Northeast of Roseville, CA, lies the charming city of Penryn, CA.  It would be hard to find a more lovely place to live near Sacramento. See more here.

History of Penryn

The word Penryn means sand or gravel containing gold. Being situated at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, that’s easy to understand. Interstate 80 runs to the east of Penryn, making it easy to get to Penryn from Sacramento.  First established as a quarry, Griffith Quarry produced some of the most beautiful granite in the area.

By 1870, Penryn had become an established community with several stores, saloons, a schoolhouse and a hotel. See here for information about Orangevale, CA: A Peacefully Rural Place.

Penryn Today 

Today you can visit the original Griffith Quarry and show your kids what a quarry used to look like.  They can begin to understand how much work was involved in getting a pretty rock out of the ground.  If you visit the Sacramento State Capitol afterwards, your kids can see this beautiful granite used in those buildings and understand where it came from.  Griffith Quarry granite was also used in the United States Mint in San Francisco.

At the museum, there are hiking trails to enjoy, and picnic tables scattered through the trees for a nice lunch break.  

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