Folsom Travel

Folsom in the California Gold Country has become an urban residential region, yet it does retain memories of the California Gold Rush. With an historic old town surrounded by the new shopping malls and outlets, you can see where and what Folsom grew from. As a tourist destination, its highlights include Folsom Lake water sports, bike trails, a beautiful library complex where arts and entertainment activities are held, and the City Zoo Sanctuary, just to name a few. In addition, there's Folsom History Museum and Folsom Powerhouse State Park.

Electricity is the theme of this California State Park. You can see an 1895 powerhouse replica of the original facility that H.P. Livermore created along the American River with his plan to install generators to provide electricity in a location 22 miles downstream from Sacramento. Vintage generators at the powerhouse, and a control switchboard designed with Tennessee marble, are original artifacts, preserved and on view to the public.

32 miles of bicycle trails along Humbug and Willow Creeks offer great recreational riding, or training for competitive athletes. There are a handful of bike trails within the Folsom trail system, maintained for public enjoyment.

One of the coolest zoos in california (because of its philosophy) is the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. We highly recommend a visit to this preserve for non-releasable animals that are cared for after injuries or other circumstances don't allow them to return to their native habitats. Animals range from bunnies, squirrels, skunks and raccoons, to black bears, horse, sheep, deer, tigers, cougars, bobcats, monkeys, parrots, and much more. Not a member of the zoo societies, this city-operated facility says that those societies don't address the needs of these injured animals adequately, and the number one goal of this zoo is to make animals happy and healthy as they can be in their surroundings where animals come first!

While tourists like to be entertained, the reason this is considered California Gold (country) is due to its role in the California Gold Rush. Folsom History Museum recreates the era with the reconstruction of the Wells Fargo Assay Office originally standing there in 1860. Many of its artifacts have been saved (doors, brikcs, granite face and plaques) and are on view. Another often overlooked aspect of this era was the life and role of the Maidu indian tribes chronicled in many museums throughout the region. At this particular museum you'll see a narrative section about local history. Nearby historical sites include Folsom Prison (the second prison built in California), Mormon Island, a mining camp which faded in populatino along with the gold diggings around 1880.