Eureka!!  There’s gold in them thar hills!  On Saturday, August 20, visitors to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP) will have the opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement felt by early pioneers after gold was discovered in 1849.  During a special “Hands on History: Gold Fever!” event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors will learn how the single discovery sparked a sweeping “gold fever” throughout the nation which dramatically impacted the area, changed the lives of early pioneers and shaped the future of California. With hands-on activities like gold panning, pioneer bowling and listening to engaging tales of big gold nuggets, visitors will get a feel for how the passionate q

Free to the public and a favorite Sacramento heritage celebration, Gold Rush Days 2011 promises to be bigger and better than ever before with all the popular period-appropriate attractions plus FREE ADMISSION to all Old Sacramento museums!  Produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks, Gold Rush Days 2011 is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend -- September 3 through 5 -- and will take place throughout the 27-acre historic district in Old Sacramento.   On Friday, September 2, some Gold Rush Days activities will be set-up for a preview “education day” -- primarily for school children -- but mu

Eureka! With a continued effort to provide more interactive, hands-on opportunities than ever before, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park presents “Hands on History: Mining the Miners” on Saturday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Fort visitors will experience how California’s early pioneers often participated in high-stakes games of chance while trying to strike it rich -- as if daily life on the frontier wasn’t enough of a gamble!  “Mining the Miners” offers a fun day of games as well as the opportunity to experience the “buyer beware” culture of the Gold Rush era. Poker and roulette are familiar to us today, but have you played Faro, three-card monte, or chuck-a-luck? You’ll be able to

Old Sacramento will be transported back to the mid-1800s once again for its 10th Annual Sacramento Gold Rush Days this Labor Day weekend. Two hundred tons of dirt will transform this already rustic landmark heritage site into the appropriate mid-1850s California Gold Rush setting. Walking along the dusty trail, be prepared to witness a flurry of time-piece bands, costumed Wild West reenactors, horse-drawn carriages and Gold Rush activities for all ages  — such as gold panning. Sloughs for gold panning will be located in a few different locations, by the Railroad Museum and Wells Fargo Museum.  Bits of real gold can also be found for the lucky few, according to Mike Testa, vice presiden