Copperopolis, a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills and part of Calaveras County, is rich in history.
Copperopolis is a town in California discovered in 1860 and is recognized for producing copper ore during the Civil War.
Due to its abundance of copper, this town was first known as Copper Canyon before being renamed Copperopolis, which is a combination of the words “copper” and “polis,” which means “city.”
Here, you’ll enjoy numerous historical landmarks scattered throughout the small town.
Interested to know more about this place?
Here are the best things to do in Copperopolis, California:
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The Copperopolis Armory is just one of the many historical landmarks that can be found in Copperopolis.
This historic location was built as an army facility in 1864 for the Union Guard to recruit and train soldiers.
It was then sold for $800 in gold in 1868 and used for religious purposes and rallies and balls by the Congregational and Methodist Church.
Later, in 1874, the Mineral Lodge bought the property and was used as a lodge until 1903.
It finally made its way to Copperopolis Community Center in 1948.
The building’s architectural style has a classical revival touch, characterized by its iron doors and windows, rock foundation, wood flooring, and brick exterior.
Due to its historical significance, Copperopolis Armory was later added to the California Register of Historical Resource and the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
If you’re visiting Copperopolis, you should definitely stop by this historic establishment!
The Town Square, established in 1861, has been a part of the community for a long time.
The Town Square at Copper Valley is teeming with life and energy, making it a popular destination for those looking for something to do.
With its many attractions, there is sure to be something here that everyone will enjoy.
This town square is home to a variety of amenities, including boutique shops, salons, a pet store, wine-tasting rooms, an art center, restaurants, shopping, and a coffee shop.
Every year, many people visit this location as this is also a place of many events, including live bands, concerts, festivals, and many other special events.
This is the first place you should visit in Copperopolis if you’re looking for a perfect location to engage in activities.
Town Hall Arts/Galerie Copper is one of the attractions inside the Town Square at Copper Valley.
It’s an art gallery in Copperopolis that encourages the locals to learn more about the arts by providing them with opportunities to perform their craft and exhibit their artistic abilities.
This art gallery now houses the works of over 40 local artists, with some of the collections available for viewing and purchase by visitors.
In addition to offering various courses and programs for kids and adults, they also teach fundamental art skills, like creating paper mosaics, watercolor painting, and using pastels.
If you’re interested in free art classes, the art gallery hosts special events that are open to the public.
Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One of the historical buildings that can be seen in Copperopolis is the Honigsberger Store, built in 1865.
It’s one of the notable brick structures in the community, along with the Armory and Reeds Store, all of which were built in the early 1860s.
Honigsberger Store, like the other historic structures in the community, played a significant role during the Civil War, serving from 1909 to 1926 as the primary warehouse for a number of mining companies.
This store is a large, one-story rectangular building made of brick with some neoclassical architectural elements.
The Honigsberger Store is a beautiful building popular during the 1850s and 1860s.
The store is covered in double-panel glass doors, multi-paned windows, and beautifully detailed bricks.
In 1992, the store was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Known as one of the most popular and ideal golf destinations in California, The Golf Club at Copper Valley is a public golf course that everyone should try.
This golf course was established in 1993, and since then, it has received numerous honors for the services it provides in the golf industry, including being named one of the best places to play by Golfweek Magazine.
The first thing you’ll notice when you arrive at this location is the 18-hole golf course, with a picturesque green wide field that provides guests with the full set of golf tools, equipment, and facility, ensuring that everyone will have the best-golfing experience in the area.
It also has a welcoming, top-notch restaurant that serves delectable food and beverages, as well as luxurious but decently priced bungalows close to the course.
The Golf Club at Copper Valley makes sure that everyone is not only having fun participating in their favorite sports but also taking in the scenery and treating this location as a place to unwind.
Looking for a place to loosen up after a long journey?
Why not give this place a shot?
The Pour House is a small but wonderful establishment in Copperopolis where visitors can drink cold beers and participate in social activities.
This pub, which originally only sold wine and beer, started in the late 1990s under the name Micki and Larry’s Sports Pub.
Many years after its establishment, the pub’s ownership changed, along with its name to The Pour House.
Although it has undergone these changes, it remains a welcoming and comfortable place for all who enter.
The Pour House is still known for providing a variety of entertainment, including a large TV, two pool tables, darts, shuffleboard, live music, and karaoke.
With all these in store, you’re guaranteed to have a good time visiting The Pour House!
Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Reed’s Store, established in 1861, is believed to be the grandest of the three brick structures seen in the town of Copperopolis.
The only two-story brick building in the area, this establishment was ahead of its time when it was built.
Its neoclassical style was popular at the turn of the century, and Reed’s Store served as a model for other businesses that followed.
As one of the longest-running businesses in town, it supported mining efforts until production stopped in 1867.
The store has been owned by a variety of people over the years, including mining companies, where it was rented out and used as a headquarters during that time.
This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The goal of sharing the beauty of outdoor activities fueled Richard and Allison to open a sporting goods store in Copperopolis.
Gateway Adventure Co. is the result of Richard and Allison’s combined skills and hobbies, where they offer a variety of services that encourage visitors to participate in outdoor activities.
Richard and Allison, the owners of Gateway Adventure Co., like to fish and ride bicycles as well as camp and do water sports.
Therefore, they decided to offer a fishing trip where guests might catch kokanee or salmon.
