My family and I trekked up the mountain to meet our friends at Gold Bug Park yesterday in Placerville. It was the first visit for all 7 of us and we had a great time! Our first stop was the mine cave that was very cold inside and educational - they give you a phone that plays audio with all of the historical facts while walking through the mine. It's about 15 minutes and we really enjoyed ourselves. The staff member who handles the cave tour was great with getting the 7 of us situated and explaining the rules. We also checked out the Blacksmith and the Stamping Mill - both were also very entertaining and educational. My daughter got to hammer a square nail into a tree truck - cool way to leave a little mark on the place. Gold Bug Park also offers Gem Panning which would did not check out, but we saw a couple of kids having fun while doing it. Entrance to the park is free, but the mine cave tour is $12 per adult, $8 per kid - 5 and under are free! Overall, we had a lot of fun! So many cool artifacts and history to explore. I thought every single staff member was knowledgeable, friendly and did a great job keeping our kids engaged! We would definitely come back to Gold Bug Park next time we are in Placerville! read more

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Gold Bug Mine is such a cool experience! It was amazing to walk through an actual mine and listen to all the historical facts during the tour. This place makes for a great educational field trip -- fun and informative. We even got to see a blacksmith in action and learned a lot about the craft during a live demonstration. Everyone who works here is super knowledgeable and really helps complete the whole authentic vibe. It truly felt like a blast to the past! The kiddos especially loved panning for natural gems. Highly recommend for families, history buffs, or anyone looking for a fun day out! read more

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Such a cool stop! We were in hangtown with time to kill and my sweet husband knows I dig this kinda stuff. Entrance is free. It is a really nice park for a picnic and a little hiking. Very peaceful. The littles can pan for gems and though we didn't do it this time the mine tour looks like something I am coming back to do. I think it was 12$. The gift shop was nifty. I purchased 2 smoky quartz, an aquamarine and a rose quartz. Bring lunch, play with rocks, learn some stuff, explore. A good outing for anybody really! read more

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Note, this review of the Placerville Gold Bug Mine is part of a larger review on Placerville, CA which is quite the friendly town with nice folks eager to tell you the history of the town as well as how they got there...my full review on Placerville, CA can be found at https://www.wingsdomain.com/placerville-california-aka-hangtown-usa/ (it's too long to post in a single review here) "Gold Bug Mine" was a trip worth taking, granted I've never been to a gold mine and so I'm not the expert in what a gold mine trip is worth or not worth taken in an old town, though I was not disappointed at the end. We got there about 5 minutes before the self-guided mine tour opened for tourist consumption and though we saw the sign at the gift store door window was "open" (tickets to gold mine upstairs), the door was closed and locked. So I peeked in. An older guy walking with a cane approached the door I was peeking into and promptly turned the hanging sign at the door the other way, showing "closed"! LOL. I thought it was a joke since the folks down on Main street was so nice and hospitable just the day before. I stood there perplexed, so the older guy with the cane who turned to sign the other way to show "closed" opened the door, at which time I chuckled, still thinking it was all a joke, though he had a cold stare! And he said nothing. So I offered, are you closed? Yes, he replied with no further courtesy. So at this point, I felt his serious demeanor, and I asked what time they opened (though knowing very well they open 5 minutes later at 10:00am). He replied with a stern look on his face, "10"......it was 9:55am at the time, LOL! I was taken aback after the courteous Main Street merchants and residents the day before. So all I could do was chuckle and say I'll be back then.....not a good next day start to an otherwise relatively surprisingly hospitable day on Main Street before. So we left the gift shop (gold mine tickets upstairs) hoping to find some mildly sloped trails to hike in the area to kill some time. But the short relatively steep slopes around the mine forced us, mainly my old torn ankles, to ditch the hiking and we headed back to the room above the gift shop where the tickets for the self-guided smart phone audio tour ticket can be bought. The lady selling the tour tickets was very uninspired, not judging, it is what it is, I was just tainted and spoiled by the nice happy persona of Main Street Placerville the day before. The tour inside the gold mine was terrific, maybe not $10 per senior and $12 per (regular) adult great (the tour is advertised as a short 15 minute audio tour), but it's the only paid event we were in on our visit to Placerville, and its like an air-conditioner in the gold mine in the 90plus degree weather! We made sure we took full advantage of our $32 cost of admission (2 seniors and 1 adult), listening to the entire audio (you can fast forward the audio, but we didn't) as we trekked into this historic gold mine. Very educational! Next, we hiked up the "Stamp Mill Trail" which is a short relatively easy trail up the hill next to the road up to the Stamp Mill. The Stamp Mill did not disappoint, in fact it may be the highlight of our trip if not for the nice folks down on Main Street who make it hard to decide on best of town! The guide at the Stamp Mill was a gracious 70+ year old gentleman with a heart of gold and a patience to match. We did both introduce ourselves at some point (I introduced my family as well), but as I said, verbal names escape me like an a leak in a spigot, though both my wife and son think his name was Mike. So I'll just go with Mike, but you know who you are, Mike or someone in my memory ephemeral memory, though I still have a visual memory of who you are (like I said, I'm a visual person!), I'll buy you a beer or any other alcoholic beverage of your choice if I ever bump into you again. Your patience and using layman terms to explain the Stamp Mill and the other subsequent contraptions used to extract the finite gold dust gave me a much needed understanding and appreciation of the process of extracting gold. You said yourself at the end as we were just chit-chatting that you suffer physically from your pursue of gold as a labor of love, though a few "Eureka"s would have been nice (you told me you've had knee surgery among other physical issues from mining), but you persist, and I salute you with my 2 nightly martinis right now as I write, and may this bring you much gold prospecting success, cheers! See my full review on Placerville, CA at https://www.wingsdomain.com/placerville-california-aka-hangtown-usa/ (it's too long to post in a single review here). https://gallery.wingsdomain.com read more

