TIM! TIM! TIM! The lifeblood & 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! read more

This museum has Gold County History- so much to see!! Wagon & 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!! read more

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So much information that I loved! It was primarily a self guided tour. One two of the buildings, there were staff/volunteers answering our questions. (Ian and Susie were so nice and informative) My favorite new piece of information, that I never had learned about was Black Bart. Ian shared so much with all of our questions and we could tell he enjoyed being there. Thank you so much for an informative 1-2 hours! The cost was expected and the perfect amount per person for what we saw. Just know if you have issues walking on uneven surfaces, the trip down to the first building may be hard. Just drive down there. Love the older photos in the transportation building, in the back room. Loved it! Thank you! read more

Angels Camp Museum - Museums Near Me - Angels Camp, California

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If you are in the gold country and interested in history, you have to visit this place. It has some cool exhibits and really knowledgeable and kind folks who run this place. I was here for little over two hours and still couldn't cover even half of the exhibits. Make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy the museum. read more

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This is a great, hidden gem of a museum for anyone passing through or staying near Angels Camp. They've got multiple buildings with artifacts and displays from different points in history that is relevant to the local area. We loved the carriages and industrial age buildings, such a great collection in here with so much history. They also have panning for gold, place for kids to run around a bit and a great exhibit on mark twain and the frog jumping races. Couldn't recommend a stop here more highly if you've got an extra hour to spend. Parking is easy and you can drive between the different buildings if walking is an issue. Most places had good AC and it was never uncomfortable for us. They have clean bathrooms as well for customers at the bottom of the hill by the last exhibition building. read more

My museum tour was feeling like just a walk through the pages of a history book, until I walked into the carriage house and Tim greeted me. He is a treasure trove of knowledge about inventions, and the origins of colloquialisms that made the history of the era come to life. I learned so much from the experience of Tim's stories making the wheels of the carriage house roll. He seems like one of those legendary characters who will go down in history! Thank you! read more

Un museo da visitare assolutamente. Consiglio di dedicarci almeno un'ora, ma due ore sarebbe l'ideale. Ringrazio di cuore Jessica Johnson, la "Administrative Manager" che con professionalità e passione ci ha accolto e introdotto al museo. Un vero gioiello ad Angel Camp! read more

This museum is truly a hidden gem. It is deceivingly small from the outside. There is a fun gift shop to explore and pay for tickets. The back door (or go around the side to avoid stairs) opens to a vast, beautiful area with all sorts of treasures to discover. I recommend going and discovering for yourself all this wonderful museum has to offer. We took our 3 and 4 year old granddaughters. They did the scavenger hunt and had a great time exploring. The 4 year old has been asking to return. read more

We visited the museum on Saturday, June 14 it was a wonderful experience a must see you for anybody coming around the Angels Camp California area we would like to thank Tim Chisholm who is a wonderful docent and has all sorts of information to make your visit at this museum exceptional read more

This museum is so cool and the people we met who work here are great! My kids (ages 5.5, 3.5, and 1) especially loved the scavenger hunt (for great prizes!) and panning for gold. I loved the panning for gold experience too - I could have done it all day! We visited on a very rainy day but it was still so fun. I'm excited to come back one day! We followed our visit with lunch at the Picked Porch which we loved too! read more

We love to learn through hands on experience and Angels camp museum is a great opportunity to do that. We had learned so much during the visit, Tom was amazing about telling stories and history, It was just Amazing! My children 17 and 11 were so happy to be there, both were excited about the Tour and scavenger hunt game they were playing at the same time. Amy was so sweet, and had lots of patience while the children were finding gold and beautiful rocks. I Love it! We will be returning to Angels camp for the Jumping frog contest. read more

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I take my boys to the snow every winter and stay at an RV resort in Angels Camp. We have driven by this museum each time and heard such great things about it. We decided to check it out on our way home on this last trip a week ago. It was fantastic! $15 for adults and $10 for kids.. unless you qualify for a discount (which we didn't).. We spent just over 2 hours there and probably could have stayed longer. Like other reviews, you won't think there's much to it driving by, but down the hill behind the main building is another building full of different carriages and a room with so many interesting things, including shoes from the Donner family, a rectangular grand piano and many hidden historic gems. Our docent was amazing and we could really tell he had great interest in the information he was sharing. I don't recall his name, but we so appreciated his time and attention and learned so much! Mining and Ranching was a great building full of gems, machinery and gold mining education. This was my twins' favorite stop learning about how gold was mined. I want to say Chuck helped us learn so much, but now it's been a couple days so I may get that wrong.. he was so informative and made learning interesting. All of the staff/volunteers here are so warm and friendly. You can tell they take pride in the museum and enjoy being there. There is a lot to see outside as well. During these winter months there was no "gold mining" on site and it may or may not return with COVID protocols, but I do hope it reopens again and my boys will definitely be back to participate. Definitely worth a stop on the way through. We homeschool and had just read about Mark Twain in our studies so some interesting info to coincide with our current schoolwork was a bonus! read more

