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!

This review is strictly for the 'Polar Express' holiday ride…read more Our family had high expectations for the polar express train ride. We were looking forward to a "magical" evening for the kids but the experience turned out to be what a huge disappointment and waste of money!! 45 minutes of the one hour ride was a slow churn in darkness through unkept brush. for $80 a person ($720 for the family), it is an insult to people and to the holiday! Shame on these people! Wow!! Wow!! Wooow!! That is what we kept saying as we approached the 'north pole' which was some farm equipment with lights on them, crudely painted wood and cardboard cutouts of reindeer and other christmas figures, horrible lighting, and a couple of people standing in costumes waiving. At $80 a person, this is a complete RIP OFF! We all agreed that at best it is not worth more than $20, Avoid this scam at all costs.

Do you know who is Samuel Clemons? If you guessed him by his author pen name, Mark Twain... you…read moreguessed right. Did you know California's historic landmark #138 is no other than Mark Twain's cabin. Well, it's a replica with the original fireplace and chimney. It's in Tuttletown on Jackass Hill Road off Highway 49 in Tuolumne County. It's about one mile up the road. The replica was built in 1922 and again in 2002. The cabin is next to residential homes. I could imagine back in the day, the view must have been awesome! The lot has room for parking. The cabin itself is gated and not accessible. But the door is open and you can peek inside from afar. I couldn't see much because it was dark inside. There are a few information boards on site with historical information. There is not much to look at. I soaked up everything in less than 15 minutes. There are no seating or viewing platforms. From the info boards, I learned that Samuel Clemens happen to be traveling from Virginia City, Nevada, to San Francisco with some friends and stopped here in December 1864. He stayed until the end of February 1865. While there, he wrote "The Celebrated Story of the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". He got the idea after hearing the story of a jumping frog contest in a saloon in the nearby town of Angels Camp. I goggled this info.. In 1867, he went on to publish that story as the cover story for his book of collective short stories. The book included previously published stories. The book turned out to be a success with rave reviews about the "Jumping Frog". So some may say, his time spent in this area with the colorful townsfolk launched his career.

Unless you are a major Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) fan this is not somewhere you really need to…read morevisit. It's a little over a mile up a residential road that is somewhat steep and very poorly maintained (4wd not required but it's bumpy). The cabin itself is a replica that was built in 1922 and renovated in 2002. The only piece of the original cabin is the stone fireplace and chimney. Even the land around the property has been developed to an unrecognizable state as to when he stayed here. Yes, in this very spot he supposedly wrote "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" but it's more of an idea of what he lived like. There is parking in the lot for about 5-6 cars but even on a weekend you most likely won't see anyone else. You can't get in to the cabin, as there is a fence around it, which seems silly since it's not authentic. It is open sunrise to sunset. There are no seats, tables, or anything to do other than take a quick picture. It's an important footnote in the history of the American West but if you are looking for better preserved structures with historical significance it's better to explore nearby Columbia State Park.

What a cool experience. Got there for the 10:00 am tour, and I was the only guest. The walk to…read morethe cave is only about five minutes, but there's no shade so the earlier the better as the temps heat up. Inside the cave is about 50°. I have no issues with claustrophobia, but if you do there is one tight squeeze that might be a problem. Cash, my tour guide, turned off the lights (after asking my permission) and we experienced total darkness for maybe thirty seconds. It felt like two hours, and I hated it , but still neat and recommend trying if offered. Use the hand rails. They are there for your safety.

The drive here is much more involved than Mercer Caverns with more windy and narrow roads. Once you…read moreget closer the space opens up to a large parking lot and shop you meet at. We were the only ones that signed up for the earliest tour that day and were lucky to have a private tour. The tour has informative history about the caverns with landmarks along the way. The most interesting thing we didn't know about is they have caving adventure tours where you shimny through holes and narrow spaces with a guide but our kids aren't old enough to partake. This was the first show cave in California and townspeople lived in them during harsh winters in the 1800s. There was a bar inside and a church and nails were even given to people to carve on the walls. Because of this there are signs of harm everywhere with soot, broken formations, and dirty coloration from human hand oils and even champagne poured on a rock formation. The caverns are huge and beautiful with some jaw-dropoing rooms. The walking tour is very safe though we loved the slight danger and claustrophobic feel of the Mercer Caverns. When you leave the shop has some cool historical items pulled from the caves on display like glass bottles, etc .. that are worth checking out.

The Crane Flat Fire Lookout in Yosemite National Park was built in 1931. The lookout was the first…read moreone in Yosemite and doesn't resemble fire lookouts used by the NFS. My friend Erin S and I decided to make a snow shoe trip up to the lookout while driving into the park the other day. We were expecting 'spectacular' 360 degree views of Yosemite but unfortunately the weather wasn't listening to the meteorologists on that day. We caught glimpses of what might be an awesome view through the clouds. It was really interesting to arrive up at the top of the little tiny hill after our 1.5 or 2.5 mile hike. This is one of those trails where you get to decide how far you hiked since there are two signs, on the same pole, each with a different distance. There is the lookout, a Helli pad, an outhouse with an awesome view on a clear day (just leave the door open and you'll see why, and the shell of an old helicopter. Nope. We didn't get in it or anything. We didn't see anyone else on this trail so it might or might not be a nice stroll in the summer. The trail meets up with the trail that leads to the Touloumne Grove off of Tioga Road. I'd like to go back and visit in the summer to see the view and climb up to the observation deck. We didn't this time because the snow shoes interfered with the stairs and I was just too lazy to take them off...even if it meant fixing my sock.

