SUMMER LONG ADVENTURE 2025
28 MUSEUMS - ROSEVILLE TO TAHOE!
Welcome Trail Travelers!
We are glad you're interested in the 2025 Heritage Trail Museums Tour. This is the 16th year for the event and 28 museums from Roseville to Tahoe/Truckee are opening their doors free of charge for certain days throughout the summer. All 28 museums are committed to showcasing history in a fun and entertaining way. For many Trail Travelers, this event has become a family tradition. Geographic clusters of museums will have their Heritage Trail event on certain Saturdays throughout the summer. This way you have the whole summer to visit participating museums.
If you can’t make it on a museums’ Heritage Trail Day, you can visit them during their regular hours of operation and still get your Get-Up-And-Go cards stamped! All museums have free admission on their Heritage Trail Day (see calendar below). If you visit them on any other day, you will have to pay admission if applicable.
Whether you are from Auburn, Reno, San Francisco, or Boston, please enjoy this opportunity to take a trip back in time and get a better understanding of Placer County’s rich and colorful history. Each museum on the tour is unique. Aside from immersing yourselves in history, you will enjoy the variety of settings at each museum. If you are a student entering K thru 12th grade in the fall of 2025, you can enter a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle Fire or backpacks full of school supplies by picking up a Student Scavenger hunt card in a participating museum. Complete the scavenger hunt at four museums and collect four stamps and you can enter the drawing!
Ralph Gibson
Placer County Museums Administrator
Chairperson, The Heritage Trail
TRAIL TIPS
THE FOLLOWING TRAIL TIPS WILL HELP YOU PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE.
· For questions about The Heritage Trail, please call 530-889-6500.
· Eating, drinking and smoking are not permitted in the museums.
· Leave pets at home.
· You’ll want to bring your camera. Inquire at each museum for flash photography guidelines.
· Be sure to pick up your FREE Get Up & Go card at the first museum you visit.
· If you can’t make it to a museum on their Heritage Trail Day, please visit them during regular hours of operation.
· This year it will take 4 stamps on your Get-Up-And-Go card to qualify for a gift basket drawing.
Heritage Trail 2025 Calendar
June 7th
Sierra College Natural
History Museum 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
5000 Rocklin Rd., Rocklin
916-660-7923
https://www.sierracollege.edu/about-us/visit/natural-history-museum.php
Special Program: Deep Blue – Wonders of the
Ocean! Discover the unique home to most of life on earth. Explore exhibits on
contemporary nature in our region as well as fossils of life that lived
millions of years ago.
Normal hours of operation:
Open when school is in session.
Maidu Museum & Historic
Site 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
1970
Johnson Ranch Dr., Roseville
916-774-5934
www.roseville.ca.us/museum
Learn
about the Nisenan, Konkow Maidu and Mountain Maidu tribes’ history and culture
at the Maidu Museum. Discover native plants and over 400 bedrock-grinding holes
and rare rock carvings. There will be a scavenger hunt with prizes, guided
tours at 10:00 and 2:00, interactive exhibits, and an Indigenous art gallery.
Gift Shop offers a wide selection of books about Native Californians, handmade
jewelry, minerals, and arrowheads.
Normal
hours of operation: Thursday-Saturday 9:00-4:00
Roseville Telephone Museum
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
106
Vernon St., Roseville
rosevilletelephonemuseum@consolidated.com
The Roseville Telephone Museum has one of the
most extensive collections of antique telephones and memorabilia in the nation.
The exhibits in the 4,500 square-foot museum chronicle and celebrate more than
a century of communications technology in Roseville as well as nationally and
internationally. A visit to the Roseville Telephone Museum makes a fun and
educational family outing, a great school field trip or a group sight-seeing
tour destination. Our museum docents are current and retired employees who are
passionate about telephone history and volunteer their time to share it with
visitors of all ages. Presented by Fidium Fiber, this museum offers rare
collectible and historical telephones, a working telegraph, and hands-on
demonstrations of an early switchboard.
