Came here with my daughters 4th grade class and it was such a great time a lot of history. What a nice experience and they have the kids help out with a lot the of duties. And they make cornbread out of a Dutch oven which is pretty neat. read more

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i came here in 4th grade and I really liked it the food was awesome especially taco night you would be really excited on taco night and the service was great there were a lot of like people to help us if we even needed it they made cornbread out of a dutch oven a really old oven which I found really cool we got to buy the own ingredients with the gold we found which I also found funEverything was great for certain and I recommend somebody else comes here read more

I'm giving this place only two stars for certain reasons. I absolutely love the idea of the school and the teaching of the history. I unfortunately have more negative than positive. I was just there on a field trip with my daughter and there were too many things that the both of us were not ok with. 1st. They don't allow you to be with your children, "for the child's independence." These are adventures and memories my daughter and I wished we had together. My 10 year old is very independent and we were very disappointed to not share the memories together. 2nd. They do not provide water! They tell you to fill up your water bottle at the hose bib. I had a cabin of 10 girls, not to mention the 56 kids that came with us, totally dehydrated. 3rd. It's TOO MUCH! Our group of kids were exhausted. Every minute was accounted for, and from 7pm to 8:30pm there was a Native American speaker that should have lasted 30 minutes tops! None of the kids wanted to be there after a full day. They wanted to be back at their cabins settled in. 4th. I'm sorry to say this but our Naturalist was very rude, condescending to the kids and made my mama hackles rise. This was a shared feeling amongst our chaperones that were there to help. All and all I love the idea of this, but we did not enjoy the experience. We will not go back. read more

We completed a fantastic tour yesterday with Scott Stevens. My now 7th grader missed out on his Sacramento field trip due to the pandemic and I was looking for a way to make up a small portion of it. This gold rush tour was perfect. Scott is a former teacher and showed us so many awesome historical sites with all the background stories. We brought our friends and their 2 kids with us and a couple years ago, they tried to walk the area and read all the signs themselves, ending at the pan for gold for free spot where they found nothing. They said that this tour was soooo worth it! They learned so much more. I highly recommend Scott and his tour. We made a great camping trip out of it since we're from Cupertino and it would have been tough to make it here by 9am. The camp sites are right next to the river. read more

Had a wonderful experience with the kids and learned a lot about the Gold Rush. Thlet kept the kid's entertained with songs,hikes and hands on experiences. read more

Although a good experience it could have some more engaging & a bigger variety of experiences/activities for the kids in the old fashioned Gold Rush Day. Also the shades need to be a little better at the cabins as the bright lights shine through too easily, keeping people awake. My big complaint is how one of the Naturalists, who also served as a "cafeteria lady" treated the kids (short with brown/gray hair, tan skin) She was very rude and mean. She snapped at the kids inappropriately. She spoke to them in no way that is appropriate to deal with kids. She chose two kids to carry the rack of dirty dishes, who were really not physically able to carry them well. One of the kids was hardly holding it and so it dropped. The lady inappropriately blamed the child who was holding it. Then was extremely rude to them and yelling in a mean way. Telling them to "wake up!" And clanking a plate and fork near their ears. Also making fun of one of the kid's hair. Perhaps they shouldn't make the kids carry the huge rack and have adults do it... She has no business working with kids if she's going to be so rude, negative and inappropriate. Hire people who know how to deal appropriately and positively with kids, please. read more

