Legends

Catherine knows all the history of this amazing building which was the first bank in Sonora
Delicious blue bunny ice cream and easy café fare makes for a great lunch!

This place is pretty cool. The ice cream is good. The lady working the counter needs some help. She could not keep up and really overcharged my card. It was a honest mistake but I am glad I noticed. I really hate to say anything bad about the place. The counter was sticky. I hate that sticky feeling. The counter where the food was had baby spiders. I hate spiders!

Highly recommended! The owner let my friends and me into the restaurant after its business time and she served us with delicious ice scream! She even invited us to look around but we decided to come back the next day because she was literally cleaning and closing.

This is a must visit place. It has a one of a kind vibe that will stay with you forever! From the history of the bar (you have to ask!) to the mining waterfall in the basement, to the superb collection of old and current books, unique antiques (I bought four beautiful, very long stem, vintage champagne glasses for a very reasonable price) to the whimsical (hand made viking hat). Every one at every age will find this place fascinating and welcoming. There are comfy chairs and sofas throughout the downstairs that make you want to hold a speak easy or just sit for awhile and read. The owner was so lovely and very proud of her store, as she should be. She has transformed an old «bad bar» into a beautiful respite.

I ordered a single scoop sundae (coffee), and a ice cream float for my son on his birthday. I should have noticed my wife didn’t order anything. And it dam to $ 11.00!!! What a fricken ripoff. Never again.

This is not just a great book store, it’s a piece of history. The underground tunnels are an amazing glimpse at the past. This is the type of experience you would normally have on some type of tour with paid admission.
I doubt you will ever find another place where you can sit in a rocking chair in an underground tunnel next to a waterfall, surrounded by historical deocor and preview one of those great, one of a kind, hard to find books that you knew you were going to buy before you even opened the first page.
The owner is such a sweet woman. We spoke for quite some time about her vision and beliefs for her business. She really has the shoppers best interest in her heart. After our long conversation and paying for our books, she gave my girlfriend and I a hug and welcomed us back. We will definitely be back.

A great place to grab food, drinks, read a book and relax all in one stop. One of the oldest building in Sonora and it feels like it when you walk through the the door. Go downstairs to read a book on accent chairs and enjoy the waterfall they have in the building. A great place to visit and take a rest

This store looks amazing. Books and little treasures tucked in everywhere. And yes, the basement downstairs is way cool and you can see part of an old mining tunnel. My four year old daughter was a bit disappointed because all the books were very old and they didn’t appear to have any kid books. We did end up buying an apple cider/​peeler for $ 15 and a basket with some fake cherries for $ 2. Trying to check out was a little confusing. Only one lady working the entire two-​story store and she admitted that she was so busy serving drinks that it might take her a while to get over to ring me up. So I stood there for about five minutes and finally we were able to pay. They are definitely on mountain time. I would only shop there again if I had time to kill.

Great ambiance… friendly employees that will give you a history lesson on this original Gold Rush Era bulding. A must stop on a visit to downtown Sonora ! !

Everywhere I go, I visit a locally owned bookstore. I’ve visited dozens in Northern California, and this, by far, is my favorite.
Going to a bookstore is all about the experience –particularly so, now that I can order any book imaginable from my phone. I don’t need you to have every book ever published. I just want to leave your shop loving books a little more than before I walked in.
The experience of shopping here is incredible. You walk into an old-​timey bar area where they serve ice cream and various beverages. Past the bar, you walk into the antique shop, which feels, more or less, like some quaint upper rooms in your very eccentric grandmother’s house.
Then you walk downstairs.
You hear the sound of running water, then look to your left and see an old tunnel, which was used for transporting gold in the gold rush. Look to the right and you will find a very well kept stock of used books. This area is decorated with antique shelves, desks, and wall hangings, transporting you years into the past. Walking through this underground passage, you feel like you have stumbled upon a trove of buried treasure. And you have.
I’ve never seen a book shop with so much thought and love put into the experience of shopping there. They have used every facet of this 100+ year old building to create a one-​of-​a-​kind experience.
Even if I hadn’t found books that I wanted (which I did), I think I might have picked up a couple, just to support this rare gem of a shop. If you’re in Sonora, don’t leave until you have seen this place.

LOVE!!! My family and I spent quite a bit of time at Legends on our trip to Sonora! The staff was AWESOME they were super friendly and very knowledgable about local history. During the day we stopped in 4 different times and enjoyed each visit more than the last. There was so much to look at and experience. Our children loved their sundaes and we loved our shake and smoothie! Don’t miss this shop when you are strolling down Washington st.

