Discover Gold Country in California's Tuolumne County

Tuolumne County's Gold Country offers an authentic Gold Rush experience with its rich, lively and thriving historic towns such as Jamestown, Sonora, and Columbia. Your treasure, new or old, is waiting to be discovered in unique specialty shops or fine art galleries that line the streets. Enjoy food and drink in an historic inn, take in a superior live theatre performance in a venue where shows have entertained for over a century, or try your luck with 24-hour gaming action. Springtime offers massive wildflower displays along several popular trails. Wineries, craft breweries and a hard apple cider distillery enthusiastically share their local beverage creations in unique locations.

Two California State Historic Parks, Railtown 1897 and Columbia, export visitors to a past era when the West was bustling with those searching for gold or a new way of life.

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, located just a few blocks from Main Street in Jamestown, is a must-see with one of the few remaining working railroad roundhouses in the U.S., steam locomotives and railroad cars of the historic Sierra Railway. The highlight of this state park is truly a movie star—Sierra No. 3®, known as the movie star locomotive, has been seen in hundreds of movies, television shows and commercials.

There's no place better to get immersed in California's Gold Rush history than in Columbia State Historic Park where visitors stroll along wooden sidewalks, ride an authentic stage, pan for gold and chat with knowledgeable and friendly townspeople dressed in period attire. Historic inns, restaurants, working blacksmith shop, old-fashioned bowling alley, theatre and shops supplied with treats and trinkets add to the ambiance of the town where a new surprise is around every corner.

About Visit Tuolumne County:

Visit Tuolumne (“to-all-o-me”) County (VTC) is the official destination marketing organization for Tuolumne County in Northern California with a mission to increase visitation, travel spending and overnight stays. Tuolumne County is just a 2 1/2-hour drive east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The destination is known for its pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, setting off the major gold rush of 1849. The main highways leading to the picturesque drive from the Bay Area are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. The State Highway 120 entrance to Yosemite National Park is considered the “front door” of the park for the Bay Area. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and other surrounding areas provide natural vistas and settings for hiking, water skiing, horseback riding, rafting, camping, snowmobiling, boating, snow skiing, fishing and other outdoor activities. Seven restored historic hotels, four golf courses, numerous and varied dining establishments, historic saloons, four wineries, a hard cider distillery, train rides, casinos, seven museums, two state historic parks, two live theaters, many bed-and-breakfast inns and a variety of Airbnb accommodations are among the many other attributes that make the county a year-round vacation destination. For more information, go to VisitTuolumne.com.