Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

This review is for the polar express train ride. Let's cut right to the sleigh bells: At a cool $85…read morea pop, this ride definitely costs more than a lump of coal. For my family of three, we signed up for the holiday hype, and while it wasn't exactly perfect, it was certainly an event to remember! Singing Christmas carols was an absolute delight! My personal highlight? The hot chocolate scene. The performers were fantastic, and the cocoa itself was surprisingly delicious & paired with a yummy snickerdoodle cookie. The trip to the North Pole, while blessedly short, felt truly magical. Watching all the kids scramble to one side of the train to catch a glimpse of Santa's HQ was a sight. Now, for the "improvements" section. The train apparently needs a gallon of WD-40. Parts of the ride were punctuated by a noise I can only describe as "ears-piercing squeaky"--a sound that could shatter a candy cane. Also, when the classic Polar Express story was being read, those of us in the back were left playing a fun game called "Can You Hear Me Now?" (Spoiler: We could not). Finally, the outside scenery was less "winter wonderland" and more "passing landscape." It would have been brilliant if they had just added a few festive Christmas decorations along the route. Just a few! We aren't asking for a full-scale holiday village, just something besides barren trees. While our ride came with a few minor mechanical and auditory "features," we still had a magical time. It wasn't perfect, but what ever is?

We always love hiking here. It's easy to hike with kids, even though it can get a little rocky and…read morea little muddy. The cave is always beautiful, especially when the water is flowing. Today, there are still descent of people hiking, and we came around 12:30 Easy Hike!Gonna come back again soon. P. S please leave no trace

I went here on a weekday, and when I arrived in the parking lot, I was shocked by how much was…read moregoing on. It definitely did not feel like a safe place to leave a car or to walk alone. There appeared to be drug activity, and there were people living in their cars. It felt more like a place for people to hang out and purchase drugs than a normal parking lot. I observed this as I drove through, which was very concerning. This was a bummer, especially since the trail itself looked beautiful. I'm surprised that law enforcement hasn't been called by the neighborhood, but then again, I understand that people can sometimes become used to these conditions.

Wow way way up there. It was August so the conditions were good albeit. a bit cold this early…read more Awesome views down the West and East sides of the Sierras and quite the steep windy road as well. Its easy to see why this is closed int he wionter as driving conditions would be brutal up here on a normal day let alone during. . storm. There appeared to be several trails but having blasted up there from sea level I did not try my luck

Fun experience ! We cut our first Christmas Tree down today . The kids loved it it was a bit…read morechallenging to find the perfect one. Definitely give yourself plenty of time . It took us 3 hrs to find our tree.

Columbia CA is a find in and of itself, and this gold panning activity is just one of the reasons I…read moresay that so confidently. The attractions here are super affordable and, in some cases, free, and they're truly captivating. For about $20 you get a bag of dirt to pan with guaranteed gold in it, a panning lesson, and access to the panning area for the whole day. That's right. This isn't one and done. It's for the entire day. The lesson is fast and furious, but you get the idea by the end. If you don't, just wait for someone else to get theirs and listen in for a refresher. The speed of the lesson and the fact there's no one there to ask questions after is the only reason I'm taking a star off. That said, you can go inside and ask for help, but that takes you away. The man who taught us was kind and gentle with the lesson, and he made sure the kids found their gold. The look on their faces was priceless! I truly thought they'd be done after that one pan but they were so captivated by the idea of finding treasure that I'm sure we spent at least an hour sifting through the sand for gems. This was money well spent, and if you're vacationing in the area, I would highly recommend this be in your plans.

A good time for all. Grab a pan and start panning. Left with garnets and citrine gemstones (panned…read morereally hard for them). Kid friendly activity, there is a park nearby, a small old town to walk through and plenty of public restrooms and parking available.

For my 100th review, I should be writing about a five star Hotel, restaurant or describing my visit…read moreto Yosemite National Park and here I'm writing and raving about Sonora City Hall. What this tells me is a story about a 57 year old man, sitting at the computer, drinking his morning coffee, Yelping and thinking I better shave and get to work. Sonora City Hall is located on North Washington St, near the "Red Church", there is public parking and over many years I have found all departments associated with city business as positive and offering professional services. As an example the renting of the "Opera Hall" or securing a building permit or attending a city council meeting. The city of Sonora offers excellent services in police & fire and as a Sonora resident, I'm pleased to offer this review that is positive. The street crew are caring and protective of our roads and landscape and parks. All employees have been great public servants. Hats of to the Sonora City Council and Greg Applegate, City Administrator.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY OF SONORA. I had spent over $13,000 in that city alone for my…read morewedding. We made sure and bought everything local as to support the dwindling economy up there. Instead of hiring a city worker the clean up the hall by himself after our wedding we used over 10 workers that were in our wedding party. We swept, mopped, scrubbed and double checked everything for over 4 hours the day after our wedding. After we were confident that we left the hall in better condition then we got it we got a call the next day saying we ruined the floors with sand. WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY SAND ANYWHERE NEAR THE WEDDING. The city was so mad that we didn't use their worker to clean (and give them more money) that they blamed regular wear and tear on the hall floor on us and tried to make us buy them a new floor. This was complete B.S. we took care of that hall like it was gold. It's really too bad that they had to do this to us because we thoroughly enjoyed our time, now I highly highly recommend doing business elsewhere.