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Cool spot with a little self guided cave tour, gem mining, a stamp mill and lots of little hiking trails. The staff were really friendly and the kids had a great time. read more

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This is a cool trip back in history with a self guided tour i learned a lot about the history of gold mining in an actual gold mine the hardhat made me feel very official lol I was impressed by the blacksmith shop and stamp area I put in an application to volunteer at the blacksmith. It was a good experience read more

Very cool! Loved it - a not to miss historical local!! So much history to learn and photo opportunities galore!

Take a walk into Gold Rush History this summer. We decided to check this place out since we have seen the sign for years and sure glad we did. The Gold Bug Park and Mine offers an exploration tour in the Mine with a audio guide and the Mine was so nice and cool inside. The cost is $10 a person and the people running the place were very friendly. The Gold Bug Park and Mine is listed on the National register of Historical places and as a California State Point of Historic Interest. You can enjoy hiking trails then relax at the shaded picnic areas and enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch you can do some Gem panning in the troughs and fine some wonderful treasures. They also have a Mining museum to view the colorful mineral collections. Also, don't forget to checkout the Stamp Mill and watch an Blacksmith make some works of art. Enjoy and get out this summer and maybe you may find some Gold. read more

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So first, avoid the rush and get there in the morning or late morning. By early afternoon - it gets crowded for panning and the mine tours. Anyone over 5'6 or so will need a hard hat that they provide when on the mine tour ($10 per adult and $6 for kids). Pay upstairs. No $100 bills. Runs about 30 minutes and is just an audio tour. The gem panning is neat and costs $2 an hour or so. Pay at gift shop. The blacksmith is up the road. Drive there unless you want to hike in the heat. It's rather interesting seeing the presses and the stamps and he's very knowledgeable. Cute place for the summer, and interesting to go for a few hours of history. There is also a covered picnic area, and a separate restroom facility. All in all, great time... but if traveling from the Bay area, be cautious of the traffic around UC Davis. read more

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We accidently stumbled across this adventure! We had a great time with Carter at the Blacksmith. Then we went on the guided tour thru the Gold Mine each person is given a device with the number guided tour it was very informative and saves someone's voice. We then tried our hand at panning for gold! A little hiking but worth it! Everyone was great working there. We went weekday and enjoyed the coolness of the cave on a hot day. Wish that we had gotten there earlier but enjoyed the time we had. read more

