Whether you have recently moved here or you’ve lived here your entire life, you’ll love these unforgettable tours in Northern California.

There are plenty of places you can tour without a guide. However, there are advantages to taking a tour. Tours make your experience easier– there’s no need to research ahead of time or be on your phone reading about the history of the place you’re visiting. Tour guides can answer questions, and in many cases help assure your safety when visiting somewhere risky.

In Northern California, there are some amazing landmarks that you’ll want to absorb all the information you can, and the best way to do that is on an unforgettable tour.

1. California Redwoods

Hire Redwood Sightseeing Tours to make the most of your visit to Redwoods National Park. You can visit this forest dozens of times and still not learn as much as you can on this tour. The knowledgeable guides are former seasonal park rangers and have spent years exploring the redwoods. Guests take a large van to several places within the forest and explore. Redwood Sightseeing Tours offers two tours: on the morning tour, hike through the redwoods at 9 a.m., and learn about the trees, forest, and ecosystem. The afternoon tour is a longer tour that includes lunch and sightseeing throughout the area. Both tours offer many photo opportunities.

2. Whale Watching

You’ll never forget the first time you see a whale breach. Create memories that will last a lifetime on a whale-watching tour off of Monterey. You can whale watch from many coastal areas in California, but Monterey is famous for its sea life, aquarium, and whale watching.

Chris’ Whale Watching Tours has a fleet of three vessels that are USCG approved. Experienced skippers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They want to make it possible for everyone on board to see whales in the wild. There are morning and early afternoon tours.

3. Wine Tours

What would a list of Northern California tours be without mentioning wine tours? You know about Sonoma and Napa, but try these tours in lesser-known wine areas of California. First, there is Amador Wine Country, where you can experience Gold Rush country and some great wines from small wineries. There are four tour operators in Amador County. Amador Wine Country Tours LLC will drive your car from winery to winery for a reasonable price.

For wineries off-the-beaten-path, check out Mendocino and El Dorado counties, where you can also get tours of wineries.

4. Muir Woods

You can visit Muir Woods and explore it by yourself, or visit on an organized tour. There are a lot of tours of Muir Woods that include other Bay Area sites, but we like this 1.5-hour tour of Muir Woods that departs from San Francisco. The local guide tells of the history of Muir Woods on the drive there, and once in the park guests explore the fairytale-like forest. Muir Woods is north of San Francisco. People come from around the world to see the giant old-growth coastal redwoods that are nearly 300 feet tall and live for 1,000 years or more.

5. Mercer Caverns

Just one mile north of the town of Murphys, Mercer Caverns is a fun family-friendly tour. Descend 160 feet during this 45-minute tour of this cave with stalagmites, stalactites, and rare cavern formations. Tour groups explore the cave on lighted walkways and stairs going a quarter mile throughout the cavern.

Unlike other tours, you do not need to book this in advance unless you’re visiting with a large party or a school group. Just show up and wait for the next tour! Hours of operation change throughout the year.

There are also many other cave systems in Northern California. Some can be explored on your own, and others, like Moaning Caverns, require a tour guide.

6. Coloma (Gold Rush Country)

Learn all about California history and the Gold Rush, which was sparked by the discovery of gold in Coloma in 1848. At Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park there is a museum with interpretive exhibits, a visitor center, and Sutter’s sawmill where gold was discovered. They also offer tours to the public. These 45-minute walking tours will teach tourists all about the history of Coloma and the Gold Rush. There are at least two tours per day. Call 530-622-3470 to see when the next tour will take place.

Be a tourist in your own state and book a tour at one of the destinations listed above. Who knows what you’ll discover?! If you want to explore several destinations in one fell swoop, you can tour Muir Woods, Sausalito, and San Francisco landmarks on the Gray Line.

Tell us about the most unforgettable tour you've taken.