empire mine state historic park

Liked the history and the sights and sounds enjoyed the cottage tour also we enjoyable and informative

It is great being able to cruise through the menagerie of trails in the park. The mansion and mine were definitely worth a visit. Great day trip in NorCal.

I loved everything about it. Great place for a wedding, too. Been to several. The grounds are spectacular.

When you are in Grass Valley, you have to spend time here. A beautiful place to see and learn more about days gone by.

Interesting history of gold mines in Nevada County. Beautiful grounds and buildings. Take a tour to get the best information and interesting facts.

This park is a real local treasure (no pun intended). We live close by and have visited many times, especially when we have visitors from out of town. It provides a beautiful place to spend the day taking in the beautiful grounds and hiking trails while learning about the history of the gold country. Our niece will be married here in June and we are thrilled. It is an absolutely gorgeous wedding venue-with many unique photo possibilities.

This attraction is the home of the Empire Mine. By this, I mean that there house is on this property right next to the mine. When you walk into the museum to pay for your tickets you will see a replica of the mine itself. It will show you all the layers of the underground mine, plus many artifacts . When leaving the museum area out the back door, the mine is on the left and the home area is on the right. The grounds to the home are like a beautiful park, with fountains, ponds, and flowery landscaping. The house itself is not really large like a mansion, but is good size, and tours are given, I believe, hourly. I found the tour to be very interesting. The other side of the property is the mine area. It is bare of all foliage and has many artifacts from the mine. It, also has several buildings to go through. It is a California State Park and you can check it out on www.parks.ca.gov

I've lived in Grass Valley for 39 years and have visited the mine many times. There is an interesting, if small, display about the gold mine's history as well as a short film. On the grounds there are a number of artifacts from the mining days as well as some buildings housing displays of various operations as well as a tunnel that gives a good idea of what it was like for the miners to enter the tunnels. One can, at times, also visit the Bourne Cottage. However, for me the primary attraction is the grounds which are lovely and very pleasant for just strolling around. Weddings are often held here in the spring and summer. I've even visited in the winter when the snow was knee-deep, and it was breathtaking. There are also extensive hiking trails on the mine property; there is another entrance down the road where people can access the trails or bring horses for riding on them. There is no charge to do so, but you won't be able to enter the historic area.

Fun Family day to have the opportunity to go back in history...do the "house tour", lovely time piece.....

The grounds of this park are lovely for easy hiking; the history of mining in the foothills is fascinating. A good place to spend a couple of hours.

This would be a five for people who are really into gold-mining and such. 5+ even. The model of the Tunnels going on mile down is pretty magnificent! The actual Tonnele, I'm imagine being a mile down. Again, very hard to rate as interest in gold-mining would be the driver of a higher rating

When we went it was pouring down rain. We had to run between places. The guild knew a lot about the place and interesting side stories. You need a few hours to see all the buildings, mine and mining equipment. Worth the stop. Will be going again this summer.

You can visit onfoot, horse , or car. donationtions are the price to view this historic place durning the goldrush,

Going to the Empire Mine State Historic Park is a real opportunity to get a sense for what it was like to be a part of a mining community. The tour of the mansion or cottage home as they referred to it was really interesting. The docents were in full 1900's costumes and were very informative with regard to the dwelling, mine life, as well as the lives of the Bourn family. They have tons of trails for walking ,hiking, and horseback riding. If you want to make a day of it they also have a picnic area but the Grass valley community also has several very good restaurants. We will most likely visit again to see the different seasons in the gardens which are beautiful.

The tour of the cottage was very educational. The grounds are beautiful and a must see if in the area. The mines are amazing to see,and are very historic. I am not a history buff, and generally do not like tours, but really enjoyed this one. I highly recommend this on, even in January!!!