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We've compiled the best of the best in The Sierra Nevada - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
For one-stop truck-stop entertainment, pull off the highway in Traver, where at Bravo Farms you can try your luck at an arcade shooting gallery, watch cheese being made, munch on barbecue and ice cream, play a round of minigolf, peruse funky antiques, buy produce, visit a petting zoo, and climb a multistory tree house. Taste a few "squeekers" (fresh cheese curds, so named because chewing them makes your teeth squeak), and then be on your way.
A sprawling complex with sweeping views of the Sherwin Mountains, Mammoth Rock 'n' Bowl supplies one-stop recreation, entertainment, and dining. Downstairs are 12 bowling lanes; lounge areas; Ping-Pong and foosball tables; dartboards; and a casual bar-restaurant serving burgers, pizzas, and small plates. The upstairs floor has three golf simulators, a pro shop, and Mammoth Rock Brasserie, an upscale dining room and lounge. If the weather's nice, sit out on the patio or the upstairs deck and enjoy the unobstructed vistas.
A delightful place for a family picnic, the hatchery was one of California's first trout farms. The Tudor Revival–style structure, constructed in 1916, is an architectural stunner, its walls nearly 3 feet thick with locally quarried granite. Fish production ceased in 2007 after a fire and subsequent mudslide, but dedicated volunteers staff the facility and raise trout for display purposes in a large pond out front. Bring change for the fish-food machines.
