Here's why Nevada City is the ultimate Bay Area day trip

Fuel up on your way out of town at the Olde San Francisco Creamery. It serves up burgers and sandwiches if you're in need of a quick lunch, or treat yourself to a decadent ice cream creation. Inspired by the ice cream sodas and sundaes served by the dime stores and pharmacies of the 1940s, the atmosphere is utterly charming. The Creamery specializes in old-school sundaes like banana splits and hot-fudge-topped black and whites. A shake, freeze, or classic ice cream soda is the perfect grab-and-go goodie for anyone heading out on a day trip. The creamery is most famous for the Kitchen Sink Sundae, which has eight scoops, eight servings of toppings, three whole bananas, and more piled on top. It's a popular eating challenge for those not worried about brain freezes, or it can be split among a group.

Reiff's Gas Station Museum is the kind of nostalgic, old-school roadside attraction you'd expect to see along Route 66, but plopped in the middle of Woodland, California. It's the work of Mark Reiff, who has spent years turning his own house into a public shrine dedicated to roadside kitsch. Inside, you'll find various artifacts and exhibits, including a replica gas station adorned with vintage pumps, a refurbished 1956 tow truck, a replica 1950s general store, a recreated diner, and a tribute to a classic movie theater (Woodland's Yolo Theater, that burned down in 1958). There's also a patio and garden space that is completely bedecked in vintage gas station antiques. The museum also serves as a bar and barbecue joint, so you can hang out here and soak in the kitsch as long as you need.

You'll have to make an appointment in advance to visit the Roseville Telephone Museum, unless it's the first Saturday of the month, but a tour of this collection is worth it. The Roseville Telephone Company was founded in 1914 to provide telephone service to 160 rural subscribers. Back then, telephones looked and worked a lot differently than they do today, so it's fascinating to see Roseville's display of antiques that were once used to connect the community, as well as novelty phones, Alexander Graham Bell original telephones, and more. In addition to the massive collection (one of the country's most extensive), the staff will demonstrate how the Roseville switchboard worked, and let you make a call.

Get a bit further out of Nevada City to stop by Riverhill Farm's farm stand. One of the best parts of taking a day trip is getting out of the city and enjoying all the countryside has to offer, such as fresh, local produce. The farm stand is open on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings to sell goodies and offer u-pick excursions. The owners only sell whatever is seasonal and recently harvested, so every trip here is different. Plus, a visit to the farm stand is a chance to enjoy the setting of a real, working farm, and it feels really great to support a local business.

Get a taste for Nevada City's storied past at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad & Transportation Museum. It features a rail yard, museum, and restoration shop. If you're not a train fanatic, it's worth it to take a docent-led tour, since the volunteers here really know their stuff. Their most famous attraction is Engine 5, an 1875 Baldwin that began service hauling lumber, then passengers and freight for the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, and finally as a movie engine at Universal Studios in Hollywood. On Saturdays in the summer, the museum runs railbus tours to the Northern Queen Inn and back, which are an awesome way to enjoy the scenery.

Back in Nevada City, one of the most iconic buildings in the historic downtown district is the Firehouse No. 1 Museum. It was built in 1861 for the Nevada Hose Company No. 1, and served as a working firehouse until 1938. It's pretty wild to think that this firehouse saw horse-drawn fire wagons transition into motorized fire trucks during its time. In 1947, it opened as a museum, and has been staffed by volunteers ever since. There are four main exhibits: one on the Nisenan Indians of the Nevada City Rancheria; one on the Chinese immigrants who came to work the county gold mines in the 19th century; one on everyday life in Victorian Nevada City; and one on the Donner Party. The Donner Party was a group of pioneers that famously were trapped by snowfall in the Sierra Nevada during their journey to California. They spent some time stuck in deep snow at Donner Lake, not far from Nevada City, and the museum contains relics collected from the makeshift cabins the pioneers stayed in.