Normal Hours of Operation: 1st Saturday of the month
10:00-2:00
Roseville Historical Society Carnegie
Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
557 Lincoln St., Roseville
916-773-3003 www.rosevillehistorical.org
The Roseville Historical
Society & Carnegie Museum and Archives are filled with artifacts and
ephemera of Roseville's past! We highlight our massive "N" scale
model railroad display depicting Roseville's Historic Old Town which takes
a peek into our turn-of-the-century past. We also feature exhibits on the
pioneers of Roseville, our city's beautiful cultural heritage, Roseville’s
Veterans, early Roseville businesses and so much more!
Normal hours of operation: Tuesday thru Friday 12:00- 4:00 pm; 2nd Saturday of
the month 11:00am until 1:00pm
June 14th
The Wheatland History Museum
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
111 Main St. Wheatland, CA
Wheatlandhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
The primary purpose of the Wheatland
Historical Society is to discover, collect, preserve, and disseminate knowledge
concerning the history of the Wheatland area in the County of Yuba and the
State of California.
Normal
hours of operation: Open 1st Saturday of the month from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Lincoln Area Archives
Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
640
Fifth St., Lincoln
916-645-3800
www.laamca.org
A walk through the Lincoln Museum is a walk
back in time, from our turn of the century kitchen to our complete blacksmith
shop. We pay honor to each of our Military branches, while highlighting
Gladding, McBean & Company Clay Factory on its 150 year celebration,
as well as the McBean Park Pool 100 year event. Our collection of
typewriters, telephones and cameras represent days gone by. It
truly is a unique experience walking amongst over 4,500 historic artifacts and
exhibits, with a side tour of our gift shop or “Market Place”.
Normal
hours of operation: Thursday through Saturday 11:00-3:00
Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
3425 Fruitvale Rd., Lincoln
530-889-6500 www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Experience school at a 136-year-old one room
schoolhouse in rural Lincoln. Participate in hands-on activities in the
classroom, explore the Native Plant Garden, or bring your picnic basket and
enjoy lunch under the oak trees!
Normal hours of operation:
2nd Sunday of the month 12:00-4:00
June 21st
Loomis Basin Historical Society at the Loomis Library and
Community Learning Center 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
6050 Library Dr., Loomis
www.loomisbasinhistory.org
View photos and exhibits on Loomis Basin
pioneers, vintage clothing, household items, and life on the fruit ranch. Watch
a video featuring historical footage of fruit packing in the 1930s. See a
special display on Japanese American families, presented by the Still Standing
Guard Committee. Find your own family’s history in the genealogy book
collection with help from the Placer County Genealogical Society.
Normal hours of operation:
Special exhibit, one day only!
Griffith Quarry Museum 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Corner of Taylor and Rock
Springs Roads, Penryn
530-889-6500 www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Explore exhibits on granite quarrying, the Penryn Granite Works business, the history of Penryn, and the Griffith Family. Visitors can take a guided tour of the historic Quarry Park, offered at 8:30 am, or walk the grounds throughout the day by following provided maps and interpretive signs.
Normal hours of operation: Saturday and Sunday 12:00-4:00
Rocklin History Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
3895 Rocklin Road, Rocklin
916-624-3464 (leave a
message, please.)
www.rocklinhistorical.org
Home of Rocks,
Rails and Ranches. View exhibits featuring Rocklin’s pioneer families
developing the local granite quarrying industry; building and working the
Transcontinental Railroad; and dairy and orchard farming and ranching. Current
temporary exhibit features Rocklin at Play: Sports and Recreation Through
The Years - including the 17 years the 49ers summer training camp was at
Sierra College Campus, Rocklin.
Experience a special
granite splitting demonstration on Saturday, June 21st at 11:00 a.m.
Normal hours of
operation: Saturday and Sunday 1:00-4:00
pm and by appointment.