We went to Yosemite in mid March when Glacier Point Road and Tioga Road were still closed for the…read moresnow season. Tuolumne Grove is located right before the closed section of Tiago Road. The trail was wide which was great for social distancing. The entire path was covered in snow so it was more workout for our 2.5 mile in-and-out trek with 400 feet elevation change. Our experience was rather secluded compared to the crowd factor in the Valley. It was great to admire the enormous size of the trees by ourselves, it made the experience more special and enjoyable.

The Mariposa Grove is currently under construction so we decided to visit Tuolumne. It is about a…read more1.5 hours drive from the south entrance of Yosemite. Parking is limited at the Grove. There are restrooms located at the entrance. The paved trail takes you about 1 mile downhill to the Grove entrance. The trail turns into dirt but is is a very easy hike. The Grove circle is less than 1 mile in length. There are several giant sequoias to view but my favorite was the sequoia with the large tunnel cut out. Short hike and not too many trees to view but it was a fun stop.

Amazing and only a short hike! Doable for kids and seniors! You can get so close to the falls and…read morefeel the mist and get pretty wet Rainbow under the falls, I have a feeling this is common here? Happy place!

Yosemite is a tough nut to crack in terms of crowding and cars. We got very, very lucky pulling…read moreinto Bridalveil Falls parking lot and finding parking. (We were not so lucky the next time trying to find a spot for Mirror Lake Trailhead.) I think people have a better chance here to find parking because it is such a short hike and people come, see, leave. So give it a shot! The hike is short and sweet. We were already feeling the mist from the falls as we drew closer to the viewpoint. Then it just became breathtaking. As my son put it "Who knew water just falling off a ledge could be so beautiful?" We were here to experience the height of the water flow. Rainbows were abundant. It is a magical experience.

The scenery of Tenaya Lake is absolutely stunning from every angle, attracting photographers to…read morevisit and press shutters. However, tons of mosquitoes were assembling here, chasing and attacking you. Repellents are useless under such situation. Be careful!

One of my favorite places in Yosemite. In the summer it's all about the swimming in the beautiful…read moreshallow waters on the edge of the lake with little boulders to sit and sunbathe on. In the fall/winter we enjoyed walking on the beaches and watching the sunrise on the lake that was covered in a layer of steam.

If you are an individual who loves to learn about the California Gold Rush and subsequent mining in…read morethe Foothills, then stop by Miner's Bend Park in Sutter Creek. Just a short walk from downtown, the park is small but has a lot of cool old machinery and more importantly, lots of great information on Mother Lode mining and the miners who risked their lives daily to extract the precious metal.

Miner's Bend Historical Park, is down the road from the old downtown of Sutter Creek, on old route…read more49. The park is very, very small. One can walk at the pace of a turtle ( figuratively speaking) and probably still do a whole turn in less than 5 minutes. It's at the end of a road of homes and extra city parking spaces. It has no restroom, no play area, and no BBQ pits. It has a couple of picnic tables under a big beautiful sprawling low branching tree. So what does the park actually have and why the heck would anyone go visit it?!?!! Well, the park is actually an outdoor display of historical mining equipment with information boards full of historical facts and archive photographs. Basically a free outdoor museum! Awesome use of open public space and retired mining equipment. It's worth a stop if you are already in the area and appreciate history. Actually the small country town of Sutter Creek is itself a California historical landmark. The old town is a modern refined tourist trap with modern posh boutiques, shops, and eateries; it has a historical charm of the 19th century gold mining California town. The Main Street has its wooden sidewalk and Americano turn of the century look. I call it Main Street but it's officially called old route 49. Nearby homes are older beautifully refurbished Victorians maintained by private residences. Sutter Creek still flows through old town, site of the gold panning days of yore. The Main Street is on the old route 49. The new route 49 was built about 10 years ago that rerouted it away from driving through town. #suttercreekminersbendhistoricalpark

A very Pretty drive out to this cavern Lots of trails to…read morewalkabout around and before the small parking lot with an old yellow fire truck that you can check out too A kids sluice that is pretty cool by the shop and check in for the tour of the cavern. Bathrooms were decent And Faith our tour guide was A+++++++ with her flashlight extra luminescent sight too! Check it out and pack and pick-nick-lunch BooBoo! Get outside

We have drove past this place a million times but just never made time to stop so this year we…read morefinally scheduled a tour. This cavern is fascinating. Our tour guide was Bobbee and she did an amazing job! She was very informative and answered everyone's questions with ease. You could tell she is genuinely interested her job and has spent a lot of time learning about the cavern. We will definitely recommend this tour to all of our friends and family!

We love driving by this historical building on the way to Murphy's. The drive is beautiful and we…read moreknow we are almost there when we see this building. Everyone should research the history if this building and the town that once existed dying the gold rush