Columbia CA is a find in and of itself, and this gold panning activity is just one of the reasons I…read moresay that so confidently. The attractions here are super affordable and, in some cases, free, and they're truly captivating. For about $20 you get a bag of dirt to pan with guaranteed gold in it, a panning lesson, and access to the panning area for the whole day. That's right. This isn't one and done. It's for the entire day. The lesson is fast and furious, but you get the idea by the end. If you don't, just wait for someone else to get theirs and listen in for a refresher. The speed of the lesson and the fact there's no one there to ask questions after is the only reason I'm taking a star off. That said, you can go inside and ask for help, but that takes you away. The man who taught us was kind and gentle with the lesson, and he made sure the kids found their gold. The look on their faces was priceless! I truly thought they'd be done after that one pan but they were so captivated by the idea of finding treasure that I'm sure we spent at least an hour sifting through the sand for gems. This was money well spent, and if you're vacationing in the area, I would highly recommend this be in your plans.

A good time for all. Grab a pan and start panning. Left with garnets and citrine gemstones (panned…read morereally hard for them). Kid friendly activity, there is a park nearby, a small old town to walk through and plenty of public restrooms and parking available.

Crazy that you can review this... Located on HWY 50, the Cave Rock Tunnel is a Lake Tahoe landmark…read more A true icon. It's a great tunnel. I am not sure how else to review this or what else to say. It's never crumbled beneath me or fallen apart while I drove through it. I have probably driven through it hundreds of times, and I have taken to a tradition that my Dad did when I was a kid- honk twice in the tunnel. Now my kids love it too. I heard you can hike to the top, too. Pretty cool. Overall, a great tunnel and a required part of the drive from Carson City to South Lake Tahoe. (unless you go around the lake the other way, which would take forever)

Cave Rock Tunnel is an interesting attraction. It takes US 50 through Cave Rock. Maybe tunnel isn't…read morelong but it's fun though. Be careful. Try allowing the passenger to handle pictures. It kind of looks like any tunnel inside. It's just there so US 50 can go through a mountain. There's several parking areas to stop at and look at the amazing scenery. Look for the side roads you can turn onto and get up the hills. There's a trail to take you far up. Basic tunnel but it's in a big rock. It has good places to look.There's very good views of the lake water.

Volcano... a small town in Amador County…read more Discovered in 1848, the whole town is registered as a California Historical Landmark! We first knew of its existence two years ago when we participated in a weekend long series of Yelp events in Amador County. We revisited Volcano not too long ago and explored more. Volcano is about 1-1/2 hrs from our place. You know those green freeway signs that announce when you enter a new city. They always show the population and the elevation. Volcano showed a population of 100, someone altered the last digit to make it 103 (maybe a few babies were born LoL)... it used to be population 115 at the 2010 census. Volcano has an elevation of 2,053. From walking around this charming small town we saw: Two hotels - St. George Hotel and Volcano Union Inn + Pub (B&B) General store - The Country Store A bakery/cafe - Kneading Dough Bakery Two theaters - Volcano Amphitheater (outdoor) and Cobblestone Theatre (indoor) A park - Volcano Park U.S. Post Office - zip code 95689 A social hall for events and town meetings - Armory Hall as well as a few art galleries. Everywhere we walked we came across a historic marker with a brief description: On Consolation Street, we saw the site of the first recorded astronomical observatory in 1860 which is where the Great Comet of 1861 was discovered. Next to that marker was the "Old Abe" Volcano Blues Cannon. During the Civil War Volcano's gold served the Union - the Volcano Blues smuggled the cannon "Old Abe" to intimidate rebel sympathizers. Perhaps the coolest marker we saw (located on Main Street) was a memorial for Brig Gen Harry Bluett Liversedge's regiment who figured in the historic raising the flag on Iwo Jima. Volcano is one of those little towns in the Mother Lode that is unforgettable... there is a marker on the front door of the Whiskey Flat Saloon that mentioned in memory of the pioneers of California who assembled in Volcano where Moose Milk was originated. What's Moose Milk? do they still have it around? Well, perhaps they still served Moose Milk in this saloon. It consisted a generous shot of bourbon, an equal measure of half-and-half cream, and some rum and served over ice, and topped with nutmeg. Sounds like an acquired taste to me. Happy exploring... Review #1906

I've been here many times. I have stayed at the Union Inn which is absolutely lovely. The…read morerestaurants are awesome. I enjoy seeing the plays at the theater. They are so awesome.

