Thriving Columbia narrowly lost the vote to become California’s state capital in 1854 and the defeat sealed its fate: as soon as its mines closed down, so too did the town. With Columbia State Historic Park, however, a recreated gold-rush town has grown up around the ruins of the original Columbia, complete with grizzled banjo players, a rowdy saloon, a fearsome dentist’s surgery and stage-coaches cruising the dusty streets. Hangings and lynchings may be conspicuous by their absence, but impressive attention to detail makes the park an essential Gold Country stop.