TIM! TIM! TIM! The…read morelifeblood & soul of this museum is a docent named Tim. A polite yet confident, friendly yet proud personality, Tim gave my girlfriend and I the museum experience of a century. Arriving at the museum, we were greeted by a docent at the entry who was quite kind to us and we enjoyed the initial room and science/medicine rooms - however, if you're the type who reads every line at a museum, you will enjoy it more than we did because the information was IMMENSE. Too much for my adhd brain, but perfect for an avid reader. But it was the carriage house that floored us. Tim greeted us nearly the moment we stepped through the doors to introduce himself as a volunteer at the museum. I figured he may give us a little intro and then let us parouse the 10,000sf facility but boy was I wrong. Tim proceeded to give us a guided private tour for what was easily the good part of an hour. Carriage by carriage, phonograph by phonograph, Tim passionately spoke on the most interesting history, anecdotes, untold tales, and intriguing facts about every item in front of us. It was as if he had plugged himself into the knowledge of the universe and was translating its binary into English for us to understand. I loved every moment and most importantly, I could see that HE loved every moment. We walked out having to look at our tickets to see if we had accidentally purchased VIP guided tour tickets. But no - that is just the character of Tim and of the people who run the museum. We finished at the mining building where we got a chance to see incredible historical items/devices/tools, as well as some BEAUTIFUL specimens of stones - including the 2 most gorgeous pieces of petrified wood I have EVER seen. The docent as this building raved about Tim as well but was no stolid volunteer herself - she was ALSO extremely friendly in her own right, offering us cold water on the hot day we toured. I cannot wait to go back and recommend this museum to any and all in the Angels Camp / Murphys area!

This museum has Gold County History- so much to see!! Wagon…read more& Carriage, Mining & Artisan exhibition and a Water Wheel Power Stamp Mill. In the same building is the Calaveras Visitor's Bureau! If you walk past the Visitors Bureau there is an interesting film on the Frog Jumping Contest and many Frog Facts!!

This event was a type of searching for spirits, a ghost hunt event. As simple as it was it was also…read morea great experience a bit complex as well but also the environment really made it. The castle itself is historic with some insanely horrific history to it. I'm not going to say much more it's a great experience. The castle does all different types of events throughout the year, they're most popular is the haunt during Halloween season or throughout October. I went one year it was pretty amazing. My family has gone a few times and loved it. Look forward to this year!! Get your tickets quick because it sells out fast.

The Castle never disappoints. It helped that we also had awesome Docents, Francisco and Aaron.read more

Fun place to bring the little ones to explore some science! Love the hands on exhibits and the…read morekids (a lot of them) seemed to really like the sand box. There's a separate area for the littlest kiddos which is nice and enough throughout for my older child to keep occupied for a few hours. It doesn't look like a huge space but there's enough for little kids to explore and I think it's great to have something like this in the community

This cute Children's science museum in Lodi is not very big, but it has so much to touch and see! I…read morebrought my 11 year old son (and my parents tagged along too) and we all enjoyed it!! My son was very into the stop-animation display. we had to tell him a few times that it was time to go for lunch. I'd say it's a good 2 hours experience if you really read and interact with all they have to offer. I would recommend it! Price is reasonable too! We went on a week day and it was not crowded. Had a nice time and have recommended it to other parents. I hope they are able to expand it in the future!

Drove from Roseville just to make a stop here. 2nd and 4th Saturdays they have tours. Worth the…read moretrip for sure. It is like going back in time for sure. All original items inside. You will learn all about how one man changed the foundry machining etc world. The docents are very knowledgeable and there are plenty of them if you have any questions. They also have a working blacksmithing area (and you can even sign up for classes) on their website. Also watch the youtube video on their website before going it is 47 min but wow so informative.

Went there with my dad who worked in a similar factory, so I'm clearly biased…read more We loved the tour. It had huge amount of details, working tools and set up. It really showed how it was. In many ways, time had stopped there and it's great for a realistic place like this. The receptionist and the tour guides were fanatics, hands-on dedicated people who never the stories and techniques used. They were very welcoming and great story tellers. The town is nice, too, and has a lot of food options nearby.

The Tallac Historic Site is definitely one of the best places to go to when visiting South Lake…read moreTahoe. There's plenty of parking and a paved walkway, which is easily accessible when the site is open. This place is particularly nice in the offseason when the roads are closed. You park outside in a dirt parking lot right next to Camp Richardson. You then walk along the road until you come to the lakeside. Then you can walk around the lake and see all the historic buildings. If you get hungry, you can walk along the beach to the Grove which is usually open at Camp Richardson. This place is great to go to year-round, but particularly during the shoulder season.

Looking for access to Tahoe's shoreline without the crowds? Look no further than the Tallac…read moreHistoric Site. I discovered this place while taking my son to a day camp that was using this area as a homebase for the day. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but I found a fairly expensive parking area, shaded picnic tables, and a flat dirt path that meandered along the shoreline of the lake, offering access to the water itself every couple hundred feet. Along the path, there were also placards detailing the history of the site and even some interesting remnants of former buildings that include you into what happened here in the past. This is a great place to learn some of Tahoe's history while enjoying its current beauty without the crowds of the larger public beaches. There's also a section of this area that is available for rent for private functions too, and you can enjoy the history and beauty during a private function with friends and family.

As members if the California State Railroad Museum, we have been here manny times…read more - 10:30 AM Train pulled by 1922 2-8-0 #28 Car #597 - celebration of the movie train's return - roundhouse tours are not to be missed

Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

Great little free museum next to beautiful White Pines Lake! We enjoyed the mix of indoor exhibits…read moreand real machinery outside.

