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.

Love this place! Gary the owner is so sweet!! He takes care of this place so emasculate! There are…read moreso many opportunities to have events there. Contact him for your next event.

"Windmills reproducing like Jack Rabbits!"... That's what I thought to myself when I rode my…read morebicycle on East Waterloo Road just a few miles from Hwy 99. Kidding aside, Windmill Ranch sells Windmills and parts to repair Windmills. As a sideline, Windmill Ranch is also a tourist attraction.... for a donation of $5.00, you can roam around Windmill Ranch all you want. Call ahead, though, to make sure someone would let you in when you get there. Quite a bit of variety... small ones, big ones, tall ones, short ones. There is enough to see from the road-side, though. OR you can jsut check out the pictures I took ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ixWizlQ3uiHOZmJAWKIZ7Q?select=R5AitKI3FgM60cv9TksMOQ ). Something else you'll learn is what CutOuts are. Take a look at Windmill Ranch's gates, they're the Black, flat silhouette objects attached to the fence gate. I didn't know anything like that existed until I rode by this display in Clements - ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/als-metal-cutouts-lockeford#hrid:zILH5LpQ435QlGm8Yb-oSw ). This far-fetched art / craft is so exclusive to the rural community, no one has even contributed an entry in Wikipedia! Frank Medina, the owner / proprietor, claims to had over a thousand of these Windmills... before his Divorce. I guess the Big "D" had an effect on his finances, that's the reason for the suggested donation. I was thinking to myself of adopting one of these puppies... but I wouldn't want Windmills sprouting up from the ground like weeds. Who would I call to Spay or Neuter these things?

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)

Quality/Quantity - What a cool active town, see pictures…read more(and/or their website) of some current events. This might be our new pit stop...? Or a designated location? We usually go to downtown Auburn, so I am glad we came to Old Town this time. Atmosphere - Cool historic town. Lots of locally owned shops. Plenty of places to eat. Walk friendly but not sure if ADA friendly. Dog friendly, at least at the brewery. :) Service - Good, everyone we met was friendly. Price - Depends on where you shop, eat, and drink. Owner Comment - What a great fun town, looking forward to coming back soon when I have more time.

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.

Every Christmas it's a ritual to walk tunnels of joy with family and friends. Love the decorations…read moreand the feeling when being there. Definitely a recommended thing to do during holiday szn.

I went by myself and walked through it was an amazing seeing all the different decorations and all…read morethe time it must have taken to complete all the amazing things to see I would recommend everyone to go see the beautiful displays.

Widmer World is amazing! There is a sign to help direct you where to park (neighborhood street…read moreparking) nearby. This was our second year visiting and the family hosting this is always so friendly. This year, one of the older ladies even offer to help us take photos outside on the driveway. All of the Christmas decorations, displays, and lights are beautiful. It extends from the front yard through the backyard with many Christmas displays and different cartoon / Disney characters / themes throughout the yard. This is defintely a good stop every year.

I visited this free holiday attraction on Friday, and even with the freezing winter temperatures, I…read moreenjoyed my time here. I arrived around opening time (6:00pm), and there was just a short line for entry. With so much to see and admire about this place, the walk thru was much longer than I expected, though that's partly cuz I didn't know you could pass people till I reached the mid-point. It's only one-way through the various pathways and illuminated tunnels that make up this experience, but if people stop and block foot traffic for long periods of time (for instance, families telling their toddler to look at every single doll and figurine in the windows and displays, or having them pose to take pictures like tourists), there's enough space to just pass them. Widmer World presents a range of themes and collections, including Disney (mickey mouse, toy story, disney princesses, etc), Minions, Snoopy, Santa, Abominable Snowman, geese, penguins, and stuffed animals galore. Cardboard cutouts with artwork, inflatables in various characters, moving props and decor, and animated xmas figures. Detailed miniature displays of various scenes including a charming village, a carnival with ferris wheels, roller coasters, and hot air balloons, and a festive model railroad with multiple trains moving along the tracks. It's so much more than a light show lined with impressive displays all around. It's a whimsical wonderland with lots of moving parts and interactive exhibits to delight guests of all ages. There's a scavenger hunt to find 12 gnomes, as well as a Mr. Potato Head coin toss game, and at the end of the walk thru, there's a guest book you can sign. In the front of the house, a giant chair is available for photo ops, along with more holiday lights and decorations. There are also signs directing visitors on where to find street parking (since you can't park in the court where this event is located).

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."

Well it has been over 8 months now and like that lover you just can't get over, not a day goes by…read morethat I do not think of the arch. We will be together someday.

Crazy that you can review this... Located on HWY 50, the Cave Rock Tunnel is a Lake Tahoe landmark…read more A true icon. It's a great tunnel. I am not sure how else to review this or what else to say. It's never crumbled beneath me or fallen apart while I drove through it. I have probably driven through it hundreds of times, and I have taken to a tradition that my Dad did when I was a kid- honk twice in the tunnel. Now my kids love it too. I heard you can hike to the top, too. Pretty cool. Overall, a great tunnel and a required part of the drive from Carson City to South Lake Tahoe. (unless you go around the lake the other way, which would take forever)

Cave Rock Tunnel is an interesting attraction. It takes US 50 through Cave Rock. Maybe tunnel isn't…read morelong but it's fun though. Be careful. Try allowing the passenger to handle pictures. It kind of looks like any tunnel inside. It's just there so US 50 can go through a mountain. There's several parking areas to stop at and look at the amazing scenery. Look for the side roads you can turn onto and get up the hills. There's a trail to take you far up. Basic tunnel but it's in a big rock. It has good places to look.There's very good views of the lake water.