The historic town of Columbia, nestled in the foothills of the California Sierra Mountain Range, was the second biggest city in the state during the Gold Rush era of the 1850’s and 60’s. Also known as Columbia State Historic Park on the list of California State Historic Parks, this adorable town feels part cosplay, part history museum as you wander down the stage-coach-only streets.
Take the two-and-a-half-hour drive from the East Bay Area to explore all that Columbia State Historic Park has to offer. You can spend the entire day here, wandering the historic streets with your family. We visited Columbia as a day trip from Murphys.
Here are some of our favorite things to do with little kids at Columbia State Historic Park:
Columbia State Historic Park is located on the stolen lands of the Central Sierra Miwok and Yokut people.
Before you go:
- The drive from the East Bay Area to Columbia State Historic Park is about two and a half hours long without traffic. Consider beginning your trip before commuting hours (2-7pm) to avoid traffic leaving.
- Entering and parking in the Columbia State Historic Park is free, but you must pay for food and activities.
- Check the weather. In Columbia, the winters are chilly (highs in the 40’s) and the summers are hot (highs in the 90’s). Dress appropriately.
- If you are traveling in the summer, plan to arrive early to avoid the crowds and the heat. We noticed longer lines towards the mid- to late afternoon, so get there when the park opens if you can for shorter activity wait times.
What we packed:
- Cash
- Bagged lunch or lunch money
- Sunscreen and hats
- Wagon
- Baby carrier
- Layers for cool and warmer weather
Base Cost
- Free Entrance
- Free Parking
Add-Ons
- $5+ candle making
- $10+ gold panning
- $14+ stage coach ride
- Additional activity and food costs
Tips to get the most out of your Trip to Columbia State Historic Park
Visit the Museum
The museum at Columbia State Historic Park was both informational and fun. I was able to use the displays as a way to explain to my preschooler how people lived during the Gold Rush Era. She was amazed by the lack of modern technology.
Be sure to visit the room in the back where you can watch an informational video about the history of the town and the surrounding areas. The room has a dress-up section with era-appropriate outfits for kids and adults of all ages. The bonnets and parasols were a highlight for our two littles.
Create your own candle
The candle making shop is located down a small alleyway off Main Street. For $3-$8 per candle, you and your kiddo can dip a candle into colored wax and personalize your design. Our preschooler loved this so much, she asked to do a second candle!
Pro tip: the traditional stick-like candles are easier to dip into the colored wax than the moon and star-shaped candles.
Pan for Gold
Try your luck at panning for gold in the troughs of local stream water. Grab a gold pan from the shop above the gold panning area for $8/day. They will even include a small vile to bring home whatever you find.
This activity was a win for our toddler and my partner, who dreamed of striking it rich.
Ride the Stagecoach
The ticket station for the Quartz Mountain Stage Line is located off Main Street close to the gold panning area. Tickets are $9 for adults, $8 for children/seniors, and free for kids under two years of age.
The stagecoach ride is slow and bumpy, taking you through a rocky landscape for about twenty minutes until you return back to town.
Watch out – the ticket warns you of possible robbers along the path. I was surprised when we were stopped about halfway into our ride by an actor holding up the stagecoach with a plastic rifle, demanding to steal our gold and jewelry. It was all fun and games, but my four-year-old was confused and a little scared. I wish I had been given some kind of warning, beyond the subtle hint on my ticket!
Enjoy pizza and a glass of sarsaparilla
Yum. Pizza and sarsaparilla.
We enjoyed a cold glass of delicious homemade Sarsaparilla at the St. Charles Saloon, as a reprieve from the heat during our visit.
Sip your sarsaparilla on the patio and grab some pizza while you’re there too; it was delicious!
Try handmade candy
Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen has been making delicious homemade candy there since 1926.
Our preschooler was in awe of the sweet delicacies on display and ultimately chose a chocolate-covered marshmallow with a rainbow on top. She inhaled it in one bite and licked her fingers, so kid-approved!
My partner and I enjoyed the fresh fruit jellies so much that we went back later in the day to buy more for our drive home.
Go window shopping
The merchants along the Main Street of Columbia State Historic Park take you back through time to an era of shopping for the simpler things in life, like leather goods, books, metal works at the blacksmith shop, or antiques.
My partner mined for gold with our toddler, or watched her splash in the gold troughs, while I took our older child to peruse the local shops. Her favorite stop was Towie & Leavitt.
My four-year-old loved the production of the Little Mermaid and I was happy to see a crowd of mostly families with little kids in attendance.
Take your family to a musical
For a truly unique experience, go to the Fallon House Historic which was built in 1857 and still features live productions. The theater is located inside the Fallon Hotel which also features an ice cream shop and a small museum.
Get your tickets online or at the box office in the Fallon Hotel. The theater is small enough that every seat has a decent view. When you arrive, you will enter the theater through the ice cream shop on the west end of the Fallon Hotel building.
My four-year-old loved the production of the Little Mermaid and I was happy to see a crowd of mostly families with little kids in attendance.
Columbia State Historic Park surprised me. Our original reason for going was because my in-laws are history buffs and were interested in exploring this historic town. I wasn’t expecting the experience to be so much fun for my entire family, young and old!
My preschooler was completely confounded by the fact that there were no cars back in the day. I felt compelled to talk to her about how our family would not have been welcome there during the Gold Rush. As was the case with many old, historic mining towns of yesteryear, many miners of color were relegated to the outskirts of town. I love walking into historic buildings like those in Columbia, places where my ancestors were not allowed in or welcome to take up space.
Yup, there I was, a mixed-race Indigenous mama with my two mixed babies and their white Dada, a union that would have been frowned upon at the least in the 1800’s, owning the space and making sure my children do, too.
I was happy to see a little history about the Indigenous community in the museum, but disappointed there was not more history on display about the racism and mistreatment of people of color in California’s mining towns.
Do you ever think about what it would have been like for your ancestors to walk in the same spaces you’re adventuring to? Share in the comments below.
This post is part of a series of posts about visiting Calaveras County with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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