Columbia State Historic Park

What a cool place!While in Twain Hart visiting friends, we decided to do some sightseeing and came to Columbia for breakfast and to visit Nelson's. I was positively shocked by how much there was to do at Columbia State Historic Park!It's an old western town with actors walking around, horse drawn wagons, a saloon, gold panning, gift shops, a candy store, a coffee shop and even a hotel! There was a man playing live music in the street and I think I might have even seen a place to do wood bowling - oh! How could I forgot the Blacksmith...so cool! We spent over 2 hours here and I still don't think we saw everything there was to offer. Everyone was super nice and dressed for the part! If you're looking for something fun to do, check out Columbia State Historic Park - you will not be disappointed. We'll definitely be coming back!

I've always passed the turn off for Columbia State Historic Park when heading out towards Calaveras Big Trees but never had time to fit in a side trip, until a recent November Saturday. The drive in is quite scenic and was full of fall colors. Upon arriving at the park, there's a few different lots and parking areas and admission is free. The park itself is packed full of history of its gold rush past. What's unique about it, however, is that the old buildings also house some shops and cafes along with the usual historical re-enactments.I thought I'd spend maybe an hour here but ended up being here over 2! After browsing the Main Street and historical buildings and cute shops, I went over to the mining area which had some interesting paths to meander around.After that, I wandered up to the old school house where you can look inside the old classrooms. Nearby the school house was a short nature trail (less than a mile) with woodland and open hillside views.This is such a charming park with lots to see and do. You could probably make a half of full day of it, if you were to bring a picnic or eat at one the cafes in the park, visit the museum, stroll the grounds, and shop. They have special events, including some for the holidays. A must see park when visiting Calaveras County.

Whether you're visiting or a local - Columbia State Historic Park makes for a worthwhile and enjoyable afternoon.Columbia State Historic Park showcases an important part of California and the US's history - the California Gold Rush.Columbia State Historic Park is a popular destination for class trips, tourists, and locals. It's open from 10am - 4pm and showcases a diversity of stores, many of which have historical/interactive elements - ranging from a store where you can hand dip candles, a working Blacksmith, an old bowling alley, a cute antique store, a charming candy store, and much more. During the week you can manifest everything from gold panning, a stagecoach ride, and other activities. We came here on a weekend awhile back - when my dad was in town and it was a lovely day - full of fun people watching and learning more about Columbia's history. I was particularly fond of Columbia Mercantile 1855 - a charming gourmet grocery store - full of fun finds - especially if you're looking for some tasty picnic eats and/or grocery basics.In addition to daytime excursions at Columbia State Historic Park - I've also enjoyed a variety of fun nights in the area ranging from tasty pizza at the St Charles Saloon to a lovely dinner at the Columbia Inn. I love that this historical area still has evening charm when the daytime stores/attractions have closed. Though there are usually always fun happenings occurring during the day in this historical area - be sure to also stay on top of their special events calendar. They host a variety of events throughout the year. In fact they have a fun Harvest FestiFall - https://www.visittuolumne.com/eventdetail/193/harvest-festifall-in-columbia-state-historic-park coming up on October 12 and 13th.Trust.

Amazing History and funs things to do. My husband loves to talk about the history and importance of the gold era and it was time to take a visit finally.We absolutely love it for kids and kids at heart. Columbia deserves an all day leisurely experience. It was once to be the capital of CA, preserved as it was, saloons serve great food for families, sarsaparilla and real root beer. Enjoy stage coach rides, gold panning, bowling as in the olden days. View the dentist office, oriental medicine shop and literally dozens of "museum" exhibits. Educational and tons of fun for all.

We took a group of five kids (ages 4-9) here on a Saturday after realizing there was no snow, and what a great find! There was so much to keep them entertained. We explored, went bowling, panned for gold, made candles, and even took a stagecoach ride, which was a huge hit! We packed lunch and enjoyed it at one of the many picnic tables. I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable everything was. Such a fun and unique experience--10/10 recommend!

We took our son here a few times when he was younger and have fond memories of picnics with sandwiches and sasparillas and a fun stage coach ride.We chose this place specifically for a clean restroom and snack break a few weekends ago. The restrooms were far cleaner than the gas station.There was plenty of parking around 2-3pm in the afternoon. There are cute shops inside and places to eat. Lots of spots were closed down though, so I hope more locals can buy and reopen them like the corner mercantile gem.The pizza place on one corner looked really busy and hope to try it someday. This is a great historic park for families with younger kids.

Another great spot we just happened to discover while in the area thanks to come local recommendations from wineries here. This is a great little getaway to this area here where one can come explore an old town from gold rush times with some stuff being exactly the way it was in those days. The town has done ana amazing job of preserving its beauty and maintaining these things. Honestly you feel transported back in time and that is beautiful! We also went to grab a nice ice ram in one of the restaurants and happened to notice that the owner has a functioning piano from the 18th century there. This also somehow gave me perspective on the scale of things - everything was so close knit and near by .. the town center/grocerry store is literally walking distance from the jail.. and restaurants near by, to locksmiths stop. It's quite an experience coming here and we loved to explore this as a family very much

I'm giving this little state historic park a five out of five, but if I could, I give it 1 billion out of 1 billion. It's such a vibe here and it's such 1800s. I just can't. It's so cute. Also, there's a cute little school that's two stories that I used to go to and sit on the bench and eat tacos when it was my day off of work. It also has one of the best pizza places in town, Saint Charles saloon pizza And there's always a fiesta going on on the weekends but for some reason schools like to bring kids here for field trips. Besides that it has wonderful ice cream and cute little shops there's a place that you can go to to take old tiny photos, and you can make candles and hike in the rocks and trees. And every building there has been around for so long and you can even see the old porter potties. It's so cool if you look in there, you might find old piece of poop, anyways, Columbia State historic park! You have been a wonderful place to go to just to go in vibe

Really cool experience at Columbia State Historic Park checking out the area.The museum is where you can find a state junior park book for kids and a map for the area. We spent about an hour and a half here exploring the area. We did gold panning, got some chocolate (a bit expensive but still good) and checked out the school house and cemetery.

Had a great time here for the second summer in a row. Some of the attractions are only open Friday - Sunday, for example the covered wagon ride. However there is still a lot you can see for free. Old bowling alley, drug store, dentist office setup, leather and saddle store. Spent about 2 hours here (in 93 degree heat!) with our 3 kids