It is a great spot to take photos at. But there is not much else to do!
Part of historic downtown Placerville's history. The Bell Tower's bell was originally constructed to be rung during a fire emergency calling out the volunteers. Placerville, known as HANGTOWN experienced its share of fires, destroying much of the downtown.
This is a static display, a visual landmark of what had been the city center for Placerville. These bell towers can be found in the old Gold Rush towns. The towns used the bells to call volunteer firemen to man the horse drawn equipment. A must see.
The Bell Tower is in the middle of Historic Placerville. The Bell Tower itself is historical and nice to see. Also, there are many shops and restaurants along Main Street. Be aware that most of the shops do not give refunds. Some will do exchanges. If you are buying Christmas gifts, know that your loved one will not be able to get a refund for a gift that doesn't suit them even with the receipt. Before you buy something, ask. This has been a problem for me in the past. Tonight, we are going to the tree lighting ceremony. A little later in December, there is a Christmas parade. Halloween is a fun time downtown. There are car shows, wine and beer fests, Jazz fests, and all kinds of other events all year.
The bell tower is the visual anchor of downtown Placerville. All commerce radiates from this centerpoint. Restaurants, hardware stores, antique stores and friendly businesses
Okay, its a bell tower in town. If this is all this town has going for it, I feel sorry for the locals. The trouble is, there isn't much to do in this place, and the locals get kind of bored, so they have to have a mascot that gives them something to talk about when they leave town and talk to other people who live in real places. The downtown area is known for a lot of tourist gouging, so get ready for it and keep a tight fist on those dollars.
Just a comfortable spot to sit with your favorite coffee drink and a muffin. Lots of natural light thru big windows, and a 270 degree view of the downtown Main Street happenings. Free wifi or grab the paper from the News Company next door.
To count this as a bonafide "attraction" I'm also including the whole of Historic Main Street Placerville, which is certainly worth a visit. The Bell Tower is sort of a centerpiece for the street, which contains many cute shops, excellent restaurants and quaint storefronts, not the least of which is Placerville Hardware Store. I put the date of my visit as August 2014 but I'm there nearly every week to shop or grab a cup of coffee.
It's in town . If you make it here..you cant miss it..come during stagecoach days or in the fall, The tower is in central placerville.
I drove up from El a Dorado Hills just too see what Placerville was like. I loved the Main St area! Unfortunately, I'm here while it's raining hard, so I didn't get to walk around as long as I would have liked. Loved the Placerville News Company...had some very unique toys and gifts! Went across the street and into the candy store (sorry, forgot the name) but it brought back so many fond memories of my childhood going to the "penny" candy store! Fabulous fudge !!!! Must see this town !!