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Museum membership guide
Top 48 places in California for History
byShiry
Live update: Updated February 15, 2022Copy link
Copy link1. The California Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
ShiryThe California Museum educates visitors on the Golden State’s history and unique influence on the world through ideas, innovation, the arts and culture. Through interactive exhibits and engaging programs, the Museum inspires visitors to make their own mark on history
2. Kern County Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
3. Pasadena Museum of History
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Mission of the Museum is to promote an appreciation of history, culture, arts, and sciences relevant to Pasadena and adjoining communities.
4. Sacramento History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
5. San Diego History Center
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
6. San Mateo County History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
7. Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
8. Sonoma County Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Museum of Sonoma County engages and inspires our diverse community with art and history exhibitions, collections, and public programs that are inclusive, educational, and relevant.
9. USS Hornet Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe USS Hornet Museum is full of exciting exhibits that illustrate the history of the USS Hornet, her sister ships, and the history of naval aviation!
10. Asian Art Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Asian Art Museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world holding 18,000 objects spanning 6,000 years of history. With Asia as our lens and art as our cornerstone, we spark connections across cultures and through time, igniting curiosity, conversation, and creativity. Asia is not one place. The ideas and ideals that we call Asian are countless and diverse. Some of the works we display pre-date written history. Others were recently created. Many have connections to works from other continents and other millennia. We explore these links, provoking discovery, debate, and inspiration.
11. Automobile Driving Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryWelcome to the Automobile Driving Museum, one of Southern California’s premier destinations for car enthusiasts! With a rotating collection of 130 classic, antique and vintage automobiles on display, museum visitors experience a wide range of vehicles from years gone by. The Museum is committed to the preservation and maintenance of these vehicles.
12. Autry Museum of the American West
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryVoted “Favorite Museum” by L.A. Daily News readers for five years in a row! Located across from the L.A. Zoo in the heart of Griffith Park and with plentiful free parking, the Autry has something for everyone: Western movie memorabilia and artifacts, Native American art and cultural materials, kids activities, changing exhibitions, films, paintings, sculptures, and more. Come discover all the diverse stories of the American West at the Autry!
13. Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded to preserve, explore and promote the history, heritage and culture of the Island and the greater Newport Beach community.
14. Blackhawk Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryA Classic Car Collection, Western History Museum and More.
15. California State Railroad Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
16. Campbell Museums
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Campbell Museums are a City of Campbell owned and operated Museum organization with two museum sites. The historical museum and the Ainsley House.
17. Catalina Island Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryLocated in the new Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building, the Catalina Island Museum offers residents and visitors the island’s only access to art, history and culture.
18. Clarke Historical Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryFounded by Eureka High School teacher Cecile Clarke, the museum has been housed in the landmark Bank of Eureka building since 1960. The Clarke Museum proudly displays the rich history of Humboldt County, which includes vibrant Native American cultures, gold rush settlements, the lumber industry, prosperous ranching, farming and livelihoods wrung from the sea. Walking through period rooms and changing exhibits, visitors can glimpse Victorian elegance, remarkable craftsmanship, and everyday work, home, life and play from Humboldt County’s past.
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 50 NARM locations in California
19. Coachella Valley History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 50 NARM locations in California
20. Coronado Museum of History and Art
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
21. de Saisset Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 50 places in California for Art
22. Fullerton Arboretum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryFullerton Arboretum is a 26 acre botanic garden on the campus of California State University. The garden hosts two museums: Heritage House, an 1894 Eastlake Victorian Cottage fully restored with docent guided tours and the Orange County Agricultural & Nikkei Heritage Museum. The arboretum’s living collections include plants from every region of the world displayed in their native topography. Fullerton Arboretum is a Level IV Arboretum, the highest accreditation possibly, one of just 180 Level IV arboreta worldwide.
23. GLBT Historical Society/GLBT History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryOften referred to as San Francisco’s “queer Smithsonian,” the GLBT Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that houses one of the world’s largest collections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender historical materials. The GLBT History Museum in San Francisco’s Castro District—a project of the GLBT Historical Society—is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. The museum currently features a long-term exhibition, “Queer Past Becomes Present,” as well as changing exhibitions in the Front Gallery and Community Gallery.
24. Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 50 places in California for Art
25. Green Dragon Tavern & Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryVisit Green Dragon Tavern & Museum in Carlsbad, CA! Our museum features original documents, newspapers and artifacts from the Mayflower Pilgrim through Revolutionary War eras of American history. Step into an enhanced replica of the original Green Dragon Tavern (demolished in 1854) where are founders planned the American Revolution, Boston Tea Party and where Paul Revere left from on his iconic midnight ride.
26. Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 50 places in California for Art
27. Holocaust Museum LA
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShirySince 1961, the Holocaust Museum LA has provided free Holocaust education to students and visitors from across Los Angeles, the United States and the world, fulfilling the mission of the founding Holocaust survivors to commemorate, educate and inspire. The Museum is open seven days a week, and because the founding survivors insisted that no visitors ever be turned away from learning about the Holocaust for lack of an entry fee, Museum admission is always free.
28. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryLA Plaza de Cultura y Artes – LA Plaza – celebrates the past and inspires the future by sharing the untold stories about the history, culture, values, and traditions of Mexican, Mexican American, and all Latinos in the founding and continuing evolution of Southern California. We do this through compelling and culturally enriching exhibitions, educational programs, and public programming. We’ve welcomed visitors since 2011.
29. Los Altos History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShirySince 2001, Los Altos History Museum has provided a welcoming center for visitors of all ages to learn about local history and engage in hands-on educational activities. Located in one of the few remaining apricot orchards of Santa Clara Valley, the Museum houses several exhibit spaces, including an outdoor agricultural exhibit, and offers award-winning exhibitions, community programs, and an idyllic garden setting for weddings.
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 41 Cultural locations in California
30. Maidu Museum and Historic Site
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Maidu Museum & Historic Site offers a unique cultural haven for families and individuals who want to experience the life ways and culture of the Nisenan Maidu who called this location home for thousands of years.The outside trail wanders through the Historic Site and offers visitors a chance to see the lasting cultural landmarks via hundreds of bedrock mortar holes and deeply carved petroglyphs. The museum houses interactive exhibits, displays and an art gallery showcasing contemporary California Indian art. The museum offers public tours every Saturday at 10am. Group guided tours are offered Monday-Friday, by reservations.
31. March Field Air Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe March Field Air Museum is dedicated to promoting an understanding of humanity’s reach for the skies and March Field’s pivotal role in the development of flight. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and rated the #1 Attraction in Riverside by TripAdvisor, the museum is located alongside Interstate Highway 215 at Van Buren Boulevard, just south of downtown Riverside and adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. Over 80 aircraft are on display, ranging from a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer (which launched powered flight worldwide), to the world’s fastest manned air-breathing aircraft (the SR-71 Blackbird) and a modern-day MQ-1 Predator (remotely piloted aircraft), to early examples of military aircraft, to some of America’s most iconic military planes including World War II bombers.
32. Marin History Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryFounded in 1935, the not-for-profit Marin History Museum celebrates the traditions of innovation and creativity of the people of Marin County. The collection includes historic artifacts and documents that relate to the history of Marin County and consists of some 20,000 artifacts and more than 200,000 historical photographs.
33. Museum of the San Ramon Valley
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
34. New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) – Los Gatos Museum Association
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
35. Oakland Museum of California
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) brings together collections of art, history, and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA’s groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California’s cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic, and social forces that affect the state and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage. visit: www.museumca.org
36. Ocean Institute
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe Ocean Institute invites you to explore the ocean’s underwater world and California’s fascinating maritime history through fun, interactive programs and family activities that indulge your ocean curiosity.
37. Ojai Valley Museum of History and Art
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
38. Patrick Ranch Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryPatrick Ranch Museum is located on a 28 acre ranch and 1870s Glenwood Mansion showcasing the agricultural history of Northern California.
39. Petaluma Historical Library and Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
40. San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryThe San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum engages and inspires people and communities by preserving and showcasing the agricultural innovation, ingenuity and diverse histories of our county.
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 6 Historical Society locations in California
41. Santa Barbara Historical Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 7 locations in Santa Barbara
42. Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
43. Tahoe Maritime Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
44. Tenderloin Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
45. The Chico Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 5 locations in Chico
46. The Haggin Museum
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
47. The Paley Center for Media
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryRecommended this place!
48. USS Pampanito
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:ShiryUSS Pampanito (SS-383) is a World War II Balao class Fleet submarine museum and memorial that is open for visitors daily at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Pampanito made six patrols in the Pacific during World War II during which she sank six Imperial Japanese ships and damaged four others.
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