Sightseeing at Lake New Melones

At the lake:

New Melones Lake Visitor Center and Museum - 6850 Stud Horse Flat Rd, Sonora, CA, 209-536-9094 - Exhibits on history, mining, geology, the California Gold Rush, and maps and brochures of the area.
Glory Hole Recreation Area - Glory Hole Rd, Angels Camp, CA 95222 - Located at New Melones Lake, there are over 25 miles of hiking and biking trails, equestrian trails in the Peoria Wildlife Mitigation Area, campgrounds, playgrounds, amphitheater, and more.
Tuttletown Recreation Area - 7200 Reynolds Ferry Rd, Sonora, CA, 209-536-9094 - Home of New Melones Lake the area also provides wilderness for hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, rock climbing, and more.
Mark Twain Recreation Area - At the northeast portion of New Melones Lake.

In the area:

Mercer Caverns - P.O. Box 509, Murphys, California, (209) 728-2101 - Tours given daily.
Moaning Cavern Park - 5350 Moaning Dave Road, Vallecito, CA 95251, 209-736-2708 - Walking tours or adventure tours with rappelling and ziplines.
Sutter Gold Mine Tours - 13660 Hwy 49, Sutter Creek, CA 95685, 209-736-2708 - Offers a 1-hour walk tour daily.
Black Chasm Cavern - 15701 Pioneer Volcano Road, Volcano, CA 95689, 209-736-2708 - Daily tours of 50 minutes and a Zen Garden hike on the grounds as well.
California Cavern - 9565 Cave City Road, Mountain Ranch, CA 95246, 866-762-2837 - Accessible only in the dry season, three different tours are offered ranging from a 1-hour walk tour to a 4 hour tour that may involve some crawling and squeezing.
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park - P. O. Box 1250, Jamestown, CA 95327, 209-984-3953 - Includes a roundhouse from the 1800’s, steam trains, steam train rides, store, etc.
Columbia State Park - 11255 Jackson St., Columbia, CA 95310, 209-588-9128 - The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved with shops, restaurants and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, and explore the real working businesses of Columbia.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park - northeast of Stockton, four miles northeast of Arnold on Highway 4, 209-795-2334 - Calaveras became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Grove of giant sequoias. In addition to the popular North Grove, the Park features South Grove, a five mile hiking trip through a spectacular grove of giant sequoias in their natural setting. Other attractions in the Park include the Stanislaus River, Beaver Creek, the Lava Bluff Trail and Bradley Trail.