Located 2 ½ hours east of San Francisco and 2 hours southeast of Sacramento, Tuolumne County California, the heart of California's 1849 Gold Rush Country offers America as it was in the 19th and early 20th century, 4-season outdoor recreation and a broad range of activities and special events typical of life as it was from the 1849 Gold Rush through the mid-20th century.
In 2012, we re-introduced our “VACATIONLAND” logo in the spirit of promoting vintage vacations. The logo originally appeared in the 1940's and many of the activities and events of today existed then. For example, the indoor ice skating rink at Long Barn Lodge (http://www.longbarn.com) and the campgrounds around Pinecrest Lake (http://www.pinecrestlakeca.com) have been enticing visitors since the 1930's.
Today's visitors also have the option of a more upscale experience “glamping” at the 92 year old Evergreen Lodge (http://www.evergreenlodge.com) on the edge of Yosemite Park.
Visitors can revisit the old west as it really was as well as enjoy the ambience and vitality of small town America – circa mid-20th century. Many visitors come for the amazing range of special events celebrating life as it was. Here's a brief sampling.
Small Town Cheer (http://www.smalltowncheer.com) a celebration of the holidays the way it was in the 19th and mid-20 century.
Historic Columbia (http://www.visitcolumbiacalifornia.com, http://www.columbiaca.org, or http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552) offers a year- around menu of activities celebrating life in the 19th & early 20th century such as their Fireman's Muster, Victorian Easter Egg Hunt, Equestrian Christmas Parade and so much more. It's the best preserved 1849 Gold Rush era community in California as it's the only one where the entire town is a state park. The town offers a wonderful mix of modern businesses with costumed merchants and recreated “museum” type businesses of the gold rush era. Visitors can ride the stage coach, pan for gold and take advantage of the many special events offered.
In nearby Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (http://www.railtown1897.org) visitors can ride an old west train (the “movie” train that's appeared in some 300 film and TV productions over the years), tour one of the few remaining historic roundhouses still operating in the US and the beautifully restored station. Railtown also offers a number of special train rides on a seasonal basis focusing on everything from wildflowers to traditional music.
Both Columbia State Historic Park and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park have been favorites of Hollywood for a century.
For more of the old west flavor nearby Jamestown (http://www.jamestownca.org) and Groveland (http://www.groveland.org) also provide a look at life in the mid 19th century.
Both have charming old west style main streets with wooden sidewalks and a variety of shops and restaurants to entertain visitors. Groveland is on the northern highway into Yosemite National Park and takes visitors into a more mountain-like setting
Sonora (http://www.sonoraca.com) is the county seat and largest town offers an abundance of shops, restaurants and lodging along its old-fashioned streets filled with historic gold-rush era buildings and network of underground tunnels dug in the 19th century.
Lodging options include historic (and in some cases, haunted) bed and breakfast inns full of charm and character dating back to the gold rush to campgrounds and modern lodging facilities in one of local towns as well as in a more rustic setting in the mountains or foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The area offers an immersion into two magnificent vintage vacation concepts: The old west of Hollywood and reality plus historic small town America with communities that celebrate life as it was in a comfortable old-fashioned family-oriented environment.