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Got here late in the day with the family and didn't have enough time to see all the demonstrations or fully explore. The mine tour was great to see a mine up close and the blacksmith demonstration was interesting as well. We didn't have enough time to see the stamp mill or do the gem panning. We're going to have to visit again some day as the kids had a lot of fun. read more

Definitely not worth the money whatsoever. Lady at the front desk claims the tour is "15 minutes" when my girlfriend and I went through the entire cave in less than 3 minutes. We got a smartphone to do the tour with and it ended before we even got out. Would get a refund if I could. Borderline scam :( read more

Nice set up. Easy to walk mine tour that is self guided. $12.00 for adults. Then there is the stamp mill and blacksmith shop ( no additional fee). Very well maintained property, with nice walking trails. Beautiful pavilion for picnics. read more

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Gold Bug Park is a local, wonderful little slice of history for families. The self-guided gold mine tour is perfect: not too long, not too short, and just the right amount of detail. The nearby blacksmith and press workshop are also fantastic, and the staff at these two locations are excellent and knowledgeable. Fascinating (and slightly depressing) histories regarding the workplace environments during the Gold Rush and beyond. Again, just the right amount of detail for young families. A few short walking paths and picnic benches complete the area. Free parking, ample picnic benches, and a cute but overpriced panning for rocks out front of the main area. read more

Stopped by in a Sunday afternoon. Wait was about 45 Min for a self guided tour. Very much worth the wait. Neat part of CA history. Will go again. read more

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We left a festival for something a little bit more quiet and low key. We ended up here but had no idea how much this place would exceed our expectations. The gold mine tour was amazing. It's self guided with an app that's easily downloaded onto your phone. You have to wear hard hats in the mine as the ceilings are low and there is dripping water. We didn't mind at all, it was actually pretty stylish. The lady at the check in desk was very sweet and helped us get set up and ready to go! The mine has a beautiful crisp cool breeze that was perfect for the crazy hot weather today. It was informational and BEAUTIFUL. So fun to have this experience and memory. After the museum tour we paid just a few dollars to head outside and pan in the water for some gemstones. There were plenty of families splashing around and having a great time. We got to find some cool trinkets in the water and moved on to the next adventure. We went up the hill to see the stamp mill and the blacksmith. The guy at the stamp mill was friendly and knew exactly what he was talking about. It's nice to note that kind of confidence when you're at a learning environment. He even started up the small model of the stamp mill to give us an idea of function in a smaller scale!! There is also a fairly large display of crystals, gems, and other natural workings down stairs. The black smith was very sweet and answered all of our questions without hesitation. His workings are gorgeous and I hope to visit back soon. I would love to own a piece one day! Especially the wizard wands! read more

Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Gold mining cave - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

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What a great experience, fun to learn some interesting gold mining history. Staff was super friendly and informative. Really enjoyed the self guided gold mine tour. There are some pretty trails to walk in the area. read more

Wow -- this was a pleasant surprise on a short trip back from Lake Tahoe! Located about a mile north of Highway 50 in Placerville, the Gold Bug Park and Mine is a fantastic piece of history to experience and explore. Not only can you walk through an abandoned gold mine, but you can explore the various exhibits located on site -- including the Stamp Mill. The stamp mill was responsible for crushing rock 24/7 during its heyday. Apparently, the sound would be heard throughout the county. The mine was closed because of the Second World War. According to the tour guide at the stamp mill, gold just wasn't considered "essential" during the war effort. Following the war, the returning soldiers found less dangerous work elsewhere and left the mine without enough workers to justify its reopening. If you're in the area -- on the way to or from Tahoe -- this is a great place to visit. It's great for adults and kids alike. During our visit (on a Monday afternoon), we had the entire mine to ourselves. The only other visitors were from different parts of Europe and had already concluded their self-guided tour. Tips: 1.) The mine can be toured without a guide if you have a smartphone (iPhone or Android). You'll simply download the app from the appropriate app store and follow the markers through the mine. 2.) Wear your hardhat -- especially if you're tall! Some of the doorways in the mine are short and I hit my head a few times. Without the hat, the solid rock would have really hurt! 3.) You can park close to the mine...and then drive up to the stamp mill. Otherwise, its something of a steep uphill walk from the bottom of the mine building to the stamp mill (or other mine entrances). 4.) Bring a camera! I suggest avoiding the flash in the mine itself. For one, you'll blind anyone nearby. Secondly, there is ample lighting in the mine to produce some great pics anyway to justify turning off the flash. 5.) Placerville is a quaint town with some nice restaurants and places to visit. If you're up for it, you can stay in town on the way to Tahoe. Otherwise, it isn't very far to drive (roughly an hour from Tahoe and less than 45 minutes from Sacramento in good weather and traffic). Your trip to the mine can be as long or short as you like. read more

