Mother Lode: Tuolumne County’s Gold Rush towns, above, and Jamestown’s Victorian-era Emporium, right.
Four miles north on Highway 49 takes you to Columbia, another Mother Lode boomtown that sprang up virtually over- night. Twelve square blocks have been preserved as a state historic park where visitors can experience California’s larg- est collection of Gold Rush buildings, among them an assay office, a barber- shop, firehouses and the 1855 Columbia Gazelle office. Good thing there’s a large parking lot because no vehicular traffic is allowed in this living-history setting un- less it’s horse-drawn. It’s easy to spend a full day here, strolling Columbia’s wooden sidewalks and observing yesteryear as proprietors in period dress fashion soap, candles and leather goods. You can watch a black- smith at his anvil, roll along in a horse- drawn stagecoach, try your luck panning for gold and sample sarsaparilla at a couple of saloons. On most days you’ll hear the strum of a guitar or banjo from an old-timer sitting on the boardwalk. Theatergoers can catch a performance
at the restored 120-year-old Fallon Hotel, then feast at the Fallon’s old-fashioned ice cream parlor. For chocoholics, it’s a treat to taste the hand-dipped chocolates at Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen. They’ve been making sweets since the late 1800s. A must-see for memorabilia, the Columbia Museum tells how $87 million in gold was taken from local hills during the town’s heyday when citizens supported an astonishing 40 saloons. In nearby Tuolumne City, you can toss back a shot of whisky like a pros- pector at the Black Oak Casino. While the three-level wood-and-glass building seems incongruous in this town of 2,000 residents, it blends in nicely with the trees in the adjacent Stanislaus National Forest. The 164,770-square-foot casino is owned and operated by the Tuolumne band of Me-Wuk Indians and features 1,000 slots and 24 game tables as well as a 24-lane bowling alley and a family- friendly arcade with video games. The last stop before reaching Yosemite
is Groveland, another small town with old-time charm. Most of the historic buildings sit right on Route 120, includ- ing the Iron Door Saloon and Grill, said to be the oldest saloon in California. Nifty historic photos line the walls, and on weekends the place is hopping with live blues, country and rock. If you have time for more Gold Rush history, check out the small but worthwhile Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum before mak- ing your way to the national park. For More Information Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau tcvb.com California has six Coast Classic Resorts, nine Coast Deluxe Resorts, three Coast Premier Resorts, seven Good Neighbor Parks and 190 Good Sam Parks. Consult your 2013 Resort Directory, your Good Neighbor Park Directory or CoastResorts.com for more information.
13 COAST TO COAST Spring 2013
Spring 2013 COAST TO COAST 13
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