Family Vacations to the Old West

Family Treasure Hunting Vacations,
Gold Prospecting, and More ...

Howdy Pardners and welcome to the old west! There is lots of fun stuff for families to do here, so let's
get saddled up and start having a great time. We've got information on famous lawmen and outlaws,
lots of information on old western ghost towns, family gold mine tours, gold panning and gold
prospecting trips, and we've even got some information on wagon train vacations.

Famous Gunfighters & Lawmen

Western Outlaw Lawman History Association

This site has lots of interesting information about famous outlaws, gunfighters, lawmen,
cattlemen, and other famous people of the old west. It also gives the locations to many of their
grave sites in case you want to stop by for a visit.

Ghost towns

Ghost Towns in the USA
This site has lots pictures and good information about ghost towns all over the USA and Canada.

Garnet Ghost Town
Garnet is just east of Missoula, Montana. It is incredibly well preserved and there are many
buildings there that you can walk through. It is definitely worth seeing.

Goldfield Ghost Town
Goldfield is an authentic Arizona ghost town, located at the base of the Superstition Mountains.
There are lots of fun things to do here with kids, and they even have Mine tours available. It is
located a little to the Northeast of Phoenix.

One year we visited the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, and then stopped by Goldfield
on the way up to the Grand Canyon. It was a great trip!

Ghost Town Gallery
A collection of more than 1300 pictures from 174 ghost towns and
historic places.

Calico Ghost Town
1881 marked the beginning of one of the largest silver strikes in California history
and the birth of Calico. This authentic silver mining town lives on as one of the
few original mining camps of the Old West. Click here for Calico photos.

Bannack Ghost Town
Bannack State Park is located 26 miles southwest of Dillon, Montana. Bannack is home to
Montana's first gold strike. This is a wonderfully preserved ghost town that has
over 50 of the original buildings on display. Click here for Bannack photos.

Virginia City and Nevada City
Visit the historic area of Alder Gulch, home to Montana's greatest placer gold rush. Located about
an hour east of Dillon, Montana these towns offer one of the finest collections of old-west
buildings and artifacts. Take a stage ride, pan for gold - lot's of fun for the entire family!

South Pass City - Wyoming
A well preserved ghost town located about thirty-five miles southwest of Lander, Wyoming in
the Wind River Mountain Range. Gold was found in this area in the late 1860's. South Pass City
is located along the Oregon Trail and this region was a major migration route for those
heading west. Click here for South Pass City photos.

Gold Mining Tours & Gold Prospecting Trips

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour
Descend 1000 feet underground in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, an original 1890's gold mine.
Or tour Colorado's largest active gold mine, the Cresson Surface Mine. Both tours are
located in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Argo Mine Tour and Ghost town, mining camp tour
Argo Mine Tour and Ghost town, and mining camp tour. Free gold panning instruction.
Idaho Springs, Colorado (35 minutes west of Denver)

Gold Panning and Mine Tour - Silverton, Colorado
The Old Hundred ™ is a great family value. Gold panning is FREE with the purchase
of a tour ticket. Their miner’s sluice box is “salted” with the real thing so that you are sure
to find some “colors.”

Colorado Mine Tours
A site that lists Colorado mine tours. There are many mines that you can tour in Colorado.

Consolidated Gold Mine Gold Rush
This is a mining attraction in Dahlonega, Georgia. Families can tour the mining area and
pan for gold.

Big Thunder Gold Mine Tour
This is a very nice mine tour in the Black Hills of South Dakota. After the tour try your hand at
gold panning. Be sure and visit Mount Rushmore while you are in the area.

Broken Boot Gold Mine - Deadwood, South Dakota
Visit the authentic Broken Boot Gold Mine, step into history and dig into the past.

Black Hills Mining Museum
Located in the mile-high city of Lead, South Dakota there is fun for the entire family. Try your
hand at panning for gold, and learn about the history of gold mining in the Black Hills.

Sutters Gold Mine Tour
Located in the heart of California gold mining country. Experience the California gold rush firsthand.

California Gold Company
Located near Jamestown, Gold mining trips and gold panning tours
on the famous Woods Creek. Each trip is five hours long and includes digging,
sluicing, and panning for gold. Fun for the entire family.