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Hangtown Gold Bug Park is a nice little stop in the region, but may be a bit underwhelming compared to other mines in the Sierras. This combination mine tour and community park is tucked away in a valley north of downtown Placerville along Gold Bug Lane, of course. Parking is limited and may be full early in the day. The big feature here is the mine tour. There were several mines at this location, but the Gold Bug Mine is open for self guided tours with audio from a phone app. The mine is pretty cool with several interesting geologic formations and replicas of the operations. The rest of the park is very nice with the typical foothill forest scrub landscape, although the valley location makes walking a bit tough with lots of steep hills. I am glad that I finally visited, but it is rather small compared to the state parks and other cave tours offered up and down Highway 49. Visiting Gold Bug may add a bit of adventure to your Apple Hill trip, but it may be more rewarding to take the kids to one of the larger mines for a much bigger experience. read more

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I got to Gold Bug Park an hour before it opened. Glad i did, because i got to explore one of the trails (Vulture trail) right above the mine. It was very easy and kid friendly. As soon as you reach the top of the stairs you come across Priest Mine. Then as you continue around you come across what looks like other holes in the mountain that would've become mines if they had continued digging at it. Once the mine was open, i got to explore. Its a short self guided tour. Being my first time in a mine, i thought it was perfect. It was $10 dollars to enter, but i thought it was a good price to pay to see and learn more of the history of this mine. I also got to see the blacksmith at the stamp mill. Being Carters (blacksmith) first customer of the day he made me a salt spoon. It was the icing on the cake for a trip i planned that morning. Thank you Carter! Overall, i would return. And spend more time exploring other trails while there. read more

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Such a fun day for families! We went into the mine and the kids had fun gold panning. Also walked up the hill to where the blacksmith is. Keith told us all about how gold was extracted from the rock and about how the carriages used to get robbed. He is such an engaging storyteller. read more

Great half day outing from Sacramento. It's very close to placerville so you can enjoy some nice food before or after. Fun kids activities and very educational. The mine tour is a lot of fun and you get to go pretty far into the mine. read more

Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Road - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

An interesting way to spend a few hours. The mine is an immersive experience and the tour is short and sweet (download the Gold Bug app ahead of time so you don't have to do it there.) The Stamp Mill itself wasn't really my bag, but try to go in during blacksmith hours so you can see the forge in action. Learned a lot about miner life and how they repurposed bits of steel and iron. Steve the Blacksmith even made us a "prairie diamond", i.e. a ring made out of a bent nail. Very cool. Beautiful area, serene and bursting with greenery. read more

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Really pricey for a quick, 15 minute, self guided tour of the mine (we paid $55 for two kids, two adults and a senior). It seems like half that would be more appropriate. The staff at the gift shop/gold mine ticket counter were also really grouchy, putting a damper on our excitement. Instead of the mine, I would recommend the blacksmith/press workshop where the staff enthusiastically spoke about the history of gold mining. Definitely a must see. read more

Took my 2 kids here. The cave was nice and cool and they had fun panning for gems. Go up the hill and get a history lesson on how they mined and smashed the rocks to get to the gold. Mike was a great dolcent and gave us lots of fun history about the area and minerals in general. read more

Great place to take the kids an have a picnic and get a nice piece of history! Tucked away in downtown Placerville it isn't a super far drive out to get here. They do some nice events a few times a year here which is fun. My family an I just went to their Memorial Weekend event & got to go into the Priest Mine & walk around the grounds. The staff is knowledgeable and super friendly. Great place to cool off during summer in the original Gold Bug Mine. read more

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Fun place to have a picnic and spend an hour or two with kids. No admission fee but there are charges for the mine tour and gold panning

