Best of California's Missions, Mansions, and Museums A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Golden State's Historic and Cultural Treasures

by McKowen, Ken; McKowen, Dahlynn

• ISBN13: 9780899973982
• ISBN10: 0899973981
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-30
• Publisher: Wilderness Press

Summary

This two-colour traveller's companion features more than 130 of California's best missions, mansions, and museums. In addition to insider information on many of the destinations, the guide features themed tours that will appeal to tourists and armchair travellers alike, history buffs, as well as teachers and parents. Explore a Russian fort; an island prison; the West's version of Ellis Island; a U.S. Naval weapons development site; presidential museums; quirky, human-powered vehicles; sailing ships and aircraft carriers; California's gold mines; mansions built by some of the country's richest entrepreneurs; the art of American, Asian, and European masters; and much more. Each of the eight sections covers a separate geographic region. Every entry details the highlights of a particular place and includes operating hours, entrance fees, location, a phone number, and website information.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vi
Destinations by Category	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
The "Best" Selections	p. 2
About This Guide	p. 6
North Coast
Introduction	p. 11
Trivia	p. 12
Battery Point Lighthouse and Museum: California's northernmost lighthouse	p. 13
Del Norte County Museum: A look at Crescent City's tsunami	p. 14
Samoa Cookhouse Museum: Great food in a historic lumberjack cookhouse	p. 16
Clarke Historical Museum: Victorians to Native Americans	p. 17
Humboldt State University Natural History Museum: Fossils and bugs the kids will love	p. 19
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park: Steam donkeys and lumber mill locomotives	p. 20
Fortuna Depot Museum: Restored depot and museum of local history	p. 22
Ferndale Museum: Nineteenth century living essentials for home and business	p. 23
Kinetic Sculpture Museum: Most outlandish human-powered race "cars" ever to compete	p. 25
Guest House Museum: An 1890s-era lumber baron's home	p. 26
Point Cabrillo Light Station: A complete historic light station	p. 28
Kelley House Museum: Spectacular ocean views from the bedrooms	p. 30
Fort Ross State Historic Park: Russian fort built of redwood overlooking the ocean	p. 31
Mendocino County Museum: Home to Mendocino's rich history	p. 33
Sonoma Mission and Barracks: California's 21st and last mission	p. 34
Lachryma Montis (General Mariano Vallejo Home): Mexican general's historic "Yankee" home	p. 36
Jack London State Historic Park: Home of beloved American author	p. 38
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens: Home of the nation's top horticultural pioneer	p. 40
Charles M. Schulz Museum: Comic relief	p. 41
North Coast Tours	p. 43
North Coast Travel Information Centers	p. 47
Shasta Cascade
Introduction	p. 49
Trivia	p. 50
Siskiyou County Museum: Home to Siskiyou County history	p. 51
Weed Historic Lumber Town Museum: More than a lumber museum	p. 53
Lava Beds National Monument Visitor Center Museum: Caves galore to explore	p. 54
Fort Crook Museum: A round barn museum	p. 56
Modoc County Historical Museum: History of a remote California county	p. 58
Lassen Historical Museum: Roops Fort remnant	p. 60
Plumas County Museum	p. 62
Coburn-Variel Home: Plumas history, from Indians to gold, and a fancy 19th century small-town home	p. 62
Portola Railroad Museum: High Sierra train museum	p. 63
Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park: California's oldest operating Chinese temple	p. 65
Shasta State Historic Park Museum: Quaint historic Gold Rush town	p. 67
Shasta Cascade Tours	p. 70
Shasta Cascade Information Centers	p. 73
San Francisco and Greater Bay Area
Introduction	p. 75
Trivia	p. 76
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park: The 90-day state capitol	p. 77
Alcatraz Island: Island prison	p. 79
Angel Island State Historic Park: Ellis Island of the West	p. 81
Fort Point National Historic Site: California's Civil War fort	p. 83
San Francisco Maritime Museum: San Francisco's tribute to maritime history	p. 85
SS Jeremiah O'Brien: One of the last World War II Liberty Ships	p. 87
San Francisco Cable Car Museum: A San Francisco treat	p. 89
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Paintings, sculpture, and imagination	p. 90
Asian Art Museum: Asian religious art at its best	p. 92
De Young Museum: One of San Francisco's oldest and largest museums	p. 94
San Francisco Fire Museum: San Francisco's firefighting history	p. 96
Mission Dolores: Historic mission chapel and a soaring basilica	p. 98
Oakland Museum of California: A walk through California's history	p. 99
Pardee Home Mansion: Home of the 1906 "earthquake" governor	p. 101
USS Potomac: A presidential yacht	p. 103
USS Hornet Museum: Famed World War II-era aircraft carrier	p. 104
Winchester Mystery House: Endless mysteries mansion	p. 106
Filoli: Fight, love, and live in luxury	p. 108
San Francisco and Greater Bay Area Tours	p. 111
San Francisco and Greater Bay Area Travel Information Centers	p. 113
Great Valley
Introduction	p. 115
Trivia	p. 116
Turtle Bay Exploration Park: A great place for kids of all ages	p. 117
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park: Home of one of California's successful pre-Gold Rush settlers	p. 119
The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts: Showcasing the women of California	p. 121
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park: Sacramento's first and only fort	p. 123
State Capitol Museum: The heart of California's government	p. 125
California State Railroad Museum: One of the world's finest railroad museums	p. 127
Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: Home of California's governor in 1862	p. 129
Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Victorian-style residence for 13 California governors	p. 131
Crocker Art Museum: Oldest art museum in the West	p. 133
The Sacramento Museum of History, Science, Space, and Technology: History of California's capital city	p. 134
Towe Auto Museum: Luxury, speed, and cool on wheels	p. 136
Folsom Prison Museum: History of the home to many of California's worst criminals	p. 138
Folsom Powerhouse Museum: California's first long-distance electric plant	p. 140
Castle Air Museum: Bombers, spy planes, and fighter jets	p. 142
The Meux Home: One of Fresno's finest Victorian homes	p. 144
Kearney Mansion: A raisin king's mansion	p. 145
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park: Agricultural town founded and run by African Americans	p. 147
Great Valley Tours	p. 149
Great Valley Travel Information Centers	p. 151
Gold Country and High Sierra
Introduction	p. 153
Trivia	p. 154
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park: The Gold Rush began here	p. 155
Columbia State Historic Park: A restored Gold Rush town	p. 157
Empire Mine State Historic Park: Tour a hard-rock gold mining operation	p. 159
El Dorado County Historical Museum: A Mother Lode museum	p. 161
California State Mining and Mineral Museum: Gold and other mineral treasures	p. 163
Donner Memorