Location: Yreka
Top Things to do in Yreka
The 8 Best Things to Do in Yreka, United States
Yreka (/waɪˈriːkə/ wy-REE-kə) is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, located near the Shasta River at 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level and covering about 10.1 sq mi (26 km2) area, of which most is land. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 7,765, reflecting an increase of 475 from the 7,290 counted in the 2000 Census. Yreka is home to the College of the Siskiyous, Klamath National Forest Interpretive Museum and the Siskiyou County Museum. Its gold mining heritage is commemorated by the high school team which uses a gold miner as their name and mascot. The city is also one of the possible capitals of the proposed State of Jefferson, alongside Redding, California and Port Orford, Oregon.
Restaurants in Yreka
1. West Miner Street Historic District
Overall Ratings
4 based on 56 reviews
Reviewed By Kristine M
This area is perfect for history buffs, the plaques on the buildings allow you to take a self guided tour of downtown. The local restaurants and shops are a great place to rest and relax after a long day of traveling.
Liberty Arts is a wonderful place to end your tour, the artwork is inspiring and always a pleasure to view.
2. Greenhorn Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By katshannon - Newport Beach, California
You can pop in here just about any time of day and have a quiet walk through the park and around the pond . There's a nice little covered bridge to stop for some shade if you need it and there are many many hiking trails in the general area. Lots of wildlife I've seen signs of bears and I've seen lots of different birds there many butterflies and deer .
3. Siskiyou County Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By gcavener - Oregon City, Oregon
Being Siskiyou county natives (Dorris area) we really enjoy the wonderful indoor exhibits and the Siskiyou County Historical Society reference library and bookstore. I was happy to have a stair lift available to view the second floor exhibits. We left with photocopies of a wonderful piece of our family history. The people were extremely helpful and accommodating.
4. Shasta's Chocolate Emporium
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Yreka's old time candy and chocolate store. We also have novelty candies and bottled sodas as well as fountain sodas, cotton candy, flavor burst ice cream, shakes, sundaes and more. Something for everyone whether you are 2 or 92!
Reviewed By rmdy_64 - Yreka, California
We wanted ice cream and to get out of the house. We actually wanted to go to this other place, but it was closed and we happened here by chance. What a nice find! They have soft serve icecream and you have a variety of mixed in swirls that you can add- any or all flavors at once! My guests went for waffle cones and I went for a sundae. The ice cream was amazingly good and creamy, which surprised me. The price was very reasonable for the amt of ice cream we got, and we couldnt even finish it all. We will def be back! Nice little gem in our little town!
5. Franco American Hotel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By JHarold - Yreka, California
An historical trip back to the time of stagecoaches and freight wagons on the California-Oregon Trail. Chock full of antique collections, old photographs, and the atmosphere of a grand hotel from the 1800s. The owners are eager to share local history and the stories about this building and the Miner Street district.
6. The Wine Bar & Bistro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Specialty wines and tapas style bistro with a full beer list and non-alcoholic drink selections available. Regularly scheduled live music. Beautiful space available for meetings, special events and parties by reservation, with catering on site.
Reviewed By Halliecat1 - Bentonville, Arkansas
They have a good selection of wines, lots of beers to choose from and a great Tapas like menu. They have live music and it is a nice, friendly, clean place to unwind after work.
7. California Welcome Center
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By mini - Fremont, California
We stopped at the rest stop and to see Klamath River. We were also happy to find this very good California Welcome Center at the same place. There are some local exhibits. There is also a lot of great information for both California and Oregon. We also liked the flowers (irises) that were growing by the welcome center.
8. Chinese Cemetery Memorial
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By half-Brit - Oregon Coast
We were staying in the Yreka RV Park, which is only a mile of two from this cemetery. We like old cemeteries, so of course had to visit, even thought this is more a memorial than cemetery.
Yreka's "Chinatown" was located a couple of miles away from the main part of town, up on a hill. In keeping with the cultural traditions of the time, the Chinese had their own cemetery, where many were interred from about 1850 through about 1930.
In the 1970's, the construction of I-5 freeway demolished the last vestiges of the old Chinatown. All of the remains in the Chinese cemetery were dug up and shipped to China, so there are no actual graves at this memorial.
The cemetery memorial has a small gravel parking area. We walked under an archway and entered the old cemetery grounds. There is a single headstone marked with Chinese characters which say - "The Graveyard of Our Past Friends. Erected in the mid-summer of the 26th year of Emperor Kwong-Shui."
There is a gazebo which has some benches, and an informational sign with the list of names of all the people who were originally buried there.
Even though this one has no graves, it makes for an interesting brief stop if you like to learn some of the history of the area, as we do!
It is easy to find the Chinese Memorial. It's just on the east side of the freeway, on the north side of Hwy 3. You'll see the arch and a gazebo from the road.
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