Bernhard Museum Complex

 

Location: 291 Auburn-Folsom Rd., Auburn, CA                                                                       
Phone: (530) 889-6500 Mailing Address: 101 Maple St., Auburn, CA 95603
Hours: Tuesdays thru Sundays, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm; closed Holidays
Admission: FREE!

To Schedule a group tour, call (530) 889-6500

Calendar for Bernhard Winery

The historic Bernhard Museum Complex has seen over 150 years of history roll by. The structure was built in 1851 by George Bishop and John Long as the Traveler’s Rest Hotel and is one of Auburn’s oldest surviving buildings. During the Gold Rush this rustic establishment hosted teamsters traveling the old Auburn Folsom Road and miners who were working in nearby Rich Flat.

In 1858, the building became the home of the George Bishop family. The house and 30 acres were sold at public auction to Eliza Caruthers in 1864 and in 1868 became the home of the Bernhard family. The Bernhard’s and their descendants lived here for nearly 100 years. Mr. Bernhard became a pioneer in the field of viticulture. Vines were planted, more land purchased, and in 1874 the two story stone winery was built.

Set on 2.3 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the Bernhard Museum Complex includes the Bernhard residence, wine storage building, wine processing building, and a barn. Today, the residence is a Victorian era house museum, but there remain faint whispers from the structure’s Travelers Rest days.

The wine processing building contains artifacts pertaining to winemaking and barrel making. A hearse, sleigh, buggies, wagons, and blacksmithing equipment are on display in the barn. The ground floor of the wine storage building houses a commercial winery. The Bernhard Museum Complex is the site for the Placer County Museums’ Living History Program.

The Bernhard Museum after a late winter snow in 2006