California Museums
The $1.3 billion Getty Center. Architect: Richard Meier. Opened: Dec.16, 1997. Admission: Free. See: J. Paul Getty Museum Paintings, Sculptures, Manuscripts & Photographs. Shop, Dine & Explore the Central Garden. 1.8 million annual visitors.
California Museums Directory
There are over 1,000 California museums featuring art, rare sculptures from antiquities such as those featured at The Getty Villa, and museums dedicated to a variety of unique subjects. Pez candy dispensers, neon signage, bananas, fans, oil, trains, gold, gems, and even life's oddities are topics that have museums dedicated to them. Museums often reflect local interests and culture. There are farming museums in California's Central Valley, logging museums in forested areas, surfing museums at California's beaches, and dozens of museums just for kids. Be sure to plan your vacations and road trips to include some of these great attractions!TYPE
COUNTY
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Alameda: Meyer House
Alameda: Pacific Pinball Museum
Alameda: USS Hornet
Berkeley: UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology
BUTTE COUNTY
Chico: National YoYo Museum
Chico: Bidwell Mansion
Oroville: Chinese Temple
CALAVERAS COUNTY
Angels Camp: Angels Camp Museum
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Walnut Creek: Bedford Gallery
EL DORADO COUNTY
Placerville: Hangtown's Gold Bug Park
Placerville: El Dorado County Historical Museum
FRESNO COUNTY
There are dozens of outstanding, award-winning museums in Fresno County. See the full list...>
- Fresno Art Museum, 2233 North First Street, Fresno CA 93703 | fresnoartmuseum.org
- Arte Americas Cultural Center, 1630 Van Ness Avenue Fresno, CA | facebook.com/arteamericas/
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
Eureka: Blue Ox Mill
Eureka: Morris Graves Museum of Art in the Carnegie Building
Samoa: Samoa Cookhouse Logging Museum
KERN COUNTY
Bakersfield: Kern Country Museum Oil Exhibit
Taft: Western Kern Oil Museum
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Altadena: Bunny Museum
Arcadia: Gilb History Museum
Avalon: Catalina Casino
Bellflower: Los Angeles County Fire Museum
Burbank: Burbank Historical Society Gordon R. Howard Museum Complex
Carson: International Printing Museum
Downey: Columbia Memorial Space Center Museum
El Segundo: Automobile Driving Museum
Glendale: Forest Lawn Museum
Hollywood Hills: Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills
La Verne: Heritage Park
Lomita: Lomita Railroad Museum
Long Beach: Rancho Los Alamitos
Long Beach: Rancho Los Cerritos
Long Beach: Long Beach Art Museum
Long Beach: Queen Mary Museum Tours
Long Beach: Historical Museum Gallery
Long Beach: Museum of Latin American Art
Los Angeles: Hollywood Forever
Los Angeles: Heritage Square
Los Angeles: Autry National Center
Los Angeles: Flight Path Learning Center Museum
Los Angeles: The Getty
Los Angeles: Lucas Museum
Los Angeles: Lummis House Museum
Los Angeles: Andres Pico Adobe
Los Angeles: Natural History Museum
Los Angeles: The Broad
Los Angeles: County Museums
Los Angeles: The Hollywood Museum
Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits
Los Angeles: Museums List
Los Angeles: Travel Town Transportation Museum
Los Angeles: Wells Fargo Museum
Manhattan Beach: Manhattan Beach Historical Museum
Newhall: William S. Hart Museum & Ranch
Pacific Palisades: The Getty Villa
Pasadena: Pasadena Museums
Pasadena: Gamble House
Pasadena: Pasadena History Museum
Redondo Beach: Redondo Beach Historical Museum
San Marino: Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
San Pedro: Los Angeles Maritime Museum
San Pedro: Fort MacArthur Museum
San Pedro: Muller House
San Pedro: USS Iowa Battleship
Santa Fe Springs: Hathaway Oil Museum and Ranch
Torrance: Historical Society & Museum
Torrance: Western Museum of Flight
Whittier: Whittier Museum
Wilmington: Banning Museum
Wilmington: Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
MARIN COUNTY
Sausalito: Bay Area Discovery Museum
MARIPOSA COUNTY
Mariposa: Mineral & Mining Museum
MERCED COUNTY
MONTEREY COUNTY
Salinas: Museum of Medical History
Salinas: Steinbeck House Museum
Salinas: National Steinbeck Center
ORANGE COUNTY
Brea: Olinda Oil Museum and Trail
Buena Park: Independence Hall & Liberty Bell Replica
Buena Park: Whitaker-Jaynes Estate & Bacon House
Costa Mesa: Heroes Hall, a Veterans Museum
Costa Mesa: Historical Society
Garden Grove: Stanley Ranch Museum
Huntington Beach: International Surfing Museum
Huntington Beach: Newland House Museum
Lake Forest: Heritage Hill
Newport Beach: Balboa Island Museum
CLOSED: Newport Sports Museum
CLOSED: Ocean Quest (formerly XploreOcean; Newport Harbor Nautical Museum)
Orange: Huell Howser California Gold That's Amazing Champan U Exhibit
Santa Ana: Bowers Museum
CLOSED: Seal Beach: Red Car Museum
Westminster: Blakey Historical Park
PLACER COUNTY
Auburn: Bernhard House Complex
Roseville: Maidu Museum
Roseville: Telephone Museum
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Banning: Malki Museum
Desert Hot Springs: Cabot's Pueblo Museum
Hemet: Western Science Museum
Mecca: International Banana Museum
Temecula: Temecula Valley Museum
Temecula: Pennypickles Workshop
SACRAMENTO COUNTY
Folsom: Powerhouse State Historic Park
Folsom: Folsom Prison Museum
Folsom: Murer House Learning Center
McClellan: Aerospace Museum of California
Sacramento: California Automobile Museum
Sacramento: California State Railroad Museum
Sacramento: Governor's Mansion
Sacramento: Sutter's Fort Museum
Sacramento: The California Museum
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Redlands: Historical Glass Museum
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Carlsbad: Museum of Making Music
Carlsbad: Shipley-Magee House
Encinitas: Old Schoolhouse
San Diego: Balboa Park Museums
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY
San Francisco: Alacatraz
San Francisco: Boudin History Museum
San Francisco: De Young Museum
San Francisco: Exploratorium
San Francisco: Asian Art Museum
San Francisco: Maritime Museum
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
Cambria: Hearst Castle
Nipomo: Dana Adobe
San Luis Obispo: San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum
SAN MATEO COUNTY
CLOSED: Burlingame: Pez Museum
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Santa Ynez: Santa Ynez Historical Museum Parks-Janeway Carriage House
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Los Gatos: New Museum Los Gatos
Mountain View: The Computer History Museum
San Jose: The Tech Interactive
San Jose: Winchester Mystery House
SHASTA COUNTY
Lassen Volcanic National Park: Loomis Museum
SONOMA COUNTY
Santa Rosa: Charles M. Schulz Museum
TRINITY COUNTY
Weaverville: Joss House
TULARE COUNTY
Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park: Giant Forest Museum
VENTURA COUNTY
Camarillo: Camarillo Ranch
Oxnard: Mullin Automotive Museum
Santa Paula: California Oil Museum
Santa Paula: Agriculture Museum
Ventura: Museum of Ventura County
YOLO COUNTY
Woodland: Heidrick Ag History
EVENTS
California Museums Free Admission Days List
Museums in California offer great opportunities to learn and usually have affordable admission fees. Some are run by volunteers and their hours don't always guarantee that the volunteer staff is there to open the doors. It is recommended that you check with the museum of choice before going to confirm that they are open.