Historic Folsom: A Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour
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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.
Free cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reserve now
Check a date here, then finish booking with our partner. Payment options are confirmed at checkout.
Duration 1.5 hours – 2 hours
Check availability to see start times.
Guided experience
English
Key facts
What's included
Included
- VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
- Lifetime access to this selg-guided GPS audio tour in English
Not included
- Food and drink
- Smartphone and headphones
- Transportation
- Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Itinerary
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Stop 1
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.
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Stop 2
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.
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Stop 3
The tour takes you down Sutter Street in Folsom
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Stop 4
The tour passes by the Folsom Historical Museum.
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Stop 5
The tour passes by the Sacramento Valley Railroad.
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Stop 6
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.
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Stop 7
The tour passes by the Sutter Street Theatre.
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Stop 8
The tour passes by the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.
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Stop 9
The tour passes by Lake Natoma.
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Stop 10
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.
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Stop 11
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.
Meeting point & pickup
Meet at the starting point
This tour begins at the parking lot for Historic Folsom near the corner of Riley and Scott Streets and ends at the Historic Truss Bridge. Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket.
Open in Google MapsCancellation & confirmation
Free cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- 100% refund if cancelled at least 1 day(s) before
- 0% refund if cancelled 0–1 day(s) before
Instant confirmation
Your booking is confirmed immediately after checkout.
From $7.99 per person
- Free cancellation
- Secure checkout with our booking partner