June 28th
Western States Trail Museum
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
1103
High St., Suite 300, Auburn
The
Western States Trail Museum (WSTM) will serve as a testament to the trail's
significance across Native American, Gold Rush, and modern-day eras. Exhibits
will include settlers, local pioneers, miners, and immigrants who helped shape
the American West. Visitors will be able to explore the history of this iconic
trans-Sierra trail between Carson City, Nevada and Sacramento, California
from its origins as a lifeline for indigenous communities to its contemporary
allure, including renowned sporting events such as the Tevis Cup Ride and
Western States Endurance Run. Join us in our new space to get a preview of our
plans, and what’s to come! Our entrance is located on the Lewis Street side in
the suite next to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and the California Welcome
Center/Placer County Visitor’s Bureau.
Auburn Journal Newspaper Museum 10:00
am – 3:00 pm
1030 High St., Auburn
https://goldcountrymedia.com/live-content/auburn-journal/
View vintage
newspaper printing presses, tools, and learn how these were used to produce
early issues of the Auburn Journal.
Normal hours of
operation: Monday-Thursday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; Friday 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Gold Rush Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
601
Lincoln Way, Auburn
530-889-6500 www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Eureka! The Gold Rush Museum is a family
favorite. Learn about gold and mining with hands-on activities and fascinating
exhibits. Walk through an interactive mining tunnel or try your hand at panning
for real gold in the indoor panning stream. Visitors can learn how people
traveled to California, what life was like in the gold fields, and how small
mining camps turned into bustling towns. Don’t forget to snap a photo upstairs
in the Portraits of Prosperity photo op.
Normal
hours of operation: Thursday thru Sunday 10:30 – 4:00
Placer
Athletic Hall of Fame Museum 10:00 am to
12:00 pm
275
Orange St., Auburn
The Placer Athletic Hall of Fame Museum is housed
in the historic Earl Crabbe Gym on the campus of Placer High School. This Gym
was a 1936 WPA project and placed on the National Register of Historical Places
in 2017. Many aspects of Placer High School’s long and storied athletic history
are show cased. Walk on the gym floor, toss a ball around, view an extensive
collection of memorabilia and photos.
Normal hours of operation: During regularly
scheduled sporting events or by appointment. 530-613-1066
July 12th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bernhard Museum
291
Auburn Folsom Rd., Auburn
530-889-6500
www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Dive into family-friendly living history fun!
Explore the Bernhard family’s restored 19th century Victorian
farmhouse. Learn about daily life from experienced docents, view authentic
period wagons, and watch the blacksmith demonstrations. Then, roll up your
sleeves and get to work! Build your own replica fruit crate, try washing
clothes by hand, or head inside to make your own vintage toys. Don’t forget to
try a cup of hand-cranked ice cream.
Normal
hours of operation: Tuesday–Friday 1:00-4:00,
Saturday-Sunday
11:00 – 4:00 pm
Benton Welty School Room
1225
Lincoln Way, Auburn City Hall
www.placercountyhistoricalsociety.org
Normal Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday
11:00-2:00
Class tours and special tours by appointment.
530-885-9561
July 19th 10:00 am –
4:00 pm
Placer County Museum
(Historic Courthouse)
101
Maple St., Auburn
530-889-6500 www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Learn about Placer County’s rich history. See
the gold collection weighing over 13 pounds, view the restored Sheriff’s Office
and Women’s Jail, or tour the museum gallery. Historic re-enactors will be
on-site throughout the day and the Placer Genealogical Society will offer free
guidance on family history research.
Normal
hours of operation: Daily 10:00-4:00 pm
Auburn
Joss House
200
Sacramento St., Auburn
Built
in the early 1920s by Charles Yue, leader of local Tong association and
community steward for the Auburn Chinese population, the “Joss House” began as
a boarding house but was soon converted to the Ling Ying Association (Brave
Heroes) meeting place. Here the (c.1880) original Altar was transferred from a
previous joss house and placed into service. ‘Charlie’ also established
Auburn’s only Chinese school where his children and others of the community
could learn to read, write and translate Chinese, as well as study the history
and culture of China. The “Joss House” also served as a meeting place and a
hostel for transient Chinese from the early 1920s to the late 1960s.