In their store, you will find a variety of fishing equipment, trolling gear, bikes, skateboards, e-bikes, paddleboards, and other equipment your children will undoubtedly like to have.
They also offer a variety of food like jams, cooking spices, and jelly, as well as snacks, sodas, and drinking water.
Due to its serene atmosphere, Copperopolis’ Black Creek Park is one of the parks that are best to visit with your family and friends.
This park is beautiful and serene, perfect for taking a leisurely stroll on one of the many scenic walking trails.
The creek that flows through the park only dries up during summer.
With amenities such as a baseball field, basketball court, soccer field, and playground, your children will undoubtedly have a good time while relaxing and taking in the scenic views of the park.
It has a parking lot, picnic tables, barbecue pits, and other features ideal for family time.
Since this location also has a horse ring, you may notice some people training their horses and roaming around.
It’ll definitely be a unique and fascinating sight for the kids!
Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The town of Copperopolis has a number of churches that tourists can visit, but this one stands out above the rest.
Copperopolis Congregational Church, also known as the Copperopolis Community Center, was built in 1866.
Copperopolis Congregational Church is a beautifully designed gothic-revival style building made of brick, with stunning details like gothic windows and entrances, a bell tower, and a traditional gable roof.
This church is not only a religious structure but also a historic building that symbolizes an enduring history of Copperpolis’ past.
This historic church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Copperopolis is truly a place where you can have fun while also learning.
Despite its small size, this town has a lot to offer visitors, but what about the places nearby?
Here are some other things to do and explore near Copperopolis:
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Just a 27-minute ride away from Copperopolis, the Calaveras County Museum Complex is a museum in San Andreas founded in 1952 to collect and preserve artifacts and other relevant data about Calaveras County’s early history.
Inside are a variety of exhibits that every visitor is free to tour, including The Hall of Records, Jail Yard Wall, Gold Mining, County Jail, and many more.
Everyone can get a glimpse of what life was like in the early days of Calaveras history with the 12 exhibits this museum can provide to visitors.
They even have a general bookstore where you can find historical works on topics like local history, legend, gold mining, and ghosts.
They also have gift shops where you can buy t-shirts, postcards, and the area’s iconic symbol, the frog pins.
Moaning Caverns Adventure Park is a tourist destination in Vallecito, located 25 minutes away from Copperopolis.
It offers each visitor the chance to tour a cave where it is believed that ancient humans once settled hundreds of years ago.
Each visitor has a choice between two different types of cave tours, such as the Spiral Tour, which allows visitors to experience the extraordinary 100-foot spiral staircase that was constructed underground in 1922.
The Expedition Crawling & Spelunking Tour is the second cave tour.
On this tour, visitors will explore a cave without any lighting, walkways, or stairs and have to climb and crawl their way through the entire trip.
Other amusing attractions and activities at Moaning Caverns Adventure Park include panning for gemstones, where each visitor assumes the role of a prospector looking for gems for their collection.
They also have an axe throwing activity, a competition that will put your aim skills to the test!
Don’t miss out on this exciting attraction on your next visit!
One of the biggest collections of wagons and carriages in the country is housed at the Angels Camp City Museum.
Just a 17-minute ride away from Copperopolis, this museum in Angels Camp is a well-known tourist attraction, with more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space dedicated to the history of the Gold Rush.
Every visitor will enjoy exploring the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits.
There are mining and minerals exhibits and even one dedicated to Mark Twain, as well as a human frog jump exhibit, where they can out-jump Rosie the Ribiter.
The Angels Camp City Museum also features shops where visitors can purchase items, like hats with distinctive designs, shirts, books about local history, and much more.
Don’t forget to take home some souvenirs on your trip here!
Ed Bierman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Only a 26-minute ride away from Copperopolis., Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown offers visitors an opportunity to take a glimpse into the past while riding on a vintage train.
Aside from vintage trains, this park features a roundhouse and the Sierra Railway Shops, listed as a Californian Historical Landmark.
To make this attraction more exciting, this park hosts a variety of events for people of all ages, such as the Polar Express Train Ride, which allows visitors to relive the magical long-hour train ride to the North Pole to see Santa.
Aside from that, there are the Tales of the Roundhouse exhibit, where visitors can hear actual ghost and death stories from past railroad workers and passengers who died in horrifying accidents.
They also have various programs where visitors can take a tour and learn about the history of locomotives.
In order to give tourists an exciting and memorable river trip experience, ARTA River Trips has been operating as a raft trip outfitter in Sonora since 1963.
Located just 28 minutes away from Copperopolis, you don’t have to travel far to go on an amazing rafting trip.
This non-profit company has been running successfully for over 50 years and provides a range of options for all types of rafters.
ARTA River Trips offers four different kinds of trips in stunning locations across the western United States, including California Rafting Trips, Oregon Rafting Trips, Idaho Rafting Trips, and the Utah and ColoradoTrips.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rafter looking for a challenge, we have the perfect trip for you!
This rafting company also provides courses that teach people of all ages about whitewater rafting, including wilderness survival techniques.
When you visit Copperopolis, it’s like stepping into a time machine.
There are so many historical landmarks that you feel transported to another era.
You get a glimpse of what life was like for people in this small town in the past.
Copperopolis has a rich history, which is why it is one of the destinations with the best things to do and try.
Don’t forget to try out these 15 best things to do in Copperopolis, California, on your next visit!
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