We LOVE Legends. Best ice cream in the area. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Explore the inside of the building throughout. Historic and amazing.

Love these ‘hidden gems.’ Must stop in Sonora! What could be more cool than a hidden underground tunnel w/​vintage books and a bubbling waterfall underground? Only the story behind how the tunnels were made. Chinese immigrants built the underground tunnels. Then they were taken over to transport gold, then men told their wives they were going to the bar, only to escape through the secret underground tunnels to the brothels. Oh the stories.
A local friend told us about this gem and the gal at the counter eluded to the story.
Didn’t have a chance to try the sasparilla, but picked up a few vintage books below for under $ 5. Some trinkets in the back, antique, knickknacks, and think they serve food at the imported Italian hand carved wooden bar. But the best stuff is underground.

Ordered sugar free ice cream, but it was sweet and tasted disgusting. A waffle cone tasted awful too.

Nice mix of antique stuff and ice cream — even a vegan sorbet option. They don’t have a huge amount of stuff, unlike much more cluttered stores, but interesting anyway. And don’t forget the waterfall downstairs.

There are so many reasons to stop in here while visiting Sonora and my review is two-​fold.
First it’s so hot in Sonora most of the time that a serving of ice cream from the old fashioned ice cream parlor will help you to stay cool. Unfortunately I was so excited about my purchase that I forgot.
The main reason you should stop in here before any of the other antique shops in Sonora is that it’s one of the most curated shops I have ever been in. Beyond the old fashioned parlor, there is a wonderland of antiques. At any given time the collections are based on color and combine décor and curiosities of different eras to make a gorgeous display.
If you venture downstairs, probably the coolest part for men and young ones the sounds of a spring gently trickle. Lots of books and rustic odds and ends fill the space.
Staff is very friendly and helpful.

What a pleasant discovery! Almost walked on by, so glad we stopped in here!
I’ve got a thing for old books, so the «bookstore» on the sign drew me in. Convinced husband, «just one more antique store, babe!» What I was not prepared for was how different this one is: gorgeous the interior of the store is, and how carefully the place is decorated.
First of all, the bar is BEAUTIFUL: it’s wooden and huge and I waaaaanted it. (Logistically, I determined, very difficult to conceal a 3 ton-​ish bar in my pocket and sadly I abandoned the heist).
It’s an old fashioned soda bar: you can get sodas, floats, milkshakes, and more. I ordered a vanilla Italian soda (bc I am very, very boring) and not only was it super good, but it was served in a nice glass with a glass stir stick! Quality, ya know? It turned something kinda simple into a real treat.
The other thing that I was super impressed with was the general presentation of the store: there’s a set of stairs right there in the main room, (marked by a sign mentioning «Needful Things» which, as a Stephen King fangirl, immediately made me slightly nervous), but if you keep walking past the bar you’ll find the antique-​y stuff… good stuff, too.
Go downstairs… Wow. Items aren’t just stacked haphazardly on shelves, a la your normal antique store; rather, it feels like everything was carefully placed, creating a super rad gold-​rush era home tableau and you just happen to be able to buy everything. Dude, there’s a natural spring running down there… I read a book next to a spring. How cool is that?! Take a look around, I think you’ll be as impressed as I was.
VERDICT: Fantastic! Legends is a unique, quality antique/​bookstore worth perusing and a great place to grab a drink on a hot day.
Look out: next time Imma bring my big purse. I’m looking at you, bar.

I struck gold when i checked out this gorgeous place! The employees can happily tell you the history behind the building. You have to go downstairs to check out where they preserved the underground tunnel ways used to transport gold. There are pretty cool antiques – I bought some century — old postcards. Apparently this shop is also a café that serves ice cream. I’ll keep my raving short because you really have to see it for yourself.

Wish we had stayed for a latte, seems like we missed out!
We didn’t, however, miss out on the awesome mining shaft scenery downstairs! Loved looking at the antiques and thumbed through the selection of books.
We didn’t end up buying anything, but service was friendly and it was a great store to wander around in.

I’m glad we stopped here for lunch. I have so many things to mention that I’ll have to do this with a list.
Reasons to come here:
Quaint basement bookstore with old and new books
Cute gold-​mine themed displays in basement
Thrift store in the rear
Soda machine
Great atmosphere
Squishy chairs
Kind staff
The soda drink and the float were hilariously large and had many flavor options. My husband and I felt like kids ordering sodas here! I would definitely come back for the soda if for nothing else