Take the historical walk through downtown placerville. We had such a nice time at the museum and…read morewas so inspired that we joined the society.

John Fountain & Benjamin Tallman's soda water factory!…read more Built in 1852 by John Fountain and Benjamin Tallman in 1852 this beautiful two-story masonry building is now the house of Placerville Historical Museum. Apparently, during the gold rush the river and creeks were polluted by mining activities and the water in them was unsafe for drinking. These two gentlemen saw an opportunity and started carbonating and bottling spring water and selling it to the miners. In 1981 the building was donated to El Dorado County Historical Society by Fay Rupley Cannon in 1983 opened as a museum. In the museum you will see and learn a lot about the history of the town and immediate area if you spend 30-45 minutes there and make sure to spend a few minutes speaking with the very nice people who are there and ready to tell you about the history of their beautiful town.

Preston Castle Haunt - what a yearly tradition! My wife, my parents, and I have been making the…read morespooky pilgrimage for years now, and it never disappoints. You just can't beat a haunted house that takes place inside an actual haunted prison. The vibe alone gives you goosebumps before you even step inside. Add in the scare actors (who I'm convinced are local kids living their best creepy dreams), the friendly staff, and the affordable merch, and you've got the full package. This year's haunt felt longer with even more scares tucked around the corners--right up my alley! Preston keeps stepping it up, and I'm here for it. Until next year, Castle... we'll be back.

Came here for the haunted house event about a week ago and I'm not sure if I would come back again…read more Tickets were $35 each (purchased online) and you have to park and walk about 10-15 minutes to the castle or you can take the little van that drives you there which also takes the same amount of time. We took the van to the castle but they don't drop you off directly in front of the castle so you still have to walk down through security and then to the castle. Porte potty's are available right before security and once you walk up the hill to wait in line to enter the castle. There were a couple food trucks when we went, we were expecting a few based on what was said online but not sure if it depends on the time. We waited over an hour in line to enter the haunted house and if you do really believe in ghosts this place is pretty haunted. The event itself wasn't scary, the actors aren't able to touch you but there's obviously loud screaming and they may be a bit too close for comfort to get a reaction out of you. You do have to climb up and down quite a few stairs and then there's a second part lead outside and back in the castle (barely any lighting and it's a dirt road so you have to carefully walk). Many strobing lights as well so do avoid if you are triggered by that. The energy throughout the castle was not pleasant or welcoming, I was very excited for it to be over as the haunted house itself was not very good and I was mostly tired from all the walking. There's a merch truck outside at the end of the castle as well. We also decided to walk back instead of waiting for the shuttle but there absolutely no lighting and many ditches with uneven flooring so you have to be very careful. Overall experience was not my favorite and I wouldn't come back again.

I had family coming into town, and wanted to give them a fun experience in Sacramento. My nieces…read more(13, 11, 8) were a great age for this...and as a bonus, the two oldest had just studied the gold rush in school. We scheduled a private tour (VERY reasonably priced, $100 for a group up to 5 and then $17 for each person after that). Our tour guide, Rich, was very passionate about gold mining, and was entertaining for the adults and the kids. In a little over 2 hours, we had his complete attention for historical information and ask any questions we wanted, and were able to tour two mines, get lots and lots of history behind it (there were so many little tidbits learned it was pretty awesome!) and then we got a lesson on how to "pan for gold" and keep what we found. The tour includes that everyone will get gold (flakes) and possibly gemstones (we found peridot, garnet, something that looked like emerald but I can't remember what he called it, if not emerald, and quartz). Everyone left with a 1/2 ounce vile of their findings--and the kids were beyond excited about that. My 2 year old didn't have to pay, but Rich even got a pan out for her and she was able to take away her own treasure from the tour. During the tour, Rich also let the kids get interactive and do some hammering, and also pushing of the cart - pretty awesome. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this tour! You can go tour the park without a private tour, but Rich made our experience so wonderful, everyone was raving about how much fun we had and how interesting it was in the car on the way home. My family is new to California, we have been here a year, and I felt so pleased to have found this park, and be able to share this experience with my family visiting from the midwest. I have another family member coming next month and am considering taking the tour again! Thanks for a fantastic morning, Rich!