Omg super adorable store with all kinds of goodies! Candies! Taffy! Snacks!…read more Long line, it is slow moving and takes a while to pay. Obviously a sign of being a sweet popular place. I was interested in a few items but didn't want to wait since I was on my way somewhere after Very nicely set up and decorated, so much character in here!

I love our local grocery + variety store, Columbia Mercantile 1855 operated by Theresa. This is…read moremore than just a "touristy spot". I am regularly in for my favorite meat and cheeses, last minute dinner ingredients, and it feels like almost daily for the fresh baked sourdough loaf (or croissant). If there's anything I'm looking for and can't find, she's been willing to order it for me. I also appreciate that she tries to source local when possible. She has a nice selection of beer and local wine, otc medicines, veggies and fruits, veggie starts (and gardening gloves to go with). She's not only friendly and inviting, but knowledgeable of both her business' origins and the town. I always look forward to going in and chatting. The Columbia Mercantile 1855 is a staple to the town and truly a piece of gold worth stopping in to discover.

Came here last minute because I could not find any place on the coast to camp over memorial day…read moreweekend and also to avoid 60° on the coast. I really like this campsite.. close to Sonora, and on the lake. The sites are hilly so you may want to check out which one to get. I got 37 which I really liked because it was down a little bit of a climb, but very secluded quiet with shade. I would not come here in the Midsummer unless you're prepared for the heat. It was pleasant end of May and I suspect it will be after September. There are some bugs in the campsite, so be prepared to fend off ants and mosquitoes - I was not bothered too much. The restrooms are clean, the flush toilets and hot showers. Campsites are well-maintained. Enjoy some time on the lake in a kayak On The Lake kayak will bring it to the Gloryhole Recreation Area across the water (20min drive) the owners are really friendly, great service! Indigeny Reserve has amazing Apple Cider including a couple of hard ones than 5 g of sugar. Standard Pour sports bar has really good beer and amazing burgers. They have two locations I really like the one in the cute hamlet of Standard. If you want a one in a lifetime experience, pay a visit to the llamas at circle home. I had an amazing experience for an hour feeding, tending to the llamas and hugging them! Yosemite is one and a half hours away if you want to make this a stop on your way there.

Watch out for what's in the water…read more... This place is very pretty. Bathrooms and fountains were always cleaned in our area. The ranger was kind and let me switch camp grounds when I realized there was no way I was getting my mother on an oxygen tank up a very steep hill. The map is very deceiving. I picked site 139 because it's pictured very close to the water. It was a good 10 minuet hike through two camp sites before you got to it. I switched to 128. It was better and closer to the bathrooms but still a steep 10 minuets (with small kids) hike down. We drove down to the day use area. The other yelper was right. Something is in the water. I don't know if they're leaches but they were tiny, dark grey, and all over our feet. I had to use my nails to claw them off. I only had them on me in the day use area. Playing in the water the first day near camp I didn't notice anything.

Amazing place! Super neat gold rush era educational visit. Lots to learn and see! Wow the theming…read moreis incredible and there are businesses inside of these historical buildings. They're real operating restaurants, bars, coffee shop, candy stores. Spend a few hours here and slowly take your time checking out all the buildings and activities and museum spaces

This is a must do for everyone in California. I came here in the very early '70's when they had…read morefirst opened their saloon and were still serving the real deal Sarsaparilla. Nothing today can compare, sadly, and so it's lost but a strong happy memory for me. We had such a great time here. So much history. The museum was a fun find. The best part it's entirely free! And it's open virtually every day of the year. And if you come on certain days, you'll meet 49er's doing what 49er's did during the Gold Rush Days. If you're new to California, this is a great place to come and get an easy history lesson. If you have kids or company, bring them here. So much fun for everyone.

AWESOME 6-day raft trip down the Selway River in N.E. Idaho near Missoula, MT. The river,…read morecampsites, participants, scenery, etc., were great. We had fun and the trip was smooth and went off without a hitch. What made the trip superb were the guides: Izzy, Emma, Kenny, and Woody. The were personable, informatice, accomplished, .... They took care of EVERYTHING! On top of the everyday everything, they made a birthday cake for someone on the trip including the candles.

Amazing tour! I went as a chaperone for a field trip and the guides were so knowledgeable and…read morehelpful throughout the whole trip. We were safe the entire trip and had loads of fun. I would definitely recommend going with ARTA if you get the chance!