So there's not a lot to this location but it's a great piece of history for those wanting to learn about the gold rush. When we stopped in here there was a living history actor portrayal of the gold rush times. It went on for about three days. There are several buildings and mining machinery viewing areas. There is also a brick wall in front of the river where the gold was found. It's not huge but there is a decent parking lot. Public bathrooms are available here as well. read more

Historic Coloma - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Coloma, California

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1/5/2019: Driving on Cold Springs Road from Placerville is a shorter drive verses driving on Highway 49 . . . Advice voluntarily given from a local resident. Driving along Cold Springs Road heading towards Coloma CA, I noticed Wakamatsu Farm on the right side but, the Farm was closed-waaaaah~I wanted visiting seeing the silkworms! Well . . . Just a couple miles down the road from Wakamatsu Farm, there's a sign for Marshall Monument and humorously, Highway 153 IS the shortest highway in California and I really found out how short Highway 153 truly is . . . It's about 1/2 mile to 3/4ths of a mile! Now, Highway 153 . . . THAT'S the shortest highway I have ever traversed~LOL! Driving on Highway 153, bearing right, you'll grace the backside of MARSHALL~lol-just check out my photos . . . Just a quick glance of Marshall's side profile will make you smirk. After gazing upon Marshall's Monument on all POVs, you'll continue driving around Marshall, veering left, and you'll notice the cabins on your right side; however, it was raining so, I didn't leave my truck because I didn't want getting wet (Actually, I was lazy-Okay~I admit it-alright? LAZY!)! Highway 153 I guess ends at St. John's Catholic Church where I read couples may hold their wedding here inexpensively: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26369 FYI: St John's Church: $500.00 for a three-hour time slot reservation; a rehearsal costs an additional $100.00-the church seats 65 guests. Also, there is an additional damage deposit of $250.00 applied to a reservation. This deposit is refundable as long as nothing is damaged; liability insurance is required for events. Notably, Saint John's church is a historic building, built in the 1850's: The church has no ADA (Americans Disability Act) accessibility, there are no restrooms, heaters or air conditioners located in the church either. Incidentally, if you would like to make an appointment to view St. John's or receive a Wedding Packet, please contact the park Special Event Coordinator at (530) 295-2174 or marshallgold.events@parks.ca.gov. Or, you may visit the Gold Discovery Park Association's website (non-profit organization) to download our wedding packet via www.marshallgold.com. I guess it's safe assuming down the street, Emmanuel Church might be retrofitted holding a sizable wedding with possibly ADA compliant landscaping and hopefully, an ADA toilet, a dressing room, and seating for 100 guests or more . . . HOPEFULLY~because St. John's Church lacks serious, dire amenities. Anyway, meandering down Highway 153, you veer left onto High Street. On your right side, there's a family producing organic honey and their next door neighbor is the historical Miller House: This residence is of the oldest surviving structures located in Coloma; this house was built in 1852 for Hugh Miller, proprietor of the Fashion Billiard Saloon on Main Street. Miller House has been renovated several times and from 1964 to 1983, it was the home of noted artist George Mathis and known as the "Friday House"." The building has been a bed and breakfast inn since 1983. BTW: Not too many native Californians truly know the historical background for Coloma CA . . . Here's the breakdown/lowdown backstory behind Coloma CA involving Sutter and renegade Navy man, John C. Frémont, The Pathfinder: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Fr%C3%A9mont John C. Frémont is THE DUDE who named the City of Fremont CA (gee-whiz fact) and he owned a ranch in Mariposa CA, i.e., GOLD was found in Mariposa CA, too but, John got into heated lawsuits for mining rights on his land in Mariposa. John's buddies, Sutter, Lewis, Clarke, Pike's Peak expedition leader, Zebulon Pike, and Kit Carson all hung out together heading WEST from the East Coast in search of a better life and GOLD! John knew so many well-renown people like THE BIG FOUR who founded CA's Railroad System: Composed of Leland Stanford, (1824-1893), Collis Potter Huntington, (1821-1900), Mark Hopkins, (1813-1878), and Charles Crocker, (1822-1888). In addition, Frémont was the first human being setting eyes on Lake Tahoe-cool, eh? Anyway, John helped Sutter establish Sutter's Fort and also, John helped Sutter build Sutter's Mill located in Coloma CA sole purpose was solely procuring gold from the American River just down the street from the Coloma Post Office and Argonaut Cafe. Moreover and actually, President Polk wanted placating John's father-in-law, Senator Thomas Benton (his daughter was Jessie Benton who was John's wife) due to Senator Benton was John's exploration benefactor equalling $$$$$$$$$$-what an egregious lap dog Polk was with his greedy political ploys. From all the gold John and Sutter discovered, both men became very wealthy which President Polk wanted a piece of John's and Sutter's Coloma CA gold discovery-DENIED~LOL! -30-30-30- read more

