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.

Vintage Western Clothing, Frontier Classics, Antiques and Photography in an old time settings.read more

I am not from the city of Sonora, but I have had the pleasure of visiting this city because my wife…read morewas raised here. Sonora is a small town with a rich gold mining history. Small town mentality with bloodlines that run deep. We visited this place not to long ago and my wife was disappointed to see how it has taken a beating over the years. You can thank the big cities for making it unaffordable for certain types of people who have slowly moved and ruined certain areas. The new prison they just built I am sure is meant to help the problem. Also in the summer you have your typical, "city folks" coming in with their trailers and just completely trashing the nearby wooded areas and camp grounds. So I give the city of Sonora five stars for it's history and what it was and one star to the people ruining this place. Just like the moron, Dean J who supports those type of people who ruin everything.

The people of Sonora don't want you there. I didn't see a sign that said "Welcome to Sonora, now…read moreget the hell out." but I would not have been surprised to see one. I visited this last weekend, and I was the only one in town wearing a mask, and received glares from my trouble. If you want a pleasant time visiting a lovely area, drive through and don't stop. In addition, the town clearly leans to the right so hard they want outsiders to know. You will see several Pro Trump signs, "State of Jefferson" , "buck fiden" and other signs that show a solidarity to the extreem right. That's fine, it's a free country, but it's not a user friendly town for outsiders. Not a lot to see here, anyway. There was not a lot of businesses that you might want to visit. The restraunts looked more local friendly and not for visitors. Parking is hard to find and there are no public restrooms anywhere. We visited a Christmas Fair, and it was so small, I could have held it in my garage. I would say that the town is boring and a bit trashy. Sonora is a lovely area, and there are some impressive sights to see from your car. Outside of that, it's a conservative enclave, and it's not worth your stop even if you subscribe to that mindset, cause you will still be an outsider. If you are on a country trip, pass it by and go somewhere else. It's not somewhere you want to break down, or need help. If you are someone that they might see as a threat, they can run the risk of running afoul of the locals.

3.5 Stars I have to…read morerevisit this place as our first time visit didn't satisfy my curiosity. After reading more about it there was more to this historic place than the old buildings and ruins on Main Street! Hubby and I enjoy visiting ghost towns and seeing ruins. This is a semi ghost town as is the town of Goldfield in Nevada (along U.S. Route 95) with a population of 268. Chinese Camp has a population of 150 on the town sign but 2010 census showed a population of 126 and not a single Chinese person or person of Asian descent for that matter living in town. We walked along Main Street, the part of the street where old unoccupied buildings remain standing. Clearly they look like buildings not fit for living space but many of them say Private Property or No Trespassing so I'm not sure if we were invading people's privacy. We walked up to the State Historical Marker No. 423 located on Highway 120 and read the inscription. The old ruins were fascinating to see (if you're into this stuff). My favorite ghost town thus far was Bodie! Interesting history. It's obvious how the town came by its name as it is estimated as many as five thousand Chinese populated the town at one time. In 1856 a disagreement among Chinese miners ended up in a battle challenge between two local secret Chinese-American societies (these are called tongs). 2,500 Chinese fought using just knives and pitchforks, four were killed before one side retreated. No Chinese person has lived in this city since 1930. This semi ghost town is a remnant of the California Gold Rush mining town and located at the junction of Highway 49 north and Highway 120 west. Review #0596

Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail California Landmark 423…read moreChinese Camp "Reportedly founded about 1849 by group of Englishmen who employed Chinese as miners. Much surface gold found on hills and flats. Headquarters for stage lines in early 1850's, and for several California Chinese Mining Companies. First Chinese Tong War in state fought near here between Sam yap and Yan Woo Tongs. Present stone and brick post office built 1854, still standing. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church built 1855, restored 1949, First Pastor, Father Henry Aleric."

