Public Invited to Take the Heritage Trail Museums Tour

July 07, 2008

The public is invited to take a trip back in time by riding Placer County’s museum trail Saturday, Aug. 9 and Sunday, Aug. 10.

The occasion is a first-ever event: The Heritage Trail Placer County Museums Tour. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.

Admission is free.

The public will get a chance to visit any of 18 participating museums in Placer County, enjoy fun activities planned at each and learn more about many of the events that make Placer County’s history so colorful, including the California Gold Rush, construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad and the county’s pivotal role in the development of winter sports such as skiing in the Sierra Nevada.

A Trail Guide listing all museums, activities, and driving directions will be available at every museum.

“We are encouraging trail travelers to share rides, walk, bike, run or take a bus tour,” said county Museums Administrator Melanie Barton. “Some museums are in clusters, so you can visit several museums in one area.”

She noted there are six museums within one mile of the Historic Courthouse in Auburn and four museums in the Roseville, Rocklin and Penryn area.

Two bus tours are planned for people who prefer to travel by bus. Both will start at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.

On Saturday, Aug. 9, the bus tour will include stops at the Roseville Historical Society Carnegie Museum, Maidu Interpretive Center in Roseville, Rocklin History Museum, and Griffith Quarry Museum in Penryn. The tour will begin in Auburn at 9:30 a.m. and return by 2:30 p.m., allowing ample time for visiting additional museums in Auburn. The cost for this bus tour is $3 per person.

The Sunday, Aug. 10 bus tour will leave Auburn at 9:30 a.m. and take travelers to the Colfax Area Heritage Museum in Colfax, Golden Drift Museum in Dutch Flat, Big Bend Visitor Center in Soda Springs and Western SkiSport Museum in Soda Springs. The bus will return to Auburn by 5 p.m. The cost for this bus tour is $10 per person.

A pre-ordered box lunch from Courthouse Coffee will be available for an additional $7.50 on each day. Reservations for the bus tour and lunch are a must and can be made by calling 530-889-6500.

Visitors can get free “Get Up & Go” cards at the first museums they visit. After visiting four different museums and getting their cards stamped, they will be eligible to enter a grand-prize drawing.

Visitors also will have chances to win a second set of prizes by purchasing drawing tickets. They will cost $1 apiece and $5 for 6. Proceeds will help offset event costs.

Drawings for both sets of prizes will be Aug. 11 at the Placer County Museum. Winners need not be present at the drawing.

For the most up-to-date information about The Heritage Trail, visit the county Museums Division website at www.placer.ca.gov/museum or call 530-889-6500.

Participating museums are:

The Roseville Historical Society Carnegie Museum,
Maidu Interpretive Center,
Rocklin History Museum,
Griffith Quarry Museum,
Placer County Museum,
Bernhard Museum Complex,
Gold Country Museum,
Benton Welty School Room,
Joss House Museum,
Gold Country Medical History Museum,
Forest Hill Divide Museum,
Colfax Area Heritage Museum,
Golden Drift Museum,
Big Bend Visitor Center,
Western SkiSport Museum,
Gatekeeper’s Museum,
Watson Cabin and
Tahoe Maritime Museum.