Angels Camp is located in the heart of California's Gold Country, made famous by the largest human migration in history. Inspired by the 1849 discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills, people from all over the world traveled here in droves hoping to strike it rich. The first towns were established as temporary tent towns and soon schools, churches and meeting halls sprang up. When the placer gold was exhausted, hard rock mining began. Some of these mines are open for tours today:

Gold Cliff Mine in Angels Camp offers exciting 3-1/2 to 5 hour underground Adventure Trips available daily, year round, a truly unique experience, combining challenging exploration with Gold Rush era history and folklore. All equipment is provided and no experience is necessary. Reservations are required in advance and participants must be 12 years old and up.

Sutter Gold Mine in Sutter Creek is a modern hard rock mine offering 1-hour family tours daily, year round. Tag in, don a hard hat and jump aboard the boss buggy shuttle for a journey deep underground Learn about the history of gold mining from ancient times to the present day. See real mining equipment and learn how gold has been used through history on this award winning tour. Available for ages 4 and up. Hardhats must be worn underground at all times.

Kennedy Gold Mine in Jackson is one of the deepest gold mines in the world. Surface tours are open every Saturday, Sunday and holiday March through October. They feature  the mine office building where gold flakes were melted into large bricks to ship by Wells Fargo to San Francisco.See the stamp and gold recovery mill, tailing wheels, a steam boiler and the huge steel head frame whose pulleys guided the miners into the bowels of the earth.