Sidetracked! Calico Ghost Town
Silver mining, gold panning, and enough Old West souvenirs to sink a ship
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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who and What:
Me, my husband, and our 8 and 10-year-old kids. Calico Ghost Town, a settlement just outside of Barstow, California that became one of the richest mining districts in the state when silver was discovered here 127 years ago.
Why:
Because it’s halfway between San Francisco (where we live) and the Grand Canyon (where we were heading for spring break, road tripping maniacs that we are).
The Low Point:
There are a handful of original buildings here (and a mine shaft you can walk through for a modest fee), but there are also a lot of reproduction buildings and seriously schlocky souvenir shops.
The High Points:
The kids liked panning for gold even though a closer examination of the fruits of their labor revealed it to be Pyrite. We still felt we got our $2 worth.
Another highlight was posing for an old-time photo, especially when we hit upon the idea of my husband and I going in drag. We all agreed that it was $40 well spent. My daughter had been dying to do it forever and it saved us a trip to Pier 39 in San Francisco.
We also walked through an old mine and ate fudge, which was nice.
The Kids’ Take:
A good break from all that endless driving. Two thumbs up for the fudge.
The Adults’ Take:
Worth seeing if only to check the “ghost town” box. We thought it would be a lot more authentic, but it turned out the entire thing had been re-assembled around a few original buildings.
The Bottom Line:
Not worth a major detour, but not a bad way to spend two hours if you’re passing by.
July 19th, 2010 | by Jamie Pearson 3 comments
1. WanderMom on July 19th, 2010
Did you stop into the toy shop – first shop on the left-hand-side as you walk into the main town area? The lady who runs that store is a darling + the puzzles kept my kids engaged for ages. It’s called Calico Woodworks. I highly recommend stopping in if you’re visiting Calico.
(Because, Jamie, I’ve been meaning to write a side-tracked post about this since we stopped in last August but you beat me to it!)
2. Sharlene on July 19th, 2010
Ha ha! That picture is priceless!! I remember going there as a kid. I keep saying we have to take our kids on the way out to Vegas. One of these days.
3. Kam Lawrence on September 1st, 2010
Best time to go to Calico is the last two weekends of October for Halloween fun! Magic shows, trick-or-treating, sideways house, and a scary Haunted House for the grown-ups. Stayed at the KOA campground, which has a pool!
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