Cool Museum that is open from April thru November (noon-4:00) on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Small…read morecute Museum that explains the Sierra Nevada Logging industry in photos, videos & informational signs. Outside there are several many retired equipment. There's a nice shady trail to walk in and explore. It's right next to the beautiful White Pines Lake

Stopped in while passing through town and this place is such a gem!! Very nice workers and so many…read moreinteresting displays. There's so much detail that goes into every exhibit. Definitely recommend if you're in the area!

There is no museum that doesn't turn my head. I love history. Love old things (yeah, I wasn't…read moregoing to bring up Mr. B, but some things I simply can't resist). Love old tales. Spend my time wondering what I did in my past lives. I think I must have been an Indian hunter/warrior, I was always good with a bow and arrow and paddling my canoe. Really. Sonora was a small but booming town that cropped up around the same time as the Gold Rush, in 1848. The original settlers were Mexican miners from Sonora Mexico; the East Coasters, European immigrants and Chinese followed later. It was a wild town but eventually evolved into a logging community after the gold mining opportunities dried up. The downtown is still a well preserved, charming memorial to a rich, late 1800's boom town economy with narrow streets, beautiful Victorian homes and commercial buildings. So, hiding on one of the side streets in old Sonora is this multi-purpose building built in 1866 that was originally the home of the county sheriff and his family. It also housed the jail. Can you imagine living there, raising your kids, with the jail facilities in the back of the same building? Story goes, this building was erected after a disgruntled prisoner decided to start a fire in his cell of the "old jail" so they would have to let him out. What he didn't quite realize was the heat from the fire made it impossible for anyone to open the solid iron door to his cell. I liken it to the Man of La Mancha lyrics, ""Whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone, it's going to be bad for the pitcher". Nope, this most certainly was *not* his best day ever! Now, the wooden house interior has been radically changed. It is now one large room that displays interesting artifacts and many old photographs. While small and humble, it nonetheless keeps you entertained. And it is manned by some eager to please docents. The back half is where you can visit the jail, a solid brick walled building with heavy iron doors, a total of 10 individual cells. Today, each of the cells are different time capsules featuring artifacts from early Sonoran life. For those curious, this property also houses the Tuolumne County Genealogical Society Library.

I have been coming to this Museum for over 40 years now, from school field trips as a child to…read morebringing my own son as he was growing up and now as an older person to just enjoy some art and spend some time in quiet contemplation. It's a wonderful resource for the area and a very important part of the community. Haggin Museum sits right in the middle of Victory Park. It's a beautiful, serene, green setting with flowers and a little pond and you feel safe here, even though you're in Stockton. It's a great place for kids to come and play and for people to sit and enjoy nature. Inside the museum there is a mix of art and local history. They have Gold Rush era exhibits and recreated period rooms. There are lots of lovely paintings here and although I believe some of the artwork is always here, they regularly have rotating exhibits as well so there is always something new to see. They also have a lot of activities, events and family programs here. It's definitely dated, but that's to be expected for as long as this place has been around. It's affordable though because kids under 10 get in for free and I believe the last time I was here admission was between $5 and $8. They also have a free admission day every first Saturday of the month but it gets really busy so I don't typically visit on that day. It's really great for kids though, and I'm so glad that we have this resource locally. I have lots of great memories of bringing my son and my nieces and nephews here and being a kid here myself. I definitely recommend a visit if you have kids under 10 and want to spend a day educating and enriching them on a budget. Plus they can play at the park after so it will make for a fantastic day.

Great museum in Stockton! Located in a beautiful park. The building is large with two floors. Great…read moreexhibits on display. I love the artwork! They have good docents. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.

We visited here with some family members who lived nearby, and had a very nice time wandering this…read moreold historic town. I just love old fashion shops along wooden walkways. There are quite a few wine tasting rooms that could occupy wine lovers for several days! We enjoyed exploring specialty stores that offered clothing, souvenirs, antiques, ice cream parlor, and even a popular cheese/wine tasting shop. There are restaurants, bars and an old historic hotel. The Sutter Creek Auditorium just happened to have a craft fair while we were there and found ourselves spending lots of money on some inexpensive, quality items. It was a great day for gift shopping as well! That evening we stayed late to see the Sutter Creek Christmas parade that was fun, but consisted mostly of emergency vehicles decorated in Xmas lights which the procession seemed to never end! It started raining and we finally had to head to the parking lot to catch our shuttle. Unfortunately, this event is quite popular and the traffic getting out of this quaint little town was pretty congested and annoying! Eventually, we slowly, but finally made our way back to our point of origin where our car was parked. I would love to return here again, but not during an event or parade!

Not just another quaint old Amador mining town…read more Sutter Creek can be an easy weekend getaway from Reno or Sacramento. This spot feels like a combination of the old west and Napa. A main street with a mix of wooden sidewalks and wine tasting rooms. Small restaurants and cute boutiques. There is a Days Inn at the north end of town, though it's not my favorite and have used it only once. The Handford House Inn, Nancy V says is devine. Several cafes that have you covered from breakfast to dinner. Buffalo Chips is my favorite breakfast spot. Their burger is looking pretty fabulous too. For snacking there's an ice cream parlor, chocolate shop and cheese monger. But what could be better than parking the car, or strolling in from a hotel, and sampling wine from a few of the almost two dozen local tasting rooms. Elegant store fronts, quaint small houses and modern shops, will pour you some of the areas finest reds, a few whites, surprising bubbles and hard to find port styles. If you need a break from sipping, seriously?? Wander off the main street and discover the Knight Foundry, Monteverde General Store Museum, or stroll the Sutter Creek.