A must stop! Great view of the falls and the Merced River from the bridge. A nice place to…read morepicnic, but if the weather is good, you will have lots of company. At any rate, the view is fantastic from the bridge, and there is a walking trail where you can take gorgeous photos of the surrounding area. By the way, there is no "swing" in the Swinging Bridge. The original swinging bridge was replaced with a permanently fixed bridge after being damaged in the 1965 flood.

Came here mid November w/ old snow/ice on the grounds. Small parking lot. We got here probably…read moreafter 10a. We're able to get parking. The bridge doesn't swing anymore. Beautiful view of Yosemite falls in the background I believe. Was able to walk down to the water which was shallow and had some ice in it. The kids had fun playing around in the little beachy area. There are restrooms here but my husband said it's those port spotty styles with a hole in the ground. I didn't even want to attempt it. Luckily we drove maybe 5mins out to base camp eatery (Yosemite valley lodge) and use the rest rooms there.

So very pleased with the kindness and extra effort that Larry and Maureen went to. Love the…read morealpacas...learned a bunch and also bought some dryer balls from her shop! They are a must. Love supporting local! Thank you for letting both my son and I feed the alpacas. A great day!!

This place is really great! The family that runs the place is super friendly and really cares about…read moretheir alpacas. You get to take your time feeding alpacas and hear about the different breeds and reasoning for their names. The gift shop has lots of cool stuff along with some things for free. You can tell the family loves their farm and sharing it with their community.

I came up for work and I don't get to Pinocchio's very often. It was delicious in their new…read morelocation! Cricket add lettuce, tomato and pickle. Delicious. Service was great. Bigger location was clean, packed with happy customers.

It is obviously an upgrade from their previous location just due to the amount of people that were…read moreinside. But, that is also the problem. It was loud. Deafening loud. I literally could not hear my own thoughts. The waitress had to basically scream to help us. The decorations are fun but they need to put glass partitions or something on the walls. We were even sat by the window and it was unbearable. The food was good but there were some issues. The clam chowder tasted like it was thickened with flour. There was a grittiness to it that couldn't be ignored. The RJ special was good but there is no way that was "double meat." It was good size but there was one slice of each meat, so I'm not sure how that could be double. Minor critique, but the pickle spear served with it was wilty and mushy. The menu is very limited. It's basically sandwiches. Their pasta are literally noodles and sauce. You can add chicken/shrimp but not a single dish has any vegetables in it. It's basic Italian food for people who like basic stuff, but be prepared to yell if you want to have a conversation

"HOP SUEY".....championship frog that didn't jump very far...LOL…read more.. Frog Jumping Jubilee, "i like it"....what a cool tradition, so glad the family venture out to Calaveras County to check out. -very educational: pick up a ton of frog knowledge at the Frog Spa and in line talking to the staffs.. everyone was cool and welcoming... -Fair food: probably best corn dog i ever had. So good i ate it before taking a picture. Should have gotten another one. And the funnel cake- kid love it.. -Rodeo and entertainment was plenty full. Livestock is always a cool experience for "city slickers"...lol -Conclusion: i will bring chopsticks and a wok to scar my frog to hop....awesome county fair, go check it out. I will begin to look for a champion jumping frog and chase that $20 racks..... -Oh yeah, let your frog kiss your buddha for an auspicious spring...

Very fun experience. Lots of activities but parking and traffic is a nightmare considering its one…read morelane road in and out of the fairgrounds.

My mom & I were visiting around town & we noticed their sign for wine tasting & decided to drop by…read more& we were so happy we did! Kari was very sweet & welcoming. We tasted delicious wine and had a relaxing time chatting. The price for a bottle was definitely reasonable. We also explored the ranch as we exited & it had a beautiful pond and wedding ceremony area. Definitely check it out if you are in the area (Jamestown, CA). Thanks Kari!!

Aside from the wine which was excellent especially the petite Syrah, the host Kari was a hoot. It…read morewas the most enjoyable experience at a wine tasting room. I will be back.