Private Tour
A Highway 49 Drive: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Placerville to Jackson
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Experience California’s historic Gold Country on a driving tour from Placerville to Jackson with this affordable audio tour.
• Find out about the hard-rock mining era of the California Gold Rush which began in the 1850s, shortly after the area’s placer mines began to run dry
• Hear from producer Lynn Momboisse, a California native with a penchant for telling stories
• Do it all in 150 minutes or linger at stops along the way with complete control over when you start and finish
• Get unlimited use before your booking date and after it
• Use the virtual tour option at home
Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive a ticket with instructions and a unique code listed under “Before You Go”. Then simply install the VoiceMap app and enter your code.
The app displays directions to the starting point, and when you’re in the right place, just tap start. VoiceMap has automatic GPS playback, with turn-by-turn directions. It also works offline.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What To Expect
Placerville
This self-guided driving tour starts in Placerville. You’ll learn about the hard-rock mining era of the California Gold Rush which began in the 1850s, shortly after the area’s placer mines began to run dry.
Plymouth
The tour takes you through Plymouth.
What‘s Included
VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
Lifetime access to this tour in English
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Food/Drink
Smartphone and headphones
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Transportation
Options
A Highway 49 Drive: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Placerville to Jackson
Reviews
8 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Woul’ve been great if only …
Daydream62609515342,,Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Operator error on my part. Tour was excellent until I veered off course and missed half the tour. Happily, the tour is now in my library and I can try it again soon.
Our 35 th anniversary celebration trip
David G,,Aug 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very informative and fun to learn of the history of the gold rush, the culture, and the towns along hey 49.
Wonderful tour with one little glitch
Larry S,,Jul 9, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00Great informational trip. Just one glitch: there was one time when she got stuck and kept repeating the same directions. Trying to resolve this, we missed some turns and missed one of the the areas I was looking forward to seeing.
Like having a tour guide in the van with us
WCS52,,Jun 2, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We enjoyed the tour. It was a good amount of info, nicely paced. It made a beautiful drive better. We also enjoyed the Auburn to Placerville tour.
Beautiful scenery! Interesting history!
cynthiamY4007TN,,May 22, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the Gold Rush history provided. We were NOT able to get the audio through my Android phone or Bluetooth. Instead we would stop at various points and read the narrative...still very interesting. Due to the numerous "reading stops" we did not have time to enjoy a wine tasting stop but the wineries looked lovely. We also contacted Gary in South Africa (Tech support) he was very kind and attempted to assist us with the audio but we were not successful! We would try a self guided audio in the future, hopefully, with better luck. The ONLY comment we have is that this would not be a good tour to take children as they would find it boring...as kids tend to do in car rides.
Was a lot of fun learning the History of this new area we moved in.
josephgI481CY,,Apr 23, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Learning about all the Historical places as we drove was very enlightening and fun. Then choosing to stop and walk around and imagine what it was like to live during that era, was like time traveling!
Go for the Gold!
BTrippinB,,Jun 12, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Talk about some history!! We had so much fun taking this scenic and exploratory tour. Learning about the rich history (gold!!) surrounding us in Northern California has been a true treat, and gives us a further appreciation for what got us to this point today. The thorough detail is something to be praised, as it seems this company goes above and beyond with each consecutive tour. To many more!!
Gold Country Backroads tour of the Shenandoah Valley, and the gold rush towns of Fiddletown, Amador City, & Sutter Creek
jameswconrad65,,Jul 11, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was the second part of a 4 part driving tour series my wife and I took over a recent getaway weekend. We are big history buffs but really knew very little about the history of the California Gold Country right in our back yard. The tour guide is obviously very knowledgeable about the area and its history and really brings it all to life. This was a delightful and very interesting tour of some of California's most beautiful back roads. This second leg was a bit different from the others in that it included a nice little trip through the Shenandoah Valley. Think of it as the Napa/Sonoma of the California foothills. It includes a collection of some of the top unknown wineries in Northern California. The wine tasting at some world class wineries was a nice little surprise and a great way to spend the afternoon before getting back to our historic gold country tour. Some highlights included the cute little gold rush towns of Fiddletown, Amador City, and Sutter Creek. If it's open highly recommend a visit to the Kennedy Gold Mine where the history of the gold rush era is on full display.
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