PROBLEM: July, 2011, Our son attended the COLOMA OUTDOOR DISCOVERY SCHOOL (CODS) Adventure Camp for 10-13 year-olds. He looked forward to attending this 6-day / 5-night camp with his buddy, and the kayaking & rafting activities. I was very surprised and concerned to discover that Adventure Camp is IN THE MIDDLE of a dense RV / trailer / mobilehome / tent park. The large vehicles are tightly-parked along the river-front, at maximum capacity. The nearby river view that was the major attraction of this site, was completely blocked by RVs. LACK OF DISCLOSURE: CODS website and literature intentionally omits disclosing this overwhelming on-site presence and security concern. And , this was not mentioned in earlier communications with Director-Kindra regarding other details. It was alarming to discover this, when arriving with our son and his friend, their gear and expectations. At that point, it was impossible to disappoint them, or separate them by pulling my child from the program. The CODS owners also operate COLOMA RESORT (trailer / RV park) on the same site. The RESORT website and FACILITIES MAP confirms the actual and intended density of RVs, trailers and tent spots (almost 100 designated spots) and proximity (as close as one-RV-length from the kids' bunkhouses). I observed alcohol on-site; the website photos confirm this. When I complained to Director-Kindra about the lack of notice re: RVs, she replied that since I had not specifically inquired re: RVs, they had no obligation to advise. That seemed flippant and weaselly.. SECURITY CONCERNS 1. there's no fence between campers, their bunkhouses and RVs 2. no adequate distance separating the young campers from partying adults; 3. I saw NO security cameras onsite. 4. I observed the staff do not confirm the number or Identity of all RV-occupants ; 5. Staff does not check for weapons, drugs or criminal histories among the RV-patrons 6. During the campers' "Sleeping under the Stars" night, I asked if counselors are asked to confirm camper-count, before RVs can roll-out during the night. CODS failed to respond to that question, as they failed to answer all other specific safety-procedure questions from 3 prior e-mails. Calif. Health & Safety Code 18897 specifically states: (a) "Organized camp" means a site with program and facilities established for the primary purposes of providing an outdoor group living experience with social, spiritual, educational, or recreational objectives, for five days or more during one or more seasons of the year. (b) The term "organized camp" does not include a motel, tourist camp, trailer park, resort, hunting camp, auto court, labor camp, penal or correctional camp and does not include a child care institution or home-finding agency. (c) The term "organized camp" also does not include any charitable or recreational organization that complies with the rules and regulations for recreational trailer parks. GOVT. AGENCIES and PROFESSIONAL PEERS: For perpective on this Health & Safety code, and real-life camp mgmt and practical compliance with this code, I spoke with: - Calif. Dept of Public Health & Safety; - El Dorado County Dept. of Environmental Planning - American Camp Association (well regarded accrediation group; CODS is NOT accredited); - four other North. Calif. camps' directors / staffers. ALL were surprised and concerned re: CODS overlapping presence of children's camp and RV park. CONFLICT of INTEREST As owners of both CODS and the RESORT, the Fred & Marielle Faeita have a significant conflict of interest. This results in their failure to acknowledge or manage risk to campers from their more commercial RV-park. OTHER NEGLIGENT / NON-COMPLIANT OPERATIONS? Ms. Faieta claimed unawareness of this fundamental Health & Safety code. This unawareness invites reasonable skepticism re: - CODS fundamental fitness as a childrens' camp; - CODS compliance with less obvious requirements -- such as fire & electrical safety, food handling, staff background checks, adequate reporting of accidents of staff-inuries ... I am pursuing this Health Code violation with the El Dorado County departments. I have requested termination of this mixed use. I have requested an auditof CODS and COLOMA RESORTS operations. I would not send any children to this camp until major changes are made. I wish it were possible to give this ZERO STARS. read more

Wow! I can't believe anyone would give this place a score less than 5 stars! My fourth graders just recently attended the 3 day/2 night CODS Gold Country field trip last week. It was an incredible experience for all of the students, teachers, and parents who were fortunate enough to attend. The program was not only safe, but extremely well-organized, entertaining, educational, and motivational. The kids were busy every second of every day doing hands-on activities, hiking, taking on responsibilities they didn't normally have, and reflecting on their experiences. I can't wait to go again next year! read more

My son just returned with his 4th grade class and he said his experience was "the best experience of his life!". Rave reviews from both students and chaperones on the entire program! Thank you for providing such an authentic and incredible experience for the children! read more

This was a great adventure for my son's 4th grade class. I went along as a parent and I think the kids learned so much about California history as well as being somewhat independent in a well supervised environment. It was great that they could learn about California history at the location where it happened. Also, it was great to have a diverse group of children spend 3 days and 2 nights together. The program was very hands-on and active. Then curriculum was presented many different ways to accommodate different learning styles and I think everyone learned a good amount during the trip. read more

I am a teacher at Sonoma Charter School in Sonoma, Ca, and have taken a group of fifty students to the outdoor education school every other year for the last thirteen years. Having attended numerous overnight programs in my teaching career, I give CODS an excellent rating, and put them at the top of my list. The school program is the best with top notch naturalists and minute by minute supervision. read more

This was an incredible experience for our 4th grade students. As soon as I mention the name of the town, they immediately answer me back with the response their naturalist taught them. They learned so much during the 3 days we were there. The naturalists taught them how to live off the land, how to respect and take care of the plants and animals around them. The had the chance to experience life as it was in 1849; they made cornbread in a dutch oven outside, washed their bandanas on a washboard, learned to eat apples "hard core!!" The campfire programs were fun-filled and full of information geared to 4th graders. We cannot wait to go back next year!!! read more

I was a student that came here back in 2007, one of the fondest memories I have. It was like stepping into another world, going back in time. I wish I could go back in time and re-live it. Everything I experienced I retained, I knew all about the 49ers when I moved to Texas before they taught us about it. I still have my gold vial, and my suede neck pouch. It was a beautiful experience. I was here with Ms.Borrego's class. read more

CODS is a fantastic experience for children. I have never seen challenging, yet fun opportunities for children, to learn and grow, anywhere else. It is absolutely a 100% must do for parents who wish to see their children not only have a great time, but also learn how to work with people they may or may not have known before, much in accordance how we as adults may work with others one day. Coloma Outdoor Discovery School is not only an enjoyable experience for children, but also one to develop their own personal skills for the future. Thank you to the director, and the owners for the opportunity and investment! read more