Miner's Picnic

Name: Miner's Picnic
Start: 2025-08-23T11:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-08-23T16:00:00-07:00
Location: 10791 East Empire Street, Grass Valley, CA, United States, California 95945

Schedule

Sat Aug 23 2025 at 11:00 am to 04:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

10791 East Empire Street, Grass Valley, CA, United States, California 95945 | Grass Valley, CA

On Saturday, August 23rd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy a treasured local tradition at Empire Mine State Historic Park!
Miner’s Picnic, which began in 1895 as a benefit for the families of deceased miners, is an opportunity for visitors to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the historic park grounds, accompanied by live music, games and activities from the time of the original Miner’s Picnics over 100 years ago.
There will also be historic children’s games, hard rock mining work to try your hand at, and docents in period attire demonstrating the mining equipment. The historic buildings on the lush estate grounds will be open for viewing for the duration of the event. Don't miss the Mine Disaster Rescue melodrama, the traditional reenactment of the 1888 mine explosion (those concerned about loud noises should arrive 12:30 or later).
The park opens at 10:00 a.m., and the activities and entertainment begin at 11:00 a.m. Ice cream, hot dogs and Cornish pasties will be available for purchase, or bring your own lunch. Don’t forget the picnic blanket!
Entrance fee is $5 per person; age 5 and under are free. Fourth Graders and their families get in free with the California State Parks Adventure Pass (please obtain pass prior to arrival; visit www.parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass for information).
For more details about this year’s Miner’s Picnic, visit “Upcoming Events” on www.parks.ca.gov/EmpireMine.
This annual event is organized in cooperation with the Sierra Gold Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports educational and interpretive programs for the three California State Parks in Western Nevada County.