Placer County in the heart of California's Gold Country features golden hills dotted with wineries, and country charm well worth a visit if you're looking for a change of scenery and pace this Spring.

Three great festivals, fairs and celebrations upcoming in 2011 include Placer County Valentine Weekend Wine Tasting Feb. 12 -13, Auburn Rodeo and Western Fair Week (complete with Miss Auburn Wild West Stampede Queen) on April 23 & 24 and Cain's Crossing Renaissance Faire in Auburn May 7 - 8.

The Valentine's Wine Weekend - Wine Tasting takes place at four wineries and culminates in a grand finale of a rose for the lady, and treats in a gazebo overlooking the sun-blushed vineyards of Dono Dal Cielo Vineyard and Winery in Newcastle.

Auburn Rodeo and Western Fair Week is a real Western experience with true grit — Bareback & Saddle Bronc Riding, plenty of cowboy hats & chaps, and beauty queens who can handle the dust.

Cain's Crossing Renaissance Faire likewise has a Queen — Queen Elizabeth who visits a merry olde English town set in the late 1500's. You become one of the townsfolk of Cain's Crossing and are encouraged to dress in period costumes. The event is held at beautiful Auburn Regional Park, which has the rustic look and feel of another era.

Where is Auburn? It is only a 40 minute drive northeast of Sacramento. Bordered by the beautiful American River Canyon and nestled in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at elevations between 1,000 and 1,400 feet, the city is at the crossroads of I-80 and historic Highway 49. If you've never been there, it's time!