July 13, 2014 - The Niles District of Fremont; Northern California's Hollywood
A trip to Niles with our friends from Yelp left me wondering how I'd never visited this town before. Nestled in Fremont the little town sits quietly with it's silent film museum and railway. The tight-knit community welcomes visitors and hosts many town events like "a night at the movies", holiday parades, dog shows, and flea markets. The main street is lined with antique stores, restaurants, and other small businesses.
After a picnic in the park, we received a tour of the Essanay Silent Film Museum and learned about Charlie Chaplin's presence filming early movies in this small town. Bronco Billy (1880-1971) was also a very significant member of Niles and its film history, and we enjoyed eating a giant slice of pizza at the pizzeria named in his honor! After the museum tour, we walked through neighborhoods and were given a wonderful history lesson on some of the homes and residences and how the town has changed over time.
The Niles Canyon Railway was constructed in the 1860s and is still operational. It runs between Sunol and Niles. We didn't get to take a ride on the day we visited, but we will certainly come back during the holidays when we were told the town and train are festively decorated for Christmas.
Lots of beautiful pictures from our visit below! Check out Niles.org for a listing of their upcoming events and come explore this terrific town.