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Such an amazing find that is literally a gold mine of history! My family and I vacation around this area every year and we've never come across Coloma. My sister happened to google things to do and came across this gem. When we arrived, we just expected maybe a small historical site where we could spend maybe 30mins to an hour to walk around but there is SO much more to see. I'm so impressed how well kept, clean and organized the city is. There is an admission fee to park anywhere within the city but I think it was only like $10 per car or so. There's so much to do here and you can easily spend half a day here! We weren't prepared and missed everything but here is a breakdown of what you can do: 1. Tour of the city: $3 per person. We missed this but we saw a big group walking around and it seemed really informative. There is a lot to see in the city so this is well worth it and it's a donation to the upkeep of the city. If you don't want to pay, all of the attractions are very well documented and explained for a self guided tour. 2. Gold Panning: $8 per pan. You get a 15 min lesson and about 45 mins yourself to pan for as much gold as you want. Highly recommended! I also wrote a review for this so you can read a more detailed review on their yelp page. 3. Coloma Museum: Free as long as you pay the $10 car fee. Really clean and well maintained museum. Highly recommend coming here. Very detailed summary about the beginning of the gold mining and how it was done and how it's evolved over time. Also has fur you can pet for the local wild life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall, I was mind blown how amazing this historical site was. I had such low expectations and expected a short, rundown gold mine but instead found a very well maintained, very friendly historical city. Well worth the visit. Lots of places to sit down and picnic in the shade with benches or open grass. There was an amazing cafe called the Argonaut which had one of the best lavender coffees I've ever had. Definitely will start visiting this place every year. I just hope it doesn't eventually get flooded with tourists. read more

This cute town is must see if you like gold rush history. This town did a good job preserving the history of Sutter's Mill and the gold rush. On the weekends you will see people dressed in historical clothing and teaching about the history of the 49ers read more

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So much history here! Great place to stroll or hike, with old buildings cool surroundings and just the acknowledgement that THIS is where the gold rush that made Northern California what it is today. Go enjoy the wonderful historic town. read more

Such a cool place! Definitely check out the visitor's center. There's a lot of good information there without it being overwhelming. I wish I got to spend more time exploring more of this historic city because there were a lot of cool buildings around with informational plaques. Gold panning is available $$. Overall a cool place to soak in some of California's history. read more

I love this place. Everyone is nice. I went here with my dad yesterday. I love the old buildings.

This was my first time at this park and it was a remarkable experience. I felt that they kept the maintenance well of this place. Considering that this area is such a landmark full of history it was a good place to learn and understand what happened here. The park provided a full length of real buildings and woodwork that was used back in time. The length of time it took us to walk around, explore, and read- probably took a hour plus. And we did not stop and see it all, we skipped quite a few things. For me, it felt as though I was living the stories in a History textbook. Which is really cool. It gives an awesome opportunity for people to appreciate and understand what really happened years ago. I think that if people have not yet gotten to stop by here and see this park, they definitely should. It's a must! I would suggest it and once my kids get a little older- we will plan another visit. read more

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You can relive the Gold Rush era in Coloma, through artifacts and exhibits in the museum here to an amazing full-sized replica of Sutter's Mill. Now mostly part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Coloma, which used to teem with thousands of gold seekers now operates for park visitors including school children studying California's gold rush history. Sites of interest: - The cabin where James Marshall lived after his discovery of gold. - The remains of a substantial Chinese colony including the Wah Hop and the Man Lee stores. - Exhibits of mining methods, household articles and tools. Take in a gold panning demonstration or participate in one, stroll by what is left of the Coloma Jail, visit the local black smith or mail a letter from California's oldest still operating post office, Coloma is a charming and beautiful. Gosh it was nice to visit a point of interest that didn't involve giant versions of animated characters! There is an $8 fee per car that is payable to the rangers at the museum or in the booth at the parking lot leading to the Sutter's Mill replica. For more on Coloma visit: http://www.historichwy49.com/coloma/coloma.html read more

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Wear comfortable shoes,wear a sun visor,backpack( filled with water), and bring food for a picnic. You will enjoy the walking self guided tour, historic buildings and the atmosphere. It is very peaceful. read more

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Small town! If you drive through and blink your eyes, you just missed it! It is fitting that cell phone service is nonexistent here. The town is very relaxing, family friendly and of course, historic. There are several parks, hiking trails, volley ball and historic sites to view. What can be better than a town full of gold diggers :) read more

Okay here's the run-down. Historic Coloma is a cool place IF you are willing to pay money. My family and I went on a Friday afternoon. We did the gold panning class ($7 a person) and that was pretty cool! There isn't much gold in there but it is still a fun activity! From there we walked down to grab some pie that my fiancé remembers as being phenomenal from when he used to camp there... We got a tiny slice for $4.25. Although good, it was gone in 3 bites. Then we went to the blacksmith which is something we were all really looking forward to! The two guys there were just sitting chatting away. At one point they did address us asking if we had any questions but before we could even respond they just went back to their conversation. It was still a cool place to look around, however! We then proceeded to the self tour which was pretty! But there really isn't much to do other than look at maybe 4 or 5 cabins filled with things from what the miners used to have. Most of those cabins you can't even go in. Just look. We finished by going into the visitor center and this is where we had enough. We walk in and got greeted by two people sitting at a counter (also chatting for a while before we were addressed) when the man looks and says "did you get a chance to pay your parking fee?" .... We were not aware of any parking fee. We checked everywhere in the parking lot for a sign with fee's and there was nothing. BEWARE. PARKING IN THIS TOWN IS $8. There is a couple TINY signs that says "Park fee's" but you would never see it if you weren't looking. And they aren't IN the parking area. They are back on the way towards the visitor center. The man told us that parking everywhere is $8. But I didn't see anyone else paying a single fee so we just happened to get stuck paying because we decided to go to the visitor center to get to the gift shop... If we had left we would have never even known. So all in all... it looked like at one point this place used to be great. But now most places are shut down/closed and the staff really isn't nice or helpful. I can see why they are slowly going out of business. Save your money and go to Pioneer Village in Folsom or even downtown auburn. Not worth it. Two stars for the fun gold panning experience and park rangers working it. read more