The Square

Folsom Pioneer Village is the small outdoor museum right next to Old Folsom near the old roundhouse. It is a mix of live action and historic buildings and artifacts detailing the history of the area. Hours are limited for the facility, but weekends are generally open with volunteers dressed and acting the part. Parking is generous with the large free garage next door.The facility has a live blacksmith workshop which is a fun option for viewing and purchases. There is also an old caboose which is nice for the kids to climb around in. You can easily walk around the exhibits and see the mining and pioneer artifacts. The volunteers also are there to answer questions and provide additional insight into the exhibits.Several downsides to this place. It is all outdoor so you will be exposed to the elements. The place is rather small and may be a little boring to the kids due to the lack of interactive exhibits. Hours are very limited, but admission is free.Keeping the past alive is a great thing to do, and I am glad there is a small piece of history in the middle of Old Folsom. Make sure to check the hours so you get the best experience and watch the weather. Plus there are tons of other things to do in the area!

Looove this spot! The volunteers are so friendly and engaging, it's free to visit, but there is a $5 suggested donation, which is more than reasonable. This place has fun, hands-on activities for kids like panning for gold, scavenger hunts, and much more. The train and exhibits are super fun to explore with kids, even just to get them out and walk around while learning some local history. Think they will be closing for a month for renovations, but we look forward to visiting again when they reopen!

Cool place to check out. We went last sat during free museum day & although it's a small area, you can get a feel of how life was for the pioneers in the old days. The blacksmiths make real tools there which you can buy. I even bought a horseshoe with my name on it (see pic where he was hammering my name on the horseshoe). They even have gold panning as well & you get to take the (fool's) gold home. It's located in old folsom.

Run by volunteers. Really awesome peak into the past. Great for adults and I'm sure children alike.

Pioneer Village is a volunteer-run place where you can find old train cars, an operating blacksmith shop and do some gold panning! Open Thursday through Sunday, it's a great spot to take tourists or just learn some history about the gold rush. For instance, I learned today courtesy of Jeff the volunteer, that most people who did strike it rich during the gold rush did so because of the gold miners themselves, not from finding gold. Miners needed food, supplies, housing, etc. Levi Strauss was one such individual who marketed his jeans to be "tough enough to stuff your pockets full of gold nuggets."There is a trough that is filled with sediment, rocks and GOLD! Someone is there to educate you on how to strike it rich. I did try my hand at gold panning and found a flake of gold. If you keep it, it costs $3 and comes in a vial. Tell you what, I can see why it was so alluring to try your hand at this stuff. It is kind of addictive. Like gambling, but it's just you, a pan and the river. The blacksmith shop was operating and sure enough, you could see some guys hammering away at a piece of metal - it looked like a railroad spike that glowed at one end. Coal kept the oven red hot and I was glad that I was gold panning instead of being in a blacksmith shed in this 90 degree heat!

The train cars section is under construction. I enjoyed the gold-panning experience and the blacksmith shop. A fun place for tourists like myself, and for kids too I would imagine. Great location right near downtown folsom, it is also right next door to the train depot. The museum has some nice antique equipment, I particularly liked a diorama of a mine and mining town.

What a cool little place to visit in historic Folsom! We stumbled across this little place as we were walking around the town and it is definitely a must-see if you are in the area. There is all sorts of mining gear, rail cars, and other equipment from by-gone eras. The highlight of this spot is the blacksmith's shop. Stop by and say "Hi" to David on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is a super-friendly, easy to talk to guy, and loves to share his knowledge of metalworking. He made my son a small "sword" from a nail. Super-cool! Also for $5 or $10 he can make a horseshoe with a name on it. Be sure to drop by, say "hello", and drop some support for the Pioneer Village!

this is a great place to take kids. its a little living history site with good hands-on experiences, most notably the gold mining. blacksmithing docents also give you something really unique to observe. old cabin, model railroad exhibits, fun stuff!