Normal hours of operation: Open Memorial Day – Labor Day on Saturdays 10:30 – 2:30
August 2nd 11:00 am –
4:00 pm
Gatekeepers Museum
130
West Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
530-583-1762 www.northtahoemuseums.org
From 1:00 – 3:00, there will be live music on
the front patio and refreshments as part of the Tahoe City Days celebration!
View the Marion Steinbach Native American Basket Collection and exhibits on
Tahoe history; Pomin Dinghy; Black Bears; and exhibits on Tahoe maritime and
resort history as well as pop culture and natural history.
Normal
hours of operation: Wednesday - Sunday 11:00-4:00
Watson Cabin
560
North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
530-583-1762
www.northtahoemuseums.org
Built in 1909 by Robert Watson as a wedding
present for his son, the Watson Cabin is the oldest building constructed onsite
in Tahoe City and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. View pioneer artifacts from early Tahoe City
history.
Normal hours of operation: Wednesday-Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm
August 9th
Colfax Area Heritage Museum 9:00 – 4:00 pm
99
Railroad St., Colfax
530-346-8599 www.colfaxhistory.org
Step back in time and immerse yourself
in the rich history of Colfax by visiting our museum. Housed in the fully
restored 1905 railroad depot, discover what life was like in this bustling
railroad town, which served as a crucial supply hub for loggers and miners in
the Sierra Nevada. The museum showcases fascinating exhibits on railroad
history, gold mining, pioneer life, and features unique collections celebrating
the contributions of Maidu Indians and Chinese railroad workers. Check out our
website for updates and additions specific to Heritage Trail Days.
Normal hours of operation: Monday-Friday and special events 9:00-2:00 pm,
Saturdays 8:00-2:00
Golden
Drift Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
32820 Main St., Dutch Flat
530-389-2126
www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Visit the best-preserved Gold Rush town in
Placer County. View exhibits of nearby towns, hydraulic mining, the
railroad, the Towle Brothers Lumber Company, the Maidu Indians, and the
Chinese. A large collection of historic photographs will help you experience
Dutch Flat in its heyday.
Guided walking tour of Dutch Flat at 10:00am
(1 hour) followed by Cemetery Tour at 11:30am (1.5 hours). Wear sensible shoes
(no sandals for the Cemetery Tour) and bring a hat and water. Open House at
several of the original buildings in town including the Methodist Church, the
Dutch Flat Hotel and the Oddfellows Lodge from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. Free
refreshments.
Normal
hours of operation: Memorial Day Weekend- thru the last weekend in September:
Friday - Sunday 12:00-4:00 (open summer holidays). For appointments, call
530-889-6500
August 16th 1:00 pm
Summit
Tunnel Conservation Association Hike
19195 Donner Pass Rd., Norden (but will come
up as “Truckee” for USPS purposes)
Contact: 530-305-2241
Once
the parking lot is full, overflow parking will be at Donner Ski Ranch just to
the west on Donner Pass Road. The hike will cover the history of the area with
an emphasis on the Chinese laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad
over the pass. In 2024, this site was designated as Chinese Camp National
Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. Bring a lunch, water, wear good
hiking closed-toe shoes and sunscreen and/or a hat.
August 23rd 9:00 am –
1:00 pm
DeWitt History
Museum
2985 Richardson
Dr., Auburn
530-889-6500 www.placer.ca.gov/museums
Explore the history of the DeWitt Government
Center at this fascinating museum. Learn about construction and use of the
World War II Army Hospital, the site’s use as a State Mental Health Hospital,
and it’s current use by Placer County. Visitors will learn how the Second World
War affected the local community and get the opportunity to start their very
own Victory Garden with a hands-on activity.
