Groveland
The Groveland Hotel
A Gold Rush hotel on the road to Yosemite, next to the Iron Door Saloon, which the hotel calls the oldest operating bar in California.
- Built
- 1850–51NRHP significant years 1850-1851; the hotel says 1849.
- Style
- Gold Rush adobe/Monterey with Classical Revival
- Architect
- Woodward Withered; Robert Scudamore
- Type
- Inn
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
The hotel dates from the Gold Rush; the National Register gives 1850-51 and the hotel 1849. It stands next to the Iron Door Saloon, which the hotel calls the oldest operating bar in California. It was listed on the National Register in 1994 and is now run by The Serenité as a Yosemite gateway inn.
The ghost story
The hotel says a guest named Lyle died in his sleep there in 1927, a box of dynamite under his bed, and that guests and ghost hunters have since reported doors opening on their own and lights and faucets turning on and off. It is told as house lore.
Source: www.theserenite.com
Good to know
- Address: 18767 Main St, Groveland, CA 95321
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.