Cameron Estates, Cameron Park, CA

Cameron Estates is Cameron Park's shopping and dining district, centered on Coach Lane. It is mostly commercial rather than residential, and Cameron Estates is not a place you pick for its houses, so think of it as the place the whole town drives to for groceries, a beer or a pizza instead of a street of houses. Fork Lift, the Nugget Markets grocery, is at 3333 Coach Lane and opens at 6 in the morning. Nugget has been a family-owned company since 1926. Frank Vilt's Cakes, a mostly takeout bakery, makes its cannolis fresh daily and sells cakes for special orders. Peak Nutrition does smoothies, protein balls and teas, and regulars suggest arriving before the midday rush. A handful of chains round out the strip. For a sit-down meal, Wally's Pizza Bar is the longtime local pizza place, with wings and craft beer on tap. Moonraker Millhouse is the brewery's original Cameron Park location, serving barnyard-style plates like a chicken sandwich and berry cobbler alongside its hard cider. Crafthouse Culture, at 3300 Coach Lane, is a craft beer bar with a warm, artsy feel. Joe's Coffee & Deli, just across the line in the Country Club area, is the coffee shop locals suggest for a breakfast burrito. Parks sit at the edge of Cameron Estates. Christa McAuliffe Park and the Cameron Park skate park sit just outside the district, and Dave West Park is close by too. Everything here is built around parking lots, so you drive in, park once and walk between a few storefronts. Highway 50 is the connection toward Sacramento, and the hourly El Dorado Transit loop serves Cameron Park on weekdays. It is a place for errands, not for strolling. On a weekday morning, the grocery doors open before most of the rest of Cameron Park is up.