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Wow this was one of the best laid out museums I've seen. So much history here and they have so many artifacts and displays from the gold rush time. They have a whole building full of old wagons and stagecoaches of all different kinds with historical Pictures and stories about each. The museum is on the site of an old mine too and the huge water wheel is still in its original location. From the hwy it looks like a small building but they have 3 acres and it goes back down the property and there are 2 huge buildings in addition to the one you see from street and more around the outside as well to check out. Allow some time to go through here it's well worth it so much rich history. read more

Angels Camp Museum - Hurst wagon with casket - Museums Near Me - Angels Camp, California

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I visited the Angels Camp Museum on a rainy winter day in January - it was fantastic to visit with hardly any other people around. The campus of the museum is made up of several buildings and some outdoor exhibitions. Really well organized and good information available with the different exhibitions. The buggy / carriage / wagon barn is truly impressive! I could see this being a very popular destination with school groups for field trips, so plan your visit accordingly. read more

Great museum. Lots of ol timey stuff and the staff were amazing and very knowledgeable! Thank you. I highly recommend a visit if you're interested in learning about the history of the area. read more

It was really fun to learn about the history of this interesting little town. The two women who work at the museum are so kind and welcoming! They shared so many great personal stories and historical facts. My 7 year old and my friend's 14 year old were very impressed. There are so many old artifacts here and they offer a cool panning experience. I really enjoyed visiting! I didn't take too many pics because everything was so interesting I didn't pay attention to my phone. read more

Angels Camp Museum - Museums Near Me - Angels Camp, California

Great for a little trip to see some local history we all enjoyed it even our 3 year old such an awesome museum!

Very cool place. Full of history and fun facts for the whole family. Definitely worth the stop in Angels Camp.

You can't miss this one! If you like museums take your time and enjoy the history. We were there over 2 hours and talking with the knowledgeable docents made it 3! So much to look at so don't take any short cuts. From the jumping frog history, pharmacy and doctoring information, farming and mining this museum is a true gold nugget. read more

We were looking forward to visiting this museum in Angels Camp - very convenient to where we were staying. We dropped in near the end of the day and found the greeter very helpful. We paid our entries and were told to drive down the hill to the museum proper. The large buildings had convenient parking. Outside was the area where you can really pan for gold, along with many outdoor displays of big equipment. Inside we were greeted by a docent who gave us a complete discussion about gold, gold mining, gold processing, transportation, and the history of the area. Then we viewed the large collection of exhibits also in that building. Then we went next door to another huge building containing examples of transportation and cargo hauling vehicles - horse drawn. We finished by returning to the entrance and learning more about area history. An excellent 2 hours with still more to see outside. The docents were excellent! We had a great time and learned a lot. read more

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Angel's camp has a very interesting history and there is a lot to learn. Highly recommend making a stop here and spending an hour or two. I especially liked looking at all the old equipment and learning about the gold rush, let's just say I am glad I was born in the 20th century. Gold panning was run. read more

We went here from the recommendation of few local folks we spoke with. Definitely a must visit spot. They had a very special scavenger hunt for younger kids and it was uberly fun. Definitely will recommend! read more

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Good to see all gold mining stuff and old horse riding ,and in these days outside space used for farmer market on Friday evening which is great read more

This museum is not to be missed. I wish I could take all of our visitors and family here. So much to learn here. The workers are super knowledgeable too. They have a really neat gold stamp demonstration, tons of carriages and lumber wagons, old fashioned farm equipment, antique medical items and medicines, Mark Twain things and all kinds of gold rush stuff and info. read more

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So much to see & learn here. Rich & fun history. Definitely worth the stop when in town. Laid out very well & staff is amazing too.

Every year I go to the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee, I make a special point to drop by the Angels Camp Museum with my family. It keeps getting better and better. Under new guidance, the museum has enhanced its displays and spruced up its special exhibits. This is such an appealing place and has thoughtful touches. You can wander through a carriage house and lose yourself in the stories of those people who long ago relied on horse and buggy for transportation. You can get risk a tetanus shot and climb and explore the rusted carcasses of farm equipment. You can sit in air conditioned comfort and watch an entire documentary about the history of the Jumping Frog Jubilee. They say there will soon be overnight stays for those intrepid enough to try their hand at a mining adventure. I can't wait for that. read more

Angels Camp Museum - Watching the Jumping Frog Movie - Museums Near Me - Angels Camp, California

A hidden gem in the Mother Lode Gold Rush Country. This is one of the very best local museums we have seen in thousands of miles and years of travel throughout the West. In addition to an amazing array of tools and artifacts people once used, there is gold panning for argonauts of all ages and a remarkably knowledgeable staff and volunteers. read more

This museum is located on 3 1/2 acres and has three buildings as well as some outside historical equipment. There is a nice picnic area to eat as well. The first building has a lot of information on Mark Twain, Chinese laborers, and how medicine was practiced a long time ago. The second building has a large carriage collection. The third building has lots of mining equipment, tools, rocks, etc. All the docents/instructors were extremely nice and informative. I love history and learned quite a bit from visiting this museum. ALSO RECOMMEND: visiting old school house up the street and the excellent museum in San Andreas a few miles down the road. read more