A must stop! Great view of the falls and the Merced River from the bridge. A nice place to…read morepicnic, but if the weather is good, you will have lots of company. At any rate, the view is fantastic from the bridge, and there is a walking trail where you can take gorgeous photos of the surrounding area. By the way, there is no "swing" in the Swinging Bridge. The original swinging bridge was replaced with a permanently fixed bridge after being damaged in the 1965 flood.

Came here mid November w/ old snow/ice on the grounds. Small parking lot. We got here probably…read moreafter 10a. We're able to get parking. The bridge doesn't swing anymore. Beautiful view of Yosemite falls in the background I believe. Was able to walk down to the water which was shallow and had some ice in it. The kids had fun playing around in the little beachy area. There are restrooms here but my husband said it's those port spotty styles with a hole in the ground. I didn't even want to attempt it. Luckily we drove maybe 5mins out to base camp eatery (Yosemite valley lodge) and use the rest rooms there.

Love this place! Gary the owner is so sweet!! He takes care of this place so emasculate! There are…read moreso many opportunities to have events there. Contact him for your next event.

"Windmills reproducing like Jack Rabbits!"... That's what I thought to myself when I rode my…read morebicycle on East Waterloo Road just a few miles from Hwy 99. Kidding aside, Windmill Ranch sells Windmills and parts to repair Windmills. As a sideline, Windmill Ranch is also a tourist attraction.... for a donation of $5.00, you can roam around Windmill Ranch all you want. Call ahead, though, to make sure someone would let you in when you get there. Quite a bit of variety... small ones, big ones, tall ones, short ones. There is enough to see from the road-side, though. OR you can jsut check out the pictures I took ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ixWizlQ3uiHOZmJAWKIZ7Q?select=R5AitKI3FgM60cv9TksMOQ ). Something else you'll learn is what CutOuts are. Take a look at Windmill Ranch's gates, they're the Black, flat silhouette objects attached to the fence gate. I didn't know anything like that existed until I rode by this display in Clements - ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/als-metal-cutouts-lockeford#hrid:zILH5LpQ435QlGm8Yb-oSw ). This far-fetched art / craft is so exclusive to the rural community, no one has even contributed an entry in Wikipedia! Frank Medina, the owner / proprietor, claims to had over a thousand of these Windmills... before his Divorce. I guess the Big "D" had an effect on his finances, that's the reason for the suggested donation. I was thinking to myself of adopting one of these puppies... but I wouldn't want Windmills sprouting up from the ground like weeds. Who would I call to Spay or Neuter these things?

3.5 Stars I have to…read morerevisit this place as our first time visit didn't satisfy my curiosity. After reading more about it there was more to this historic place than the old buildings and ruins on Main Street! Hubby and I enjoy visiting ghost towns and seeing ruins. This is a semi ghost town as is the town of Goldfield in Nevada (along U.S. Route 95) with a population of 268. Chinese Camp has a population of 150 on the town sign but 2010 census showed a population of 126 and not a single Chinese person or person of Asian descent for that matter living in town. We walked along Main Street, the part of the street where old unoccupied buildings remain standing. Clearly they look like buildings not fit for living space but many of them say Private Property or No Trespassing so I'm not sure if we were invading people's privacy. We walked up to the State Historical Marker No. 423 located on Highway 120 and read the inscription. The old ruins were fascinating to see (if you're into this stuff). My favorite ghost town thus far was Bodie! Interesting history. It's obvious how the town came by its name as it is estimated as many as five thousand Chinese populated the town at one time. In 1856 a disagreement among Chinese miners ended up in a battle challenge between two local secret Chinese-American societies (these are called tongs). 2,500 Chinese fought using just knives and pitchforks, four were killed before one side retreated. No Chinese person has lived in this city since 1930. This semi ghost town is a remnant of the California Gold Rush mining town and located at the junction of Highway 49 north and Highway 120 west. Review #0596

Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail California Landmark 423…read moreChinese Camp "Reportedly founded about 1849 by group of Englishmen who employed Chinese as miners. Much surface gold found on hills and flats. Headquarters for stage lines in early 1850's, and for several California Chinese Mining Companies. First Chinese Tong War in state fought near here between Sam yap and Yan Woo Tongs. Present stone and brick post office built 1854, still standing. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church built 1855, restored 1949, First Pastor, Father Henry Aleric."