Had a great time at the mine and historic mining shop/blacksmith. Always wanted to stop here on the way to/from Tahoe. Finally did and was worth it. Self guided audio tour through the mine, fun to explore. Then head up the road to the mine factory where they have vintage equipment used during the gold rush and some period actors who relive the times. Very cute. Great for adults and kids. Probably 1-1.5 hr spent here. Download the audio app in advance when you have service. read more

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Tour is expensive 10 bucks not worth it. But Rest is good . Great 2 hr time for kids. Old stone crusher mill n black smith is Awesome

I came to the area for a family reunion and my uncle loves doing geocache. While geocaching we saw one that was "ore or oar" as a hint and I thought it would be neat to go into a mine. My uncle told me about this place was nearby. So we made a family trip of it with 10 people. There is a mine that you can go to. It is $7 for adults and $4 for kids. You can also download the app that will walk you through each spot in the mine telling you what it is. They have a little store when you walk up along with shaded tables if you bring your lunch. The kids can mine for gold and crystals for $2. Of course the parents get into it also. Pretty neat looking into history. They also have the blacksmith that shows people how they make things. Their hammer they use is 9 lb. He made a salt spoon out of a horseshoe nail. read more

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Great little spot to visit or to take out-of-towners! Don't know why "bug" is in the name, there are no insects on display here, but lots of information on the gold rush and an actual mine you can walk into. I am slightly claustrophobic, but I did not have a problem with this mine, it's not too deep and fairly spacious! You take the residential streets and end up here. I don't recall the exact price for the mine entrance, but everything is very reasonable. In fact, to rent a pan and sift through for gold and gems (they're planted), it only costs $2 an hour. You sift through a wooden trough with other prospectors hoping to strike it rich.I didn't find any gold, but found some quartz, calcite and some other stuff. There is a large picnic area for groups and flushing toilets. Yay! The surrounding forest area is beautiful and it's just nice to be in nature. The gift shop is reasonably priced. You can purchase different rocks, glass eggs ($3), rock candy ($1.25), postcards, books on rocks, maps, etc. I was chatting to the woman in the store and she said last year they had visitors from all 50 states and all over the world! She didn't know how people found out about it...maybe Yelp? read more

I have loved this park ever since I was a child. It always gave me a thrill to explore the old mine. The darkness, the smell of the underground, the moisture, walking deeper and deeper into the the earth was so fascinating for me. Then, up the trail, there was the mysterious Priest Mine. It was maddening! I felt so gypped! I knew - KNEW- there were secrets behind that closed off tunnel. It was probably the true entrance to Wonderland. Or maybe the iron door was the one thing keeping us separated from the Sleestaks. Now I am an adult and have taken my own child to Gold Bug. He loves it just as much as I did. It has both changed and stayed the same. All the things that made it wonderful are still there, but now there are some added bonuses not available when I was a kid. Here are some of the things you can do: 1) Explore Gold Bug Mine. You can self-guide with an audio device, have a real guide, or just explore on your own and ask questions later. Hard hats required, people over 5'5" will be glad for them, I'm sure. 2) Check out the museum. It isn't very big, but has some interesting items in there. It explains how things work (in the mining world of old) and you can even touch things! - you know how "hands off!" some museums are, not at Gold Bug Park. 3) Hike/nature walk. There are some nice little trails around here that you can walk, view wildlife, and get in touch with nature. Every so often you might come across a mine or other such thing. Once I swear I saw a grudge in a barred up little hole in a hillside! Eep!! OK, it was really just a museum display dummy, but it sure gave me the heebie jeebies (in a really good way). 4) Pan for gems! Kids can get a down and dirty hands on history lesson, as well as the thrill of discovering treasure. 5) Have a party, picnic, family gathering, etc. There are picnic areas as well as a pavilion. The pavilion can be rented for special events. 6) Explore Priest Mine. Yes! The mine I SO wanted to explore as a kid now has guided tours... or so I have heard. It still looks all locked up if you walk the trails past it. I haven't brought myself to seriously inquire about it. I don't want to break my childhood fantasy of Sleestaks in Wonderland. read more

Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Inside looking out. - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