Jamestown - 1849 Gold Mining Camp
Jamestown, California is a historic 1849 gold mining camp. If you are really serious about
gold prospecting they have one, two, and three day courses where you will learn what to look
for when picking a spot, and get some real hands-on gold panning experience.
Click here for Jamestown Gold Panning photos.

Jamestown Gold Panning
Learn from real gold prospectors with years of experience. Located in
Jamestown, California. Pan for gold on historic Woods Creek

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
James W. Marshall found shining flecks of gold in the tailrace of the sawmill he was
building for himself and John Sutter. This discovery in 1848 started the California gold rush.
Visitors have the opportunity to try panning for gold in the American River.

Roaring Camp Mining Company
Located in Pin Grove, California, Roaring Camp is an old goldmining camp on the
Mokulmne River. In the past, it was accessible only by horseback, but since it was so
inaccessible, most of the gold still remains. Visitors can see our operating gold mine
and can mine their own gold by panning, sluicing, dredging, and dry washing.

Crystal Gold Mine Tour - Kellogg, Idaho
Authentic 1880's underground gold mine. Experience underground
fun and adventure in a real gold mine.

Alabama Gold Camp - Near Lineville
Prospectors can pan, use sluiceboxes, Highbankers, dredges or metal detectors.
Equipment can be rented on site. Camp or rent a prospectors shack. Located near
the eastern part of the state near Interstate 20.

Cotton Patch Gold Mine and Campground
Located in New London, North Carolina, the Cotton Patch
caters to the amateur and seasoned prospector alike.

Reed Gold Mine - North Carolina
Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented gold find in
the United States. From this discovery, gold mining spread
gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states.
Guided mine tours and gold panning is available to visitors.

Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours - Nevada
Tour the Historical Techatticup Mine. It's the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine
in Southern Nevada. Located just 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas. Historical
mining tours and scenic trips on the Colorado River

Panning For Gold in Goldfield, Arizona
Located at the base of the Superstition Mountains in the heart of Lost Dutchman country is
the restored ghost town of Goldfield, Arizona. Take an underground mine tour, pan for gold,
and ride a narrow gauge railroad past some historic mines.

Gold Panning Expedition - Near Goldfield, Arizona
Apache Trail Tours provides gold panning expeditions just east of Phoenix in the area
of Goldfield. 4 Hour guided tours with fun for the whole family.

GoldBottom Mine Tours and Gold Panning - Canada
See placer gold mining as it is done today; learn the processes, from staking a claim to
selling the gold and all that's between. Hear stories about life in the historic goldfields of the
famous Klondike gold rush. Located in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.

Gold Panning Vacation
In addition to some of the great gold panning spots listed above,
here is a site that provides some good information for planning
a gold panning or gold prospecting vacation.

Gold Prospecting, Gold Panning - Places to Find Gold
This site has good information about where you can find gold in the United States.
Information is organized by state and county.

Wagon Train Vacation - Family Pioneer Trips

Spiritrider Wagon Train Vacations
Exciting wagon train trips to Wyoming's historic Hole-in-the-Wall
region and beautiful Bighorn Mountains.

Teton Wagon Train and Horse Adventure
Experience the thrill of the western way of life from those bygone years by
taking a covered Wagon Train Vacation into the spectacular Teton and
Yellowstone Mountain Country surrounding Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Muleskinner Wagon Train Vacations
Week-long wagon train trips in some of the most scenic parts
of America's Southwest. Join a scheduled trip as a great family vacation
or book a special trip for a family reunion.

Wagon Train Adventure in Colorado
A western cowboy week with a wagon train adventure. Located on a
dude ranch covering about 8,000 acres.

Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train Trip
Since 1979 the Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train has provided authentic covered
wagon trips through the scenic Kansas Flint Hills.

Wagon Train Vacations in Washington State
Happy Trails Wagon Train Adventures feature old-fashioned horsedrawn wagons
along the scenic John Wayne Pioneer Trail in the Iron Horse State Park
Day trips, overnight trips, and up to 3-week adventures are available.
Trip can be customized to meet your personal needs and wants.