This is a free museum that's small, but interesting with a lot of information on the history of the…read moreGold Rush. It's a nice museum for adults & kiddos alike that's worth the short time it takes to walk through it. Some of the things you'll see here-- A giant statue in front called "The Chinese Coolie" A chance to try panning (although there were no actual gold objects in the water to find) Spin a wheel to see what your fate would've been Weigh yourself & find out your worth in gold Take a photo with props Sit on a bench in the small theater to watch a documentary Walk through a mine cave The staffer who was there was friendly, funny, & informative. He gave us a brief description of the layout. He greeted us when we entered & thanked us for visiting when we left.

Eureka! I struck gold on my second and third panning attempts. I didn't really know the proper…read moretechnique, as I was casually listening to the docent as he was talking about some interesting facts. After I found the gold flake, he gave me a small vial to put water and the flake inside. The only problem was getting that gold flake out of the pan. I managed and was running out of time as the museum closes at 4pm. (I got there at 3:20pm on a Sunday.) I grabbed another set of sand/rocks and panned another smaller flake. This is a must go if you're in the Sacramento region. It's definitely worth the 40 minute drive from the state capitol.

This museum has exhibits in different first floor sections of the courthouse. We happened to go on…read morea holiday weekday when court wasn't in session, so it wasn't busy & it was an easy walk in. The outside architecture of the building is stately. When we entered the main area of the museum, we were nicely greeted by a staffer who explained different areas to see. She also told us about Heritage Trail stamp cards, which we started (6/6/26 to 9/12/26 event). There's quite a bit we saw including... 13+ lbs of gold in the Placer County Gold Collection Courthouse building history Fossils Stagecoach Sheriff's office set up Native American artifacts Railroad info Andrew Carnegie libraries legacy in the area Artwork Historical clothing styles Hands-on telegraph to learn Morse Code Photo cutouts & "Wanted" sign props that we had fun with This was a nicely laid out, richly educational, & interesting place to visit that didn't take a lot of time to see.

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.

This free museum in Auburn is a very interesting home to tour. You get a guided tour through the…read morehome with lots of informative history and tidbits of info about the various items in the home.

This is a historic site that used to be an inn & winery that you can visit for free. There is a…read morehouse & grounds to explore. We made an impromptu visit while in the area. When we entered, we were welcomed by 2 docents dressed in period outfits to join an ongoing tour. While there, we only had time to see & hear about the first floor rooms, but they also go up to the second floor. It was neat to see so many furnishings & get a lot of history & information about the life of the family. The docents were knowledgeable & full of facts they wanted to share. They were interactive, answered questions, & invited visitors to venture guesses about things. Because of the tour format & wealth of information that the docents have, it does take some time. Also, because visitors were trickling in at different times & joining the ongoing tour, some information would get repeated to catch everyone up. We did walk around some of the grounds freely. If you're interested in the Victorian Era & local history, this is a worthwhile spot to see. Apparently there are some seasonal changes to the decor around the holidays. It's probably not a great spot to visit with very young kids because of the amount of patience needed to stand, listen, & not touch anything.

What an incredible talent and place. Staff is always so welcoming and informative. Where you are…read morebuying or just browsing, everyone is treated beautifully and every inch of the place is a feast for your soul

Beyond amazing. I've seen the Dave McCoy statue and the giant Willy Mammoth statue at Mammoth ski…read morearea. Van Howd made Both ! ! He made 2 Ronald Reagan statues. One is in the capital in Sacramento and many bigger than life statues of African game animals. Worth visiting if in Auburn.

Auburn is a great community. I was born here, but lived in the Bay Area most of my life…read more I've been back in Placer County since around 2009. I would say it's not easy or simple to find a job and place to live here, everybody who knows anything knows this is the town to be in. I care about our community, we all look out for each other. Our local Sheriff is top notch. So proud to live and work around these men and women. Also Auburn Police are pretty bomb, too. Once you visit you're not going to want to leave. And, go Placer County Hillmen!

