Tuolumne

Columbia State Historic Park

Enjoy a taste of the gold rush era.
Visitors Center offers displays of the history of Columbia from 1850 to 1870 when it was a booming gold rush town.
Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the town.
Location: Highway 49 between Sonora and Murphys
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is a real town; it never actually closes. Most businesses are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Many restaurants, hotels, saloons, and other establishments have longer hours.
Admission: the park is free, but there is a small fee for the illustrated guidebook for self-guided tours.
Call (209) 532-0150
Visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=552

Yosemite National Park

The Yosemite Museum, next to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, has displays that interpret the cultural history of the native Miwok and Paiute people from 1850 to the present.
Demonstrations of basketweaving, beadwork, and traditional games
A reconstruction of the Indian village of Ahwahnee behind the museum.
Museum is open all year from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch)
Call (209) 372-0200
Visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm