Visiting ghost towns is a great way to give your kids a quick education about the history of our country during the days of the Wild West. Not all of these places have disappeared into the landscape. Some were revitalized into thriving towns again and been given a second life. I can’t guarantee you’ll actually encounter any ghosts here, but the more remote ones can be a bit spooky. Courtesy of Toyota I had a chance to check out some of these 10 that are by far the best in terms of preserved buildings and are fairly easy to get to.
Bodie, California
In the Sierra Nevada Mountains straddling the California-Nevada border, this former gold town had 10,000 residents in the late 1800s. After the gold rush days it slowly declined, with its post office finally closing in 1942. Only a small part of the town survived, but Bodie still has a lot left to see, including saloons and a red-light district. Don’t even think of taking anything from it’s still stocked stores though or bad luck may come your way.
Settled:1876
Abandoned:1915
Current Status:National Historic Site
Calico, California
This Southern California town peaked in the 1880s. Prospectors came in droves to mine silver. When the price dropped in the 1890s, people began to leave, and it quickly became a ghost town. Today,Calico is a park, but you can still see a lot of the original buildings and you can tour the mine, or stroll through the old post office and schoolhouse.
Settled: 1881
Abandoned:1907
Current Status:County Park
If you have a couple of weeks you could make the whole trip, but I recommend breaking it up, as I’ve done over the years. That way you can slowly enjoy the whole experience, like people did before modern day highway speed limits. The Western section has a lot more of the original route and attractions preserved, but the Eastern half still has some great surprises as well. Courtesy of