Normal
hours of operation: Wednesdays Noon – 4:00
August 30th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
24601 Harrison St., Foresthill
530-367-3988
www.foresthillhistory.org
Watch
blacksmiths craft period tools and household items. View exhibits on mining,
Native American Heritage, the lumber industry, fires & firefighting on the
divide and life here in the Victorian era. There will be a historical walking
tour before noon of our town as well. Enjoy plenty of food and craft booths,
hands-on activities for the kids and music will fill the air. Visitors may also
witness the re-creation of history with the Interactive Entertainment group of
notable outlaws and marshals who teach as well as perform skits about the
heritage of the Gold Rush.
The Forest Hill Divide Museum combines the Heritage Trail with their town’s
annual Heritage Festival, so come prepared for a full day of adventure.
Normal hours of operation: Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day Weekend
Saturdays & Sundays 12:00-4:00
September 6th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Museum
of Truckee History
10065 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee www.museumoftruckeehistory.org
This is a people's favorite. Nine exhibits on Truckee's history, each with
a touchscreen monitor to delve deeper into each of the subjects. You'll
explore the Train Master's Office, the Chinese and Building of the
Transcontinental Railroad, Logging and Lumber, our
Indigenous Peoples, the Ice Harvest, Boca Brewery: the first cold lager on the west coast in
1875, Icicle to Olympics, the birth of Winter Sports, Truckee Then & Now,
including the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Railroads of Yesterday to Today, with a
little splash of Aerospace history thrown in. Tell us you’re visiting from the
Heritage Trail for free souvenirs.
Normal hours of operation: Monday and
Thursday 12-3, Friday - Sunday 10:00 – 4:00
Truckee
Railroad Museum
10075 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee www.truckeedonnerrailroadsociety.com/museum/museum.htm
Located Inside a Caboose, this museum shares
stories, pictures, recreations, and railroad artifacts depicting the impact of
railroads in the formation and development of Truckee. The First
Transcontinental Railroad, Logging Railroads, and Tourism by Rail all played an
important part in Truckee’s history.
Normal hours of operation: Saturdays &
Sundays 10:00 – 4:00
Truckee Old Jail Museum
10142 Jibboom St., Truckee
530-582-0983 www.truckeehistory.org/old-jail-museum
See a
super collection of local artifacts in the longest continuously running
jail in California, built in 1875, and used until 1964. Just the building is fun to look at. Care to be locked up? Other exhibits pay
tribute to the film industry, which thrived in Truckee during the 1920's along
with gambling and bootlegging. Also exhibited are artifacts from the
Truckee's early winter sports era, including early winter sports.
Normal
hours of operation: Summer: Saturday & Sunday 10:00 – 2:00 or call for an
appointment.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Donner
Summit Historical Society’s 20 Mile Museum and History Hub
Though their museum is closed this year
for renovations, the Donner Summit Historical Society invites you to learn
their history. While you are in the Truckee/Tahoe/Donner Summit area visit the
20 Mile Museum with 50 interpretive signs from Auburn to Truckee. Each has a
story, the history of the spot, a map, and things to do right there. Donner
Summit Brochures are available at the Welcome Center in Truckee and the
Visitors’ Center in Tahoe City.
The brochure can also be downloaded
at: http://www.donnersummithistoricalsociety.org/pages/20MileMuseum.html
Get-Up-And-Go
Cards
You can pick-up
your Get-Up-And-Go cards the first Heritage Trail Day (June 7th) at
any participating museum. You can get them stamped on any day the museum is open throughout the summer, not just on their
special Heritage Trail Day. This
year, it will take just 4 stamps on your card to enter the drawing for a gift
basket. Please remember that you can only play one Get-Up-And-Go card at a
time. You are free to start another card
once you have turned in a fully stamped card. Cards must be turned in by 4:00
pm by September 7th at any participating museum to qualify for the
drawings.
Old
Town Pizza, located in Auburn, Roseville and Lincoln, is giving away coupons
for FREE breadsticks once you turn in your Get-Up-And-Go card or Student
Scavenger Hunt card with four stamps!
Thank
you to our sponsors!
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Silver
Star Parlor
#63 (Lincoln) |
