Columbia State Historic Park: Columbia House Restaurant; restaurant review

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Columbia House Restaurant  

22738 Main St., (209) 533-3983. 

After burning to the ground a few years back, this town fixture has been brought back from the dead.  Columbia House Restaurant is a lot fresher now, and serves up an extensive menu.  Breakfast is available all day.  Choose from the basic eggs with a side of delicious meaty bacon, an omelette cooked to order, housemade biscuits and gravy, buttermilk flapjacks, and even the famous Gold Rush-era Hangtown Fry—eggs, oysters, and bacon.  Lunch items include soup with cornbread, sandwiches galore (served with housemade chips), and country fried steak.  Dinner brings on salad plates and hearty meals with all the trimmings--think pot roast, fried cat fish, and fried chicken.  

interior of Columbia House Restaurant in Columbia S.H.P. in California

bacon and eggs at Columbia House Restaurant in Columbia S.H.P. in California

buttermilk biscuits at Columbia House Restaurant in Columbia S.H.P. in California

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Columbia State Historic Park: Columbia City Hotels; hotel review + things to do

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Columbia City Hotels  

(800) 444-7275, (209) 532-1479.  $50-$115/2; cottages $115-$155.

Want to spend the night, see a delightful theater production, and/or indulge in an ice cream confection?  Here you go. 

●The City Hotel  

22768 Main St.  10 rooms; $$; closed 1st 2 wks. in Jan.  No TVs; all shared baths.  Restaurant.  No pets. 

This 1856 hotel provides overnight lodging in keeping with the town's historic flavor.  A steep staircase leads up to the guest rooms at The City Hotel, where a large sitting room and outdoor balcony await.  Spartan but comfortable guest rooms have high ceilings, sweet old-time wallpaper, lace curtains, worn wood floors, and are furnished with Victorian antiques from the collection of the California State Parks Department.  They have no TV or phone, but do have free Wi-Fi.  Each room has a private toilet and sink, but the shower is down the hall.  To make the trek there more civilized, rooms are equipped with robes and a wicker basket packed with towels, soap, and shampoo.  

entrance to The City Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park in California

guest room in The City Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park in California

amenities in The City Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park in California

Christopher’s at the City Hotel Restaurant  

Christopher's at the City Hotel Restaurant serves elegant regional cuisine, and four-course seasonal dinners are an option.  Adjacent and under the same management, the cozy What Cheer Saloon retains its original cherry-wood bar that traveled around the Horn from New England.  A full-service bar, it features fine Cognacs, Armagnac, and single malt Scotches, as well as Sierra Nevada foothill wines, local beers on tap, and both foreign and domestic bottled beers.

Christopher's at the City Hotel Restaurant in The City Hotel
in Columbia State Historic Park in California

●Fallon Hotel  

On Washington St..  14 rooms; $-$$; closed 1st 2 wks. in Jan.  No TVs; many shared bathrooms.  Continental breakfast; restaurant.  No pets. 

The historic Fallon Hotel, dating from 1857, is beautifully restored to its Victorian grandeur.  Many of the furnishings are original to the hotel.  Several large second-floor rooms with balconies are perfect for families.  The hotel is operated in similar style as the City Hotel and is under the same management.

front desk at the Fallon Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park in California

lobby lounge at the Fallon Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park in California

Fallon House Theatre

Located in the rear of the hotel, the Fallon House Theatre has been operating since the 1880s.  The second-longest continually operating playhouse in California, it stages both first-run and classic dramas and musicals and employs both professional and student talent.  The semi-professional Sierra Repertory Theatre stages eight major productions each year.

box office at the Fallon House Theater in Columbia State Historic Park
in California

theater at the Fallon House Theater in Columbia State Historic Park in California

Fallon Ice Cream Parlor 

Fallon Ice Cream Parlor dishes up chilled goodies on the main floor and is the perfect place for an intermission snack.  Choose from sundaes, floats, and milkshakes, as well as espresso, hot chocolate, sarsaparilla, and cookies.

Fallon Ice Cream Parlor in Columbia State Historic Park in California

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Columbia State Historic Park: Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen; things to do

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen  

22726 Main St. 

The vintage Nelson's Columbia Candy Kitchen uses 100-year-old recipes and antique equipment to turn out such old-time favorites as horehound, rocky road, and almond bark.  New favorites include white-chocolate dipped apricots, chocolate-caramel-pecan turtles, and white-chocolate California bears. Sugar-free goodies are also available.  This sweet shop has been in the same family for five generations and is rated as one of the ten top candy shops in the U.S.  

Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen in Columbia State Historic Park in California

jumbo jawbreakers at Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen
in Columbia State Historic Park in California

caramel-pecan turtles at Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen
in Columbia State Historic Park in California

fresh fruit jellies at Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen
in Columbia State Historic Park in California

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Columbia State Historic Park: Columbia Kate’s Teahouse, Bakery, and Boutique; restaurant review + things to do

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Columbia Kate’s Teahouse, Bakery, and Boutique  

Columbia Kate’s has taken over feeding the town with a teahouse and bakery, and as if that isn’t enough--a sweet boutique is also part of the empire. 

Columbia Kate’s Teahouse  

22727 Columbia St., (209) 532-1885.  Daily 11-4. 

This sweet little teahouse operates within a historic 1880s barn just a block over from Main Street.  Diners at Columbia Kate's Teahouse are seated at tables named after real mining claims from Columbia's heyday.  Choose from classic tea set-ups, or opt for just a scone or a few tea sandwiches.  Regular lunch items are also available—salads, sandwiches, quiche, pot pies, and soups.  Everything is baked fresh daily across the street in the bakery.  Apricot scones (my favorite!) and praline-pecan-pear pie are particular popular, but don’t miss the breads, bread pudding, and other desserts.

exterior of Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

china display at Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

tea display at Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

tea room at Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

lunch plate at Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

dessert and cuppa at Columbia Kate’s Teahouse in Columbia SHP, California

 

Columbia Kate’s Bakery  

11256 State St., (209) 532-2177.  Daily 7am-4pm. 

Famous around town for their cinnamon rolls, Columbia Kate's Bakery is clear that anything you select here will be delicious.  Do try the unusual "Runsas"—a popular pocket sandwich made with a yeast-bread bun and stuffed with egg, bacon, and cheese (the breakfast) or ground beef, cabbage, and Swiss cheese (the lunch).  And don’t miss the cookies and cupcakes.

exterior of Columbia Kate’s Bakery in Columbia SHP, California

apricot scones at Columbia Kate’s Bakery in Columbia SHP, California

Columbia Kate’s Boutique  

Next to the bakery. 

Located inside another converted house, this sweet shop purveys tea-time accoutrements along with a large selection of locally made crafts items.  Buttons are a specialty at Columbia Kate's Boutique and so you find them here in bulk—in drawers, in suitcases—as well as made up into delightful jewelry.  Clothing is also for sale.

exterior of Columbia Kate’s Boutique in Columbia SHP, California

button display at Columbia Kate’s Boutique in Columbia SHP, California

suitcase full of buttons at Columbia Kate’s Boutique in Columbia SHP, California

More things to do in Columbia State Historic Park.

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Columbia S.H.P.: City Hotel & Fallon Hotel; hotel review

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Seems like almost the whole town has shut down. Resident Floyd D. P. Oydegaard, who is the owner of Columbia Booksellers & Stationers and who leads town tours, says, "All in all, it's much quieter around these parts than usual."  Read all about it. 

Hotels and more have reopened!


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updated 7-19-16