Think you have to travel to a big city to immerse yourself in art? Think again. Our region is brimming with visual and performing arts worthy of an all-day art crawl. Here’s a morning-’til-night itinerary, with bonus ideas for future artsy outings.

9 a.m. Fuel up with your favorite espresso drink and pastry at The Fig Tree Coffee Art & Music Lounge (figtreecoffee.com), sited in Downtown Roseville. The cozy café features an ever-changing gallery of works by local artists and live music many evenings (open daily except Sunday).

 

9:30 a.m. Take a self-guided walking tour of the Roseville Mural Project. Currently, there are 10 murals—all located on or just off Vernon Street—with more coming. The project was spearheaded by Blue Line Arts, a nonprofit that has fostered visual arts in the community for over half a century. For mural locations and artist information, visit bluelinearts.org/roseville-mural-project. Bonus idea: Come back another day to visit Blue Line Arts’ expansive gallery (open Tuesday-Saturday).

 

10:30 a.m. Take a quick jaunt up the hill to Auburn. Start at Persimmon Art Gallery (persimmonartgallery.com), a collective of nearly 20 local artists (open daily except Tuesday). Then drop down into Old Town Plaza and visit Auburn Old Town Gallery (auburnoldtowngallery.com), which features more than 50 local artists (open daily); in November and December, the gallery curates a “perfect gifts wall” to help visitors with their holiday shopping. Bonus idea: For another all-day excursion, attend the 30th annual Placer Artists Tour (placerartiststour.org), where you can visit with artists at work in their studios. The tour, held over two weekends (November 10-12 and 17-19), includes 119 artists across myriad mediums at 82 locations, from galleries and art schools to studios.

 

1 p.m. Grab a beverage and a bite to eat in Old Town Plaza. The Pour Choice (thepourchoice.com) offers delectable salads, sandwiches, and baked goods, alongside well-crafted coffee drinks; Auburn Alehouse (auburnalehouse.com) boasts classic American fare and award-winning brews; and Old Town Grill (oldtown-grill.com) serves breakfast all day alongside other hearty options.

 

2:30 p.m. At this point, you get to choose your own adventure—or, rather, artventure.

Option One: Head to Historic Folsom (historicfolsom.org). If you’re craving a sweet treat, pop into Snook’s Candies & Chocolate Factory for a handmade confection, then flutter across the street to the Folsom Wings Mural, where you can snap a photo with angel wings. Across the intersection is the Folsom History Mural, celebrating the city’s history since the Gold Rush. As you stroll along Sutter Street, look for the moody, sepia-tone mural in the stairwell of the Gaslight Building, and peek inside Sutter Street Taqueria where a panoramic painting provides glimpses of restaurant owner (and Folsom mayor) Rosario Rodriguez’s parents’ hometown in Mexico, her birthplace of San Francisco, and Folsom. Then peruse the eclectic collection at Fire & Rain Gallery (fireandraingalleries.com). The owner curates the space with what she calls “high-brow functional art with a feel-good vibe” (open daily except Monday). While you’re in Historic Folsom, keep your eyes peeled for several hand-painted heart sculptures, part of the Heartbeat of Folsom art installation (visitfolsom.com/folsom-hearts-project). Bonus idea: Next time you’re in town, visit the Gallery at 48 Natoma (folsom.ca.us/government/parks-recreation/facilities/gallery-at-48-natoma)—a city-run gallery (open weekdays) that showcases works by professional regional and national artists, as well as local emerging artists, students, and arts organizations. Through November 8, the Folsom Arts Association’s Autumn’s Bounty is on exhibit, along with Glass, Paper, & Scissors, featuring larger-than-life glass and metal flowers, floral-themed watercolors, and appliquéd textile pieces.

 

Option Two: Attend the 57th annual Mother Lode Art Exhibition (placervillearts.com/paa-mother-lode-show), a juried show presented by the Placerville Arts Association and hosted at Mills Station Arts and Culture Center in Rancho Cordova from November 2-18. It features more than 100 pieces by artists from across the country, with 16 selected for awards (open Thursdays and Fridays from 2-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.). Bonus idea: Visit the Gold Country Artists Gallery in Placerville (goldcountryartistsgallery.net), which hosts a collective of 45 local artists, including many Mother Lode Art Exhibition participants (open daily).

 

5:30 p.m. You’ve been on your feet all day, so it’s time for dinner and a show. There’s an abundance of dining options in Historic Folsom, as well as in the Palladio or Broadstone Marketplace near the Harris Center.

7 p.m. Whether you want to groove to music, listen to a speaker, or see a classic tale come to life, the Harris Center (harriscenter.net) at Folsom Lake College offers something for everyone with nearly a dozen shows this month alone, like the visually stunning ballet production of Cinderella on November 18. If comedy-meets-horror is more your vibe, Sutter Street Theatre is presenting Evil Dead: The Musical through the first weekend of November.

9:30 p.m. The art crawl has come to an end—just in time to head home and crawl into bed.