Trip to Sonora

Military Museum of Unknown Awesome 🪖🖼️ Here’s the gem no Google review mentions. At the south end of Washington Street sits an unassuming beige building labeled “Veterans Memorial Hall.” Walk in any weekday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (the volunteer curator, Jim, opens late only if the Giants game went into extra innings). Inside: a labyrinth of glass cases crammed with one-of-a-kind relics—a Nazi Enigma machine, a chunk of the USS Arizona, even the flight suit worn by the pilot who evacuated Saigon in ’75. Jim served three tours in Vietnam and narrates every artifact like you’re old war buddies. Block out two hours; you’ll need them, and bring cash for the donation jar—Jim runs the place on tips and stubborn pride. 🫡💸 Logistics & Pro Hacks 🗺️🚙 • Drive time: 2 h 45 m from San Francisco, 1 h 30 m from Sacramento, 1 h 15 m from Lake Tahoe. • Parking: free 2-hour spots on Washington Street; unlimited around the county courthouse two blocks north. • Best light for photos: golden hour hits the storefronts at 6:30 p.m. in summer; the neon saloon signs glow ruby-red by 7. • Pair it with: a morning hike at Columbia State Historic Park (five miles up the road) where you can still pan for real gold in a trough staffed by costumed docents. 🏞️⛏️ Where We Slept 🛏️🌙 We booked the historic Gunn House Hotel (1850). Rooms have claw-foot tubs, creaky pine floors, and a complimentary bottle of sarsaparilla on the nightstand. At 9 p.m. the front porch becomes an impromptu wine social; guests swap road-trip stories while the owner strums a 1930s banjo. Rates hover around $140 a night—cheaper than most chain motels off the 99, and infinitely more memorable. 🎶🍷 TL;DR Emoji Summary 🤏📲 Send this to your travel buddy: #US #CA #Sonoma