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Current Hotel Specials

Location - Directions

Columbia State Historic Park is three miles north of Sonora, off Highway 49.
The parks address is 11255 Jackson Street Columbia CA, 95310.

Our nonprofit Friends of Columbia sponsors interpretation and education at Columbia State Historic Park.
Their mission, goals and events are listed at:  friendsofcolumbiashp.com


The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved with shops, restaurants and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, and explore the real working businesses of Columbia.

Seasons/Climate

Climate
At an elevation of 2,100 feet in the Sierra Nevada, summer days can be hot and evenings can cool down quickly. Winters are rainy, with snow at times.

Weather
Average Annual Rainfall: 40 inches
Average Daily High Temperatures:
Winter: 59 F
Summer 89F

Regularly Scheduled Programs

Free Town Tours:
June 15th - Labor Day: Daily @ 11:00 AM Monday-Friday based on staff and docent availability. Please check with museum upon arrival.
Year-round: Saturday & Sunday @ 11:00 AM
Led by staff and docents. Meet at the museum.
Approximately 1 hour.

For groups over ten people, special tours must be arranged in advance by calling 209-588-9128.

Our Museum is currently open from 10:00-4:00pm. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Gold Rush Days  occur the second Saturday of each month from 1 to 4pm. Many special exhibits are open and hands-on activities are led by volunteers in period attire throughout the afternoon. Call 209-588-9128 for details.

School Programs

Special School programs designed to meet state curriculum standards for 4th graders are offered from September-June. Programs include Town and Schoolhouse Tours, Gold Trek, and Diggins Tent Town Education Days.  Programs are popular and fill quickly. To sign up or learn more information, click HERE.

2016/2017 School Tour reservations will be live online at www.friendsofcolumbiashp.com on August 15, 2016, at 6:00am!

PORTS for Columbia
Parks Online Resource for Teachers and Students
Three downloadable lesson plans focused on 4th grade curriculum culminating with a staff member from Columbia interacting with the class via video conference.

Special Events & Programs

Farmer's Market - Thursdays throughout the summer, 5-8pm
Stroll downtown, grab dinner and fresh veggies. Great place to find your weekly produce!

Stories in Stone Cemetery Tour - September 23, 24, 30, and October 1; 7:00pm Guided walk through the historic cemetery while characters portray historical figures at 12 gravesites. Approximately 1.5 hours. $25/person. Appropriate walking shoes are required as there is unsteady terrain along the route. Reservations are required and can be purchased at www.friendsofcolumbiashp.com.

Harvest FestiFall - October 8-9; 9am-5pm

Join us for a cornucopia of crafts, comestibles, demonstrations of skills, and music and dancing on the shady streets of Columbia State Historic Park, decorated for the harvest season. Wear your Gold Rush duds and enjoy a visit to the past. Fun for everyone, and it’s free!!! Almost fifty vendors, dressed in 1850s attire, will display their handmade arts and crafts for sale, including pottery, jewelry, apparel, home décor, wood furniture, baked goods and many others; and some will demonstrate their skills. Attractions include demonstrations of spinning and weaving by the Mother Lode Weavers & Spinners, face painting, petting zoo, and entertainment by various local groups of musicians and dancers. Sponsored by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Call 209-536-1672

 Lamplight Tours - December 2-3, 2016

Join the Columbia docents for another year of festive fun! Guests on these evening walking tours will be guided through a series of vignettes  through the heart of downtown Columbia. Tours last approximately one hour and are followed by refreshments in Angelo's Hall. Tickets will be available after October 1st at www.friendsofcolumbiashp.com. Special hotel packages are available by calling the hotel front desk at (209) 532-1479.

Additional event information may be available at www.columbiacalifornia.com and www.friendsofcolumbiashp.com.

Want to host your own event in Columbia? Weddings, birthdays, family reunions, retreats, and more have all been hosted in the park. Click here.

Facilities and Activities

The park was once known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines." Between the 1850s and 1870s over one billion dollars in gold (at today's value) was mined in the area. For a time, Columbia was the second largest city in California.

Unlike many other settlements that disappeared due to fire, vandalism and time, Columbia survived. It was never completely deserted. In 1945 the State Legislature made the site a State Historic Park in order to preserve a typical Gold Rush town, an example of one of the most colorful eras in American history.

Visitors can taste hand-dipped chocolates, a superior cup of coffee, savor fine dining, family fare or purchase picnic provisions.  Stagecoach rides are available, season and weather permitting.

There's also the chance to relax at one of two comfortable hotels, listen to music in historic saloons, or take in a performances at the Fallon Theatre.

Visitors can make a candle or purchase Columbia soap, wooden toys, old fashion clothes, or dress-up for a photograph.

Other highlights include taking a walk to the two-story brick school house and cemetery overlooking town, or hiking the one-mile nature trail where mule deer and wild flowers may be seen.