Columbia State Historic Park

12555 Jackson St.
Columbia, California 95310
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Local Phone: (209) 588-9128

The Gold Rush town that refused to die is a charming place for adults and children alike to visit. The town's pedestrian-only business district has been preserved with shops, restaurants, hotels and look-in-the-window exhibits illuminating what life was like in the 1850s.

Plan your visit for the second Saturday of the month or during one of many special-event weekends to be charmed by the many local volunteers who don period dress to help create a Gold Rush atmosphere.

DogTrekkers will enjoy walking around with their four-legged friends but will have to stay elsewhere as the two historic hotels in town do not accept canines.

Ample picnic grounds are available. Admission and parking are free, as are town tours offered daily at 11 a.m. from mid-June through Labor day and weekends the rest of the year.

When in the area be sure to visit Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, six miles from Columbia. This outdoor museum devoted to all things railroad also welcomes visitors with dogs.

gold rush historic park merchants period dress theme 1850 exhibits walking tours candles fiddle stagecoach

All aboard for Gold Country history

Yosemite Mtn. Sugar Pine Railroad. Photo by Tenaya Lodge-Delaware North Companies.

Tuolumne County is the heart of California Gold Country, and to get a feel for it, you and your family will want to visit both Columbia State Historic Park, with its living history attractions, and just six miles away, the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. The steam train and water tower, featured many Hollywood movies and TV shows, is a centerpiece in what is known as the Movie Railroad.

Also, further south in the Gold Country, you will discover the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad.
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Tuolumne County’s ‘Don’t Miss’ Family Attractions

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park - Photo Credit: @island_dog

If you’re traveling in Gold Country with family this summer, put Columbia State Historic Park on your “must visit” list. It’s a place where lasting memories are made. On weekends, you’ll encounter rumbling (and dog-friendly) stagecoaches, itinerant musicians, bonneted ladies in sweeping skirts, and swaggering, black-hatted characters who could go mano a mano with John Wayne. For city kids, this “Gold Rush town that never died” can be as much fun as Disneyland (well, almost). more »

All Aboard A Family-Friendly Choo-Choo

Wednesday rides the Skunk Train, Fort Bragg <br/> Photo Credit: @wandering_wednesday

Wednesday rides the Skunk Train, Fort Bragg
Photo Credit: @wandering_wednesday

The chug-chug and urgent whistle call of an approaching train is always exciting, especially when a vintage steam engine leads the charge. How can you hear it and see it and not want to be on it? Several family-friendly excursion trains in California welcome dogs as well as parents, grandparents and youngsters aboard. Here’s a rundown. more »

Woofin' It Up in Tuolumne County

Murphy at Indigeny Reserve. Photo Credit: Nikki Coleman

Like other parts of Gold Country, Tuolumne County is rich in history, rugged scenery and recreational opportunities. You can get some of both and soak up some local color too at First Friday Jamestown Art Walk-Wine-Dine & Music events, continuing through October, or 2nd Saturday Art Nights held year-round in historic downtown Sonora. Either town makes a great base for jumping off into a weekend of hiking, history and off-the-beaten path exploring. more »

The Gold Country's Golden Chain Highway

Pocky hiking Sonora Pass

Sure, you’ve visited parts of Gold Country. But have you ever driven the entire 330 miles of Highway 49, the historic “Golden Chain Highway?” Considering all the dog-friendly places to see, things to do and history to absorb along the way, we at DogTrekker consider it a Five-Bone route for a road trip. more »

Toolin' Around Tuolumne

Dog-friendly Groveland Hotel

You’ll need time and fair weather to explore the upper reaches of this diverse county, but we’ll get you started with dog-friendly suggestions in a couple of areas ripe for a fall visit.

Sonora, the county seat, is a great jumping-off point for excursions to nearby Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, where Rover can join you as you ogle the displays and hop into an observation car for a trip on the “Movie Railroad.” more »

Hail Columbia

Columbia State Historic Park is the kind of place where lasting family memories are made. Come in summer or during a special-event weekend, and you'll encounter rumbling stagecoaches, itinerant musicians, bonneted ladies in sweeping skirts and black-hatted characters who could go mano a mano with John Wayne. For city kids who have never before dipped candles, panned for gold or dressed up in 19th-century costume to have a portrait made, this Gold Rush town that never died can be as much fun as Disneyland (well, almost). more »

Columbia State Historic Park

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