From my separate City of Auburn review:…read more Auburn is an attractive city, especially Old Town Auburn, which attracts passersby on the highway between Reno and Sacramento with the quaint architecture on a hill flanked by a giant sculpture. Its small-town charm is likely why movies like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Breakdown, Wisdom, and xXx had scenes shot here, but the town relates most to the 1996 John Travolta movie Phinome Phenomin Phenomm Look Who's Talking. The guy who discovered gold here in 1849 was memorialized by Ken Fox with a 45-ton concrete (rebar and wire mesh) statue at the entrance of Old Town. Ken Fox was a dentist able to do this in between teeth cleanings and forcing customers to look at super close-up pictures of their teeth in order to sell "special deep teeth cleaning" by the quadrant. This dentist has more "Great Statues" in the area which you'd likely find ful-"filling". Get it? Anyway, it's right off the highway, so stop there and check out Old Town. (Check my reviews on Edelweis 2 and the California Club)

Had a pretty good time here. Was able to ride the train while there. It has a pretty nice museum to…read morewalk through. The gift shop was pretty nice as well. They were working on one of the trains when me and my mom had gone up there. Will be coming back again.

Super fun experience! We went on a Saturday when they offer the train rides and have reenactments…read more I was impressed and definitely recommend. It was a fun day!

I enjoy this very short walk to a very historical place. What is great is the area surrounding…read morethis. Just drive around the Penryn area and you will see scenes like this. Make it an afternoon with a picnic lunch!

Looks like it would be a nice place for a picnic and a short hike. Nice open space. The quarry…read moreitself isn't much to see. 105 degrees Fahrenheit late June 2020.

Bookmarked this museum years ago, but it sat in my bucket list for a while. As someone who's…read moreinterested in California's Gold Rush history, and Chinese-American history, this museum is a very cool landmark place to visit. Unfortunately, the museum wasn't open on the day we visited, so only got to see the outside. May come back in the future when we head this way again. Located on Sacramento and Brewery Lane.

Great little Chinese heritage left behind by hard working Chinese Americans who gave up their lives…read morein China and worked laboriously in the Wild West. If you are interested in Gold Rush stories, this is a cute house to visit and see traces of Chinese immigrants and their daily lives there.

Some places hold more than history. They hold a piece of your heart. Auburn's historic courthouse…read moreis one of those places for me. In 1993, my adoption became legal inside this very building. I was adopted by the most wonderful parents I could have asked for, and even now, I remember how happy the clerk was for us while gathering our signatures. I was a child, but the warmth of that moment has stayed with me all these years. A few years ago, I returned for a much less pleasant court matter involving someone who had already wasted enough of my time. But that experience could never take away what this courthouse means to me. This is where my family became official, and that will always be the memory that matters most. This courthouse still functions as a court of law in the 2nd story. When I come back to visit the museum, those happier memories come with me. The Placer County Museum occupies the courthouse's first floor and offers a look into the area's history, including its Native American heritage and gold collection. Admission is free, and the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except holidays. Sitting proudly atop a hill overlooking Old Town Auburn, the courthouse is such a beautiful part of the town's character. Locals and tourists wander the surrounding streets, while the changing colors of the light above the courthouse add a little something special for different holidays and seasons. For some, it's a historic landmark. For others, it's a place to learn about Placer County's past. For me, it will always be the place where one of the most beautiful chapters of my life became official.

This is a really cool historic courthouse. THE FOLLOWING WAS…read moreCPOIED FROM THE WEB SITE: Built in 1898, this courthouse is an elegantly-designed look into the history of Auburn. The beautifully restored Courthouse, which echoes many of the design elements in the state capital building, The Placer County Museum is also located on the first floor of the courthouse. They also have a historical small jail room that was built especially for women because prior to that they could not intermingle men and women in the same jail cells so they would put them up in a hotel room prior to this jail, self being built. The grounds are very well kept and there are plenty of photo ops.