This was my second time coming to The Skull Museum. The first time was at their old location and…read moreI'm honestly blown away by how beautiful the new space is. It's super spacious, bright, and thoughtfully laid out. They have an art gallery area, a section dedicated to displaying skulls, and even a break room space for everyone. I also loved how easy their website made the booking process. Being able to see each artist's work, pricing, and availability all in one place made it really convenient to plan and schedule time off. I was looking to finish my half sleeve and came across Christian Gonzalez's work on their site. I was immediately impressed and knew I had to book with him. I texted the number listed on the website and connected with Mackenzie, who was incredibly responsive, friendly, and quick to answer all my questions. She made the process really smooth, and I was able to secure an appointment about two weeks out! When I arrived, the whole staff was welcoming and friendly. Christian was professional, easy to talk to, and really took the time to understand my inspiration. He worked with me to design something that would flow well with a previous tattoo I already had, doing his best to blend everything together so it looked cohesive. He made sure I liked the design, adjusted details with me, and carefully worked on placement before we started. I got there right when they opened, and after discussing the design and him drawing everything out, we started around noon and wrapped up around 6pm. It's definitely a full day session, so bring snacks and maybe a zip up because it gets a little cold in there! Christian was incredibly gentle with the tattoo and constantly checked in to make sure I was comfortable or needed a break. He charges $1300 for a full day and in my opinion he is absolutely worth it!! I felt comfortable the entire time and I'm in love with how the tattoo turned out. I'll definitely be coming back to finish my sleeve and for any future work. If you're thinking about getting tattooed at The Skull Museum, JUST DO IT! and definitely check out Christian! Thanks again!!!

Booked my first tattoo ever with Andy Lopez! Highly recommend! Very skilled artists and…read moreprofessionals at their craft! Thanks Andy! Will be coming back soon!

Located inside The Placer County Courthouse building, this museum houses some of the historic…read moreartifacts from the early Nisenan inhabitants. It also includes the Pate Collection of American Indian artifacts and the original Thomas Kinkade painting "Auburn Centennial". The Placer County Gold Collection is also on exhibit here. Free admission and located on the first floor. Second floor is an active superior courthouse. We had a great time exploring this museum.

Gone day tripping to check this out. Found myself confused as we went thru metal detector and…read moresecurity entrance. It was a small room museum and a part of the lobby you can look into inside a courthouse. It is rich in local history. There were artifacts on judges clothings, native Americans history, jail cell and reward system. Medicine and Nursing related technology evolution. There were lots of information to read on along each possible spot. Good museum if you are killing time, not much enjoyable for small kids other than the pretend jail prisoner props you can use for picture taking and the phone code transmission you can try. Free museum.

We were exploring Grass Valley and decided to try North Star Mining Museum. It was too bad that it…read morelooked so small on the outside because we did not allow enough time to really enjoy all the exhibits. We started in the parking lot learning about the larger mining machines. It was a warm day and, at our advanced age, it took time for us to work our way down the driveway to the museum entrance. The docents were very knowledgeable and brought the exhibits to life. We were able to get about half way through the museum before we needed to get to our next appointment. Go see the North Star Mining Museum.

This place is awesome! Please make sure you've got at least an hour or 3. There's old tools on the…read moreoutside on display, a gorgeous river running along side to admire, inside the building there two rooms. The first room with displays and smaller parts they'd use to mine and the second room is where the big tools are! Steve and his volunteer were so kind turning on the big machines, showing how each tool worked and how they would mine the mountains. So much history, so many fascinating tools, interesting old time accessories, and so much information! If you're wondering how they started mining a mountain side to how they made the gold and what powered it all go check out North Star mining museum! This place makes you never want to leave, there's so much information here please take an hour to look around at least. You will have a great time whether you're 5 or 85, male/female or space creature the history of mining will fascinate your socks off. Check them out.

Brought my daughter here and we both loved it. The staff were super friendly and really into what…read morethey do -- u can tell they care about keeping history alive. The train ride was calm, scenic, and honestly just fun to experience together. The museum itself has some amazing old cars and engines, all restored beautifully. It's got that perfect nostalgic vibe but still feels fresh and hands-on for kids. Such a great spot to spend an afternoon -- highly recommend it for families or anyone who just loves classic trains.

We had such an amazing time here! While we didn't come on the weekend, so the shop was closed, that…read moredidn't ruin our time in the slightest. The worker Brian, showed us around the museum and was truly excellent. He was so helpful and kind and obviously very knowledgeable about the railroad. He engaged the kids by asking lots of questions and kept us all entertained. This museum teaches you a lot and isn't boring like a lot of others are. I'd definently recommend!

TIM! TIM! TIM! The…read morelifeblood & 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!

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

We visited the children's museum recently. The space is decent and quite spacious, but overall, we…read moredidn't find it particularly engaging. My son did enjoy the train area and spent most of his time there, which was a nice part of the visit. The ticket price is affordable, but for us, it wasn't quite worth the trip, especially since it's not close to our home. We were hoping for more interactive or creative exhibits. It would be great if they could add more decorations or make the space feel more lively and engaging. It's an okay spot if you're nearby or have a train-loving child, but we probably won't be returning.

The Sacramento Children's Museum is a fun kids museum for littles age 2-8. They have a big area for…read moreimaginative play, including a little grocery store and campsite. There's a little craft spot. The back area has a cool new building block section and the craft kits. The museum is small and on rainy days and weekends, they reach capacity and limit entry. It can be very chaotic inside when packed, so we don't stay for too long. The staff try their best to keep things organized and are always really kind to the kids. Look out for when it's free museum weekend because they are one of options!