//
Held annually on the third Saturday in March, the Murphys Irish Day festival attracts thousands of visitors to celebrate the town's Irish heritage. Main Street fills with booths offering arts and crafts, a parade is held featuring bagpipes, horses, marching bands, and classic cars, and musicians, dancers and jugglers entertain throughout the day.
Mercer Caverns is a show cave located 1 mi north of Murphys. It is named after the gold prospector Walter J. Mercer who discovered the caves around 1885 and filed a claim. The caverns have a large number of speleothems, stalactites, and stalagmites. It is formed in a marble unit known as the Calaveras Formation. It also contains a large display of aragonite frostwork. Tours last about 45 minutes, covering a total distance of approximately 0.25 mi and descending to a depth of 161 ft below the surface. There are 208 steps while descending into the cavern and 232 steps while ascending, the equivalent of a 16-story building. The cave remains a constant temperature of 55 F; visitors should wear a light jacket and comfortable walking shoes. There is also a visitor center and store on site.
This small museum has exhibits on the local Gold Rush history and the native Miwok people who once lived in the area.