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Had a great time. Much more Interesting than I expected. Gracious staff. Much bigger than I anticipated, I would definitely recommend taking a picnic lunch. read more

One of the better gold country museums. The docents and donators that did this certainly captured a piece of history. Over 3 acres. There are three main buildings. You enter the gift shop which is chalk full of items from the mid 1800s. Check out the original Winchester rifles to start, and then 1000s of other items. Original writings of Mark Twain. And lots more. Building 2 is down the hill and is the gold mining memorabilia. Amazing collection. Replica of the stamp mill. Logs from the workers and the mines. What a job. Using boiling mercury to have the gold leach out of the crystal. The fumes must have been lovely. Lots of brain damage and early deaths. And that was just one job! Wow. What a hearty bunch. Photos of the miners in the streams freezing from the cold water. One day's work might have ended up in $2-$3 worth of gold. Ouch! Great photos and all the gold instuments used for extraction are on display. Have the original power water wheel outside. Building 3 is a gem. Original carriages used in the area from the 1870s to early 1900s. Wonderful condition and there were over 60 carriages on display. You get a real sense of how the people of that era traveled around. Just a wonder collection, not to miss. Entry fee is only $4. You could spend a half a day if you saw all. Highlty recommended for you historical buffs. read more

Great little museum!! The people who work here are what make this such a cool experience. Everyone we can into contact with here was great! The docent in the far back, Jim--I think his name was, took time to slow things down and explain fun facts to my kids. He was great with showing my kids how to pan for gold. So glad we stopped here! read more

Great Museum full of old time mining and life treasures. Great any time of year most is inside and some larger items outside. Fun scavenger hunt for kids to look for while walking through. Gold panning at the end. read more

Great museum!!! Absolutely well done. My family & I enjoyed every bit of this top notch place. The scavenger hunt for the kids really incorporates fun & learning all in one. The gold panning (and the volunteer running it) was a highlight for the kids. Each part of this museum and the carriage house was fascinating. Love this history in the area! Everyone working here was so great too, they are helpful and we enjoyed learning from them at different stations. read more

We took our kids (7.5 almost 4) to the Angels Camp Museum recently. Our almost 4 year old was a little too small yet for a historical museum, but he enjoyed learning how to mine for gold while our 7.5 year old really enjoyed the whole experience. The staff was wonderful. Our 7.5 year old went on a fun and engaging scavenger hunt which provided lots of learning opportunities. The leader for learning how to mine was wonderful. I wish I got his name. The kids really enjoyed his presentation and so did my husband and I. It's a small museum, but it kept us for 4 hours! I highly recommend it. read more

THE CALAVERAS COUNTY MUSEUM COMPLEX in SAN ANDREAS is MUCH BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE INTERESTING! We did both Museums on the same day, and we were amazed at how much better the one in San Andreas was. It's just a few miles north of here on 49. You can't see it from the road like this one, but it's easy to find on Main Street a half block north of Hwy 49, across the street from the Black Bart Inn. ANGELS CAMP MUSEUM REVIEW Their building of small items looks more like an antique store. There are hardly any labels or interesting stories on anything. And a lot of things are from other countries, with no explanation as to how they are connected to the area. The Rock and Mineral display is almost a joke. It's just a bunch of big rocks laying around on the ground outside between buildings. There is not one display card telling the name of even one rock. Carriage barn is really nice though. Never saw so many carriages in one place. They even have an authentic old covered wagon. Their only bathroom has the kind of faucets that don't stay on one second. So it's impossible to wash hands with soap. Model trains were not running. Too many things do not have a card saying where they are from. None of the ore cars are on tracks. At Daffodil Hill the ore cars are on tracks. Even saw one on tracks in someone's front yard. Their ore cars are just sitting on the ground. Doesn't look right. THIS IS A REAL REVIEW BY A REAL CUSTOMER. NO ONE HAS EVER PAID ME TO DO ANY REVIEWS. read more

An excellent museum and exhibit of everything you can think of that would be in gold country during the 1800s. It has a huge collection of everything from some of the earliest cars, horse carriages, horse collection (from an actual shoer who would shoe horses, oxen - where you can even see horse shows for ice or snow conditions). The museum site was the former location of a large mine and they have full exhibit of all equipment, from original rock crushers and stampers to gold panning equipment. The docents spent well over an hour with us giving us the history, detailing the many items presented in three large buildings and it was terrific. For the young they have exhibits on wood working tools and methods used in the 1850s, a print and textiles shop. Active exhibits where they can show you how it was all done years ago. You can easily spend a few hours in the museum. It starts off with information about the jumping frog contest and an exhibit on Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) but then leads to to a collections of antiques including some rifles, old medicines, rock collection, and two more buildings with lots of to see. The staff was enthusiastic and very helpful. It looks small from the front, but they have 3 1/2 acres to display a ton of fun items to see and learn about. read more

As museums go, this one is full of history. The admission was cheap and worth every penny. We learned so much about the history of the Mother Lode and the carraige house was pretty cool. A must see!! read more

Amazing museum with scads of antiques! The docents were VERY knowledgeable and eager to share the history of their county. From the road it looks like a small-town little museum, but when you go in it opens to several buildings and acres of history. Must see. read more