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We hadn't expected to come here. We were looking for a place to eat in Placerville, took a wrong turn, and ended up in their parking lot. So we ate lunch and came back. A very nice man sold us our tickets and chatted us up about the place. Parts of the path are wet, because water is seeping through the rocks from above. You don't need hiking boots, but anyone wearing flip-flops or heels should tread carefully. The mine is brightly lit for the most part, and there are yellow reflective signs with numbers on them to mark all the stops. Make sure you bring along your phone for the audio tour. Otherwise you will have no clue what you are looking at! We were lucky and visited them maybe a day or two after they opened for the season. So we had the mine all to ourselves. That was very cool. I can see how it would be difficult to pass the people coming in on the way out. And then trying to hear your audio over the phones from people nearby or at the same stop. We had just enough time to hurry through Hattie's Gold Rush Museum. The forge was shut down, but we got to see the mini stamp mill in action. I didn't know something so small could make that much noise! It makes me shudder to think how loud the full-size version was. The mine itself is not that deep, so if you don't listen to the audio tour you will be in and out very quickly. But it's only $7. read more

So the hubs and I had some time to kill this past Saturday while visiting Pville. I lived here for 5th-8th grade and had never gone to this park but saw a little pamphlet for it at a museum and thought we would go check it out. The hubs and I decided to go on the little self guided mine tour. I'm glad they gave out hard hats as we both at one point ran full force into the ceiling of the cave. Also it gets pretty darn dark and super freezing in there! While on the tour, at one point the "guide" told us to look up, which I did, and a huge drop of water went straight into my eye...I'm pretty sure I just got some 100+ year old creepy coal miners disease and my eye might fall out. Other then that we had a blast and even went "gold panning" after wards. We also went and checked out the stamping mill at the top of the hill. Beware, the old man that works up there may be THE grumpiest man I have ever come across. I felt like I was in 3rd grade getting reprimanded by my teacher. The stamping mill is cool, but not a whole lot to see. P.S. I am joking about the eye thing....not the water falling in it, that happened. But I can not say if I got any sort of 100+ year old creepy coal miners disease in my eye. My eye is intact. If it falls out I will let you know ;) read more

Hangtown Gold Bug Park - TOURISTS! - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

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Totally reasonable rates for an hour or so of cool experiences. Went with my dad to check out the mine. He doesn't walk far and walks with a cane. He loved it and was diligent about listening to each stop on the self-guided audio tour in the mine. It was a good distance... Not too short and not too far... 12 audio stops? He even downloaded the app for the mine tour into his phone so he could listen to it again later. It was very cool to be in the mine... 56 degrees cool! Also, we looked awesome in our hard hats. Then, he humored me when I wanted to pay the $2 to pan in the gem seeded troughs outside. I had a good time panning with the kids and their parents. I found a few cool gems and one actual flake of gold which surprised me as they don't seed gold, but gems only. We didn't see the stamp mill, but had fun nonetheless. read more

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This is a great Mine Museum !! It's rather unique in its set up, it shows the every day mining procedure and atmosphere that you generally do not get in a regular mining museum. There are many things for kids to do that makes it enjoyable for them and would want to stay longer. It also provides the history that people don't really feel anywhere else. A great place to spend a day !! read more

Super cute place ! The mine tour is very cool!!!my daughter enjoyed the gem panning. Quiet and cool. Bathrooms. Pet friendly except in the mines read more

Small mine and blacksmith but everyone is super friendly. The mine is self guided audio tour. You'll have to download their app and only Verizon works up there. There are a couple of trails around with a nice picnic area. Great place to visit for a short day trip. read more

The best $3 you'll ever spend on your kid. Whether you're visiting Folsom, Placerville, Apple Hill, Coloma, Columbia, Sutter's Mill, Sutter's Fort (did I name them all?) you've GOT to include the Gold Bug Mine in your plans. 30 minutes, $3 for under 17 ($5 for adults), a hard hat (so you don't bump your head - not a problem for most kids) and a 'magic' audio wand. DO NOT MISS. Bring a picnic lunch but beware the meat bees. read more

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A good place to take a mine tour complete with handheld audio to tell you a little history about the area. Plus, go up the hill to hear a little talk about how it was to live back in the day of the Gold Rush and to see machinery used to grind quartz for possible gold. read more

Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

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