Theater.

Keep heading down Lincoln Way for a few steps and Almond Street runs into Lincoln Way. At the top of Almond Street is the old Auburn Library.

Head back down the hill and take a right on Lincoln Way. Keep going up and over the rise in the hill. As you come down the other side the Auburn Grammar School will be on your left.

Directly across the street from the Auburn Grammar School is the Odd Fellows Hall.

This completes the Self-Guided  Downtown Auburn Walking Tour. If your interest in local history has not been satisfied, feel free to continue on to the Old Town Walking Tour!

Old Town Auburn Walking/Driving Tour

Visitors are welcome to join us every Saturday morning at 10:00am sharp, rain or shine, for a free guided tour of Old Town Auburn. The Tour begins at the Courthouse, 101 Maple Street, and lasts about one hour.

For those who prefer a self-guided experience, you may enjoy this virtual tour highlighting some of the landmarks one would see and learn about on the tour.  Just click on each photo below to be whisked away into the past.

Just like a walking tour, this one starts at one of the jewels in our historical crown, the Historic Courthouse.

From there we head downhill on Lincoln Way. Just past Court Street on your right you'll see our next stop, the Brye Mansion.

Continue down the hill and when you get to the bottom, the old Tsuda Grocery will be the first building on your left.

Across from this extremely wide intersection, you will see a block of businesses known as the Center Block or the Post Office Block. This intersection is a relic of the days when Auburn was built around the convergence of three gold-bearing ravines at this site.

Across Washington Street from the Post Office Block sits what is now the Auburn Alehouse. Before that, it was the Shanghai Restaurant and, before that, the American Hotel.

The next building to the right is where the Empire Livery Stable was.

Now head up the other hill which is Sacramento Street. Right past the alley called Brewery Lane sits the Joss House.

Spin around and head back down the hill and take a look around. Pretty good view, right? One of the buildings you probably noticed right away is Firehouse No. 2. Because how can you miss a three story candy-striped building right past the Post Office Block.

As you stand admiring the beauty of this structure, turn to your right. The gas station on the corner is where the Orleans Hotel used to be.

Take a walk up Commercial Street back toward the courthouse. Are you starting to understand why they call Auburn the Endurance Capital of the World? You can't get anywhere in this town without going up a steep hill at some point. Commercial Street runs into Maple Street. Take Maple up to the intersection in front of the Courthouse. The Pioneer Methodist is across the street on the Left.

The End...

for now.

Stay tuned for our upcoming tour of downtown and of several other towns in Placer County.

Special thanks to the volunteers of the Placer County Archives and Research Center whose research was instrumental in the making of this project and to our wonderful walking tour docents. We look forward to seeing you again, soon!