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Kennedy Gold Mine and Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park –
The Kennedy Mine was one of the richest gold mines and deepest in the Mother
Lode and you can still see a lot of mining equipment, a big stamp mill,
and a spacious mining office where gold was turned into gold bars (and the
safe where the gold was kept). Tours are available Fri. – Sun., March
– October. If the mine isn't open, run around the Kennedy mine tailing
wheels, the huge wheels used to transport the crushed rock slush from the
mine. |
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Amador County Museum – At the Amador County Museum,
see inside a 19th century house and check out a scale model of the Kennedy
Gold Mine. Outside there's a small stamp mill and the "Amador Cannonball,"
a bright red locomotive. |
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Deteret Park – The public swimming pool is very inviting
on a summer's day, and there are picnic tables and a playground with climbing structures in the park. |
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Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park (Pine Grove –
Volcano Rd.) – For centuries, the Miwok people lived in the Sierra
foothills along creeks and rivers. They left behind hundreds of mortar holes
where acorns were ground in the limestone rocks. Visit the grinding rock
where you can see the grinding holes and petroglyphs. Run around the reconstruction
of a Miwok village, bark-covered roundhouses. |
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In the Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum there are exhibits and
artifacts such as basketry, jewelry and arrow points. (Chaw'se means "grinding
rock" in Miwok.) |
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Black Chasm Cavern (Pine Grove – Volcano Rd.) – A homey cave tour takes you 60 feet down, through a narrow opening
in the rock that opens into cathedral rooms decked out with stalactites
and stalagmites. On the way you'll see formations such as the "carrot
patch" (albino carrot shapes hanging from the ceiling), "cave
bacon" (not edible), and "Rapunzel's hair" (bad hair day).
The unique feature of this cavern is helictites, calcium-rich formations
that look like spikey Silly String sprayed over the cave walls. |
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Tip: The tour isn't that long and the stairs aren't
that tiring, but kids can't be carried and no babies in backpacks (snuglis
are okay) for safety reasons. |
