So there's not a lot to this location but it's a great piece of history for those wanting to learn…read moreabout 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.

1/5/2019: Driving on Cold Springs Road from Placerville is a shorter drive verses driving on…read moreHighway 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-

Jack is very knowledgeable about the towns history. I am a local and did not know the whole history…read moreof the town. Jack was informative and very knowledgeable. I will definitely be going on more moonlight tours .

Jack is amazing and really knows his history of EDC. We did the Cemetery Tour and were blown away…read moreby all the activity and communication with spirits we had. What an experience and cannot wait to return to visit again and try his other tours . Loved it !

Don was our tour guide and it was an incredible experience. He was very knowledgeable and answered…read moreevery question we had! It was a pleasure meeting him and I recommend everyone checking this gem of a place out!!

A very Pretty drive out to this cavern Lots of trails to…read morewalkabout around and before the small parking lot with an old yellow fire truck that you can check out too A kids sluice that is pretty cool by the shop and check in for the tour of the cavern. Bathrooms were decent And Faith our tour guide was A+++++++ with her flashlight extra luminescent sight too! Check it out and pack and pick-nick-lunch BooBoo! Get outside

I had family coming into town, and wanted to give them a fun experience in Sacramento. My nieces…read more(13, 11, 8) were a great age for this...and as a bonus, the two oldest had just studied the gold rush in school. We scheduled a private tour (VERY reasonably priced, $100 for a group up to 5 and then $17 for each person after that). Our tour guide, Rich, was very passionate about gold mining, and was entertaining for the adults and the kids. In a little over 2 hours, we had his complete attention for historical information and ask any questions we wanted, and were able to tour two mines, get lots and lots of history behind it (there were so many little tidbits learned it was pretty awesome!) and then we got a lesson on how to "pan for gold" and keep what we found. The tour includes that everyone will get gold (flakes) and possibly gemstones (we found peridot, garnet, something that looked like emerald but I can't remember what he called it, if not emerald, and quartz). Everyone left with a 1/2 ounce vile of their findings--and the kids were beyond excited about that. My 2 year old didn't have to pay, but Rich even got a pan out for her and she was able to take away her own treasure from the tour. During the tour, Rich also let the kids get interactive and do some hammering, and also pushing of the cart - pretty awesome. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this tour! You can go tour the park without a private tour, but Rich made our experience so wonderful, everyone was raving about how much fun we had and how interesting it was in the car on the way home. My family is new to California, we have been here a year, and I felt so pleased to have found this park, and be able to share this experience with my family visiting from the midwest. I have another family member coming next month and am considering taking the tour again! Thanks for a fantastic morning, Rich!

Take the historical walk through downtown placerville. We had such a nice time at the museum and…read morewas so inspired that we joined the society.

John Fountain & Benjamin Tallman's soda water factory!…read more Built in 1852 by John Fountain and Benjamin Tallman in 1852 this beautiful two-story masonry building is now the house of Placerville Historical Museum. Apparently, during the gold rush the river and creeks were polluted by mining activities and the water in them was unsafe for drinking. These two gentlemen saw an opportunity and started carbonating and bottling spring water and selling it to the miners. In 1981 the building was donated to El Dorado County Historical Society by Fay Rupley Cannon in 1983 opened as a museum. In the museum you will see and learn a lot about the history of the town and immediate area if you spend 30-45 minutes there and make sure to spend a few minutes speaking with the very nice people who are there and ready to tell you about the history of their beautiful town.

My friend and I stopped here for a ride in a kayak for an hour. Neither of us have ever done that…read morebefore so we figured it would be something fun to do. The verdict? It was a lot of fun. Relaxing, relatively easy, and a decent early morning workout. The lady at the counter was amazing. Great customer service and a joy to talk to. We definitely plan to come back next time we come out and likely might even charter a boat for fishing or something.

Absolutely incredible experience with Capitan Andrew! He…read morewas so knowledgeable, his expertise really shined throughout! Laid back & friendly attitude. We caught the limit in less than 2 hours. He ensured helping us make memories & was a great photographer capturing all our moments. Can't recommend him enough! If you're looking for a charter to have the best experience, Captain Andrew is your guy!

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!

This historic one lane truss bridge was built in 1915 and is located in Coloma - Lotus, Eldorado…read moreCounty, California. It crosses over the South Fork of the American River, connecting Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park with Mount Murphy. Many bridges have come and gone at this location. The first foot bridge was built by Jim Stephens in 1849. A short time later Edward Raun constructed a wagon bridge. In 1852 California's first covered bridge was built at the site of the current structure. I was sad to learn that current studies of the bridge found the bridge to be structurally deficient and beyond repair. Plans to build a new bridge are in the works. I feel blessed to have walked across this bridge with my bestie today. It may be our one and only time ! Thanks for reading ! Live/Love/Travel !