Columbia is a real town, it never actually closes.
Park Exhibits open daily 10:00am - 4:00pm
Most businesses are open from 10:00am to- 5:00pm.
Columbia State Historic Park
Phone Number
(209) 588-9128
Park Hours
Driving Directions to Columbia SHP
Columbia State Historic Park is three miles north of Sonora, off Highway 49.Camping and Lodging
Online reservations are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance via the ReserveCalifornia website, or by calling the toll free telephone number at 1-800-444-7275. Click on the Online Reservations link or the banner below that to go directly to our ReserveCalifornia page. If your stay will be in the next 48 hours please call the hotel directly at (209) 532-1479 for availability.
Upcoming Park Events
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES
Lodging
RV Access
Lodging
RV Access
TRAIL USE
Hiking Trails
Hiking Trails
DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Museums
Family Programs
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Museums
Family Programs
OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Food Service
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Food Service
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Welcome to Columbia State Historic Park!
Columbia was once known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines." The town's Gold Rush-era business district was designated as a State Park by Governor Earl Warren in July 1945. Today we can take a step back in time to experience life in 1850s California.
Parking and entrance to Columbia State Historic Park are free. Additional fees may apply for special events in the park.
Stay at Columbia SHP
The City and Fallon HotelBoth hotels are authentically restored 19th-century country inns. Rooms are elegantly appointed with Victorian antiques, crafted wall coverings, and beautiful lithographs.
Columbia CottagesColumbia SHP has three charming cottages- a one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom-each with a full kitchen, fenced yard and DVD player.
Agents of Discovery Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Fourth Grade in park virtual scavenger hunt. This activity will help students learn about the impacts the gold rush had on the culture, environment and economy of California. They will explore town and learn about Columbia by playing a game that highlight learning through multiple choice questions, historic photos and artifacts.
To play Agents of Discovery:
Download the Agents of Discovery App using the free parks WI-FI or your own data plan. Search for the Columbia State Historic Park mission and download the mission. Start the mission at the Columbia Museum. Once the app is downloaded you can turn off Wi-Fi if you choose.
Good Luck Agents!
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.
2019/2020 School Tour Reservation Information
Reservations for 2019/2020 School Tours and Programs can be made starting August 1st at 3:30 P.M. on our website at http://friendsofcolumbiashp.com/ for all the details and to book your field trip. Programs will continue to take reservations after this date until full.
Columbia Virtual Curriculum
Westward Expansion & Routes of Travel
Gold Mining Methods & Environmental Effects
- Also check out our Smithsinian learning lab collections regarding the changes the Gold Rush brought to California. These stories are told through a collection of qoutes and artifacts from the park and are created for you to download and make them relevant to your class visit.
Free 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 providing a tour of our gold rush town.
We can also create content for any gradelevel on the Gold Rush, diverse cultures, building a comunity, geology, westward expansion and other science concepts.
- Let us help your class prepare to explore the park or wrap up your filed trip through a virtual program.
This virtual tour gives students and adults a chance to interact with a ranger outside in the park and see the artifacts and buildings of the Gold Rush.
to book your Gold Rush virtual program click the link below.
https://forms.gle/eywmhzzkHKFZq8R89
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.
Special Events & Programs
Gold Rush Days
2nd Saturday each month from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Town Tours
Saturdays & Sundays from 11:00am to 12:00pm
Columbia’s Birthday
March 27th from 11am to 4pm
Diggins Tent Town
May 16th to 19th from 10 am to 4pm
Paranormal Tours
June 22nd and October 26th from 8pm to 12am * purchase tickets online at http://friendsofcolumbiashp.com/
Big Band
July 20th from 5pm-10pm
History's Mysteries
July 20th, 27th, August 3rd and 17th from 10 am to 12:30 pm * purchase tickets online at
Back to School 1861
September 21st from 3pm to 7pm
Stories in Stone
September 27th, 28th October 4th and 5th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm * purchase tickets online at http://friendsofcolumbiashp.com/
Boo Boulevard
October 26th from 3pm to 6pm * purchase tickets online at http://friendsofcolumbiashp.com/
Lamplight
December 6th and 7th from 5pm to 10pm * purchase tickets online at http://friendsofcolumbiashp.com/
Miners Christmas
December 14th, 15th, 21st, and 22ndfrom 12 to 3
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.