Historic Folsom: A Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

This self-guided GPS audio walking tour will explore the historic western gold rush town of Folsom, California. The tour begins at the corner of Riley and Scott Street in Folsom’s Historic District and ends on Truss Bridge, with tranquil views of the American River. We’ll take in Figueroa Street, where you’ll find beautiful homes built in the late 1800s, and Sutter Street, which was once Folsom’s main street – and a picturebook Old Western main street. We’ll end our adventure on the Truss Bridge. On this walking tour, you’ll hear about: • Local Native American history • California’s early history • The history of the gold rush and how it's connected to Folsom • The Victorian homes in Folsom • The revitalization of the Historic District in Old Town Folsom • Johnny Cash and the “Folsom Prison Blues” The tour is ready whenever you are. It plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smart phone’s GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which works offline.

1. 1

   Stop 1

   Pass by

   Cohn Mansion, one of Old Town Folsom’s grandest Victorian homes, set among some of the town’s oldest houses on Scott Street. Merchant Simon Cohn built the street-facing mansion in 1894; only the kitchen survives from the original 1859 house. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   Pass by

   Built in 1860 for Folsom’s Methodist congregation, this was the town’s first building made of kiln-fired brick. It anchors Figueroa Street’s row of Gold Rush-era Victorian homes and has been home to a Baptist congregation since 2010. A quiet, photogenic stop before you reach Sutter Street.

3. 3

   Stop 3

   Pass by

   The tour takes you down Sutter Street in Folsom

4. 4

   Folsom History Museum

   Pass by

   The tour passes by the Folsom Historical Museum.

5. 5

   Stop 5

   Pass by

   The tour passes by the Sacramento Valley Railroad.

6. 6

   Stop 6

   Pass by

   The centerpiece of Folsom’s restored rail yard plaza. A 1997 replica of the 1867 A-frame turntable sits on the original site, where crews once turned locomotives by hand. Look across to the brick roundhouse built over an 1869 engine house, now home to Scott’s Seafood and Willamette Wineworks.

7. 7

   Sutter Street Theatre

   Pass by

   The tour passes by the Sutter Street Theatre.

8. 8

   Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park

   Pass by

   The tour passes by the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.

9. 9

   Lake Natoma

   Pass by

   The tour passes by Lake Natoma.

10. 10

    Stop 10

    2 hours

    A 2.75-mile paved bike and walking path that heads toward Folsom State Prison, opened in 1880. Hear how Johnny Cash wrote “Folsom Prison Blues” in 1953 and played two shows for inmates in 1968, and how Gold Rush mining camps like Mormon Island once lined this stretch of the American River. PLEASE NOTE: If you walk the trail, expect about 50–60 minutes each way at a normal pace, or 5–5.5 miles there and back.

11. 11

    Stop 11

    Pass by

    The tour’s finale. Built in 1893 from pin-connected metal, this bridge was dismantled and moved to the Klamath River in 1931, then brought home and reassembled on its original stone abutments in 2000. Today it’s a walking and biking bridge with views of Rainbow Bridge and the American River.

• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.