It's always great when you can capture a memory of a vacation location with a picture next to a…read more'Welcome' sign! Our family were really happy to get the opportunity to take pictures here & solidify our 2025 annual family trip! Parking is somewhat easy - just limited! The good news is you shouldn't need much time taking pictures, so even if you need to wait to park, it likely won't be longer than 5-10 mins.

Cool sign for a photo op to show you've made it to Lake Tahoe. It's easy enough to get to, doesn't…read moretake much time so why not? There is a small area where 2-3 cars could park, but if those are taken, it will be a bit more difficult because it's off a main road. As you see from submitted photos, the sign is cool and large enough to make it worth while.

This is a cute picnic spot close to the lake. There's a few benches around the bear sculpture and…read moreeach bench can easily seat 4-6 people. There's street parking available beside the plaza but it is limited so you may have to park elsewhere and walk here. The bears made from coins are pretty cool and a nice backdrop for taking pictures!

A great place to sit with a lake view high above Tahoe City Beach, in a park designated to honor…read morethe heritage of the city through informational placards that celebrate the history. You can walk a trail to the beach below. The park has picnic tables, beach access, and tone block benches that sit like a small amphitheater, but the star of the show is a 12.5 foot mother bear with cubs, covered in about 200,500 pennies. If I know my math, that's like $41,536 pesos. According to Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson, who met at Burning Man for which this 2017 art piece was made, they "encourage interaction with public art because it is approachable and provocative. The materials we use seem from a distance to be standard coatings like paint or steel, but it is on closer examination that the viewer becomes a participant, discovering that the art is covered in whimsical materials like pennies or marbles. These materials have nostalgic connections, they are delightful to touch, perhaps make a sound or pass light." I look at it and think that makes cents.

Pulled into the RV park late one night, exhausted. Office was closed. Slept for awhile, then hit…read morethe road at sunrise. Cute little town

Love the town of Lee Vining. After driving thru Yosemite on Tioga Road 120 , continue on hwy 395…read morethen BOOM!!! , the town appears. About 10 miles after passing thru the East Gate ( of Yosemite). Cute little resort town , love the fact that there are no chain restaurants/ coffee shops in the whole entire town. No McDonald's or Starbucks in sight. We stopped at this cute little old school diner called Nicely's for BLT sandwich and fries ... and a huge Mono Lake size ice cream sundae:) All delicious and friendly service. After our tummies are full , we drove to see Mono Lake. To me , this lake is just okay. Not spectacularly pretty because no trees or vegetation around the lake , looking dried. Not much water in the lake. However , wait till night time. We went to see the Tufas in the dark . OMG!!!!!!!!!!! We could see the Milky Way and gazillion stars in the dark sky. I had NEVER seen that many stars in my life. Simply AMAZING!!!!!! No words can describe. Well worth the 10 hour ( round trip ) drive. Next morning we drive up to Convict Lake, Virginia Lake and June Lake. Snow capped mountains towering over the crystal clear lakes ... the changing colors of the leaves , cool crisp autumn air ... breathtakingly beautiful.

Echo summit is located on highway 50 right before driving into the basin of South lake Tahoe. I…read morebeen through this summit many times during my travels to South Lake Tahoe. In the summer, you can see beautiful greenery and the sparkling lake and in the winter you can see the snow capped mountains of Tahoe. Echo Summit stands at an astounding 7,000 feet above sea level so the views are fantastic. Downside to this summit is it is often closed due to weather conditions, and very heavy traffic as highway 50 is the main freeway to get to South Lake. There are small turn offs on this route to take pictures, but those are usually full and those people are usually frowned upon.

My spontaneous urge backfired …read more.. After spending the night in Minden.. The desire to take a scenic drive and break in my new tires.. All was good driving, memories coming back of how we used to come from California so excited to get away.... Beautiful weather, no winds.. perfect fishing conditions.. but then.... I guess my not keeping up with the news didn't help either.. No problems from The 88/89 route, .. then as I got on 50... (and no signs warning of delays by Caltrans).. Just my luck... Caltrans stops the flow of traffic with me! After sitting in the car thirty minutes, our friend had text not to go on 50 because 19 hours ago there was a rock slide!! Too late .. and by then there were about fifty or more cars behind me... Caltrans trucks, bulldozer and dump trucks were able to pass.. apparently a geologist had also been consulted... Another thirty minutes later we were able to start the engine.. Luckily the rockslide didn't cause any injuries just a car was hit but the driver got out safely.. Oh well.. my momentum subsided and I was already thinking of the next destination... A bathroom!