California Museums and Galleries

California’s museum landscape spans maritime history, scientific innovation, and architectural heritage. Explore the former federal prison on Alcatraz Island, the Roman-inspired Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, and the interactive Exploratorium in San Francisco. The collection includes specialized sites like the Musée Mécanique’s vintage arcade games, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s marine exhibits, and historic naval vessels like the USS Iowa. Architectural highlights include the American Craftsman-style Gamble House and Lummis Home, while the NASA Ames Exploration Center showcases aerospace research and technology.

Alcatraz Island

Historic former federal prison and military fortification located on a rocky island in a bay, now functioning as a museum and national monument.

The Hollywood Museum

This museum of Hollywood memorabilia is a must-see for all fans of the silver screen.

The Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is an educational center and art museum located at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades…

Musée Mécanique

The Musée Mécanique is a for-profit interactive museum of 20th-century penny arcade games and artifacts, located at Fisherman's Wharf in…

Exploratorium

The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California.

Boudin Bakery

Founded in 1849, this bakery has been catering to San Franciscans the best sourdough French bread in California.

Battleship USS Iowa

Historic naval battleship museum featuring a preserved WWII-era warship with exhibits spanning multiple conflicts. Offers interactive displays and guided tours that highlight its military significance.

Cable Car Museum

This San Francisco museum is the place to visit if you are in the least interested in cable cars or machines.

USS Pampanito

USS Pampanito, a Balao-class submarine, is a United States Navy ship, the third named for the pompano fish.

California Route 66 Museum

The California Route 66 Museum is located on Historic U.S. Route 66 in Old Town Victorville, in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino…

Gamble House

The Gamble House, also known as the David B. Gamble House, is an iconic American Craftsman home in Pasadena, California, designed by the…

Lummis Home

Lummis House, also known as El Alisal, is a Rustic American Craftsman stone house built by Charles Fletcher Lummis in the late 19th and…

The Ansel Adams Gallery

The award-winning photographer became famous because of his black-and-white photos of nature. There are works of other artists as well.

NASA Ames Exploration Center

The Ames Research Center, also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon…

Guinness World Records Museum

Come here to learn about anything that broke a record at some point. Anything largest, smallest, best or worst - you'll learn all about it…

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is a museum which was established in May 1986 to document the history of surfing.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and…

Birch Aquarium

Birch Aquarium is an aquarium and the public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San…

San Jose Museum of Art

The San José Museum of Art is a modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose, California, United States.

Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn

Located in Griffith Park, this red barn was originally Walt Disney’s personal workshop and the control center for his 1/8th-scale steam railroad. It features hand-built tools, train models, and memorabilia documenting Disney’s lifelong passion for railroading.

The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive is a science and technology center that offers hands-on activities, labs, design challenges and other STEAM education…

Heritage Square Museum

Heritage Square Museum is a living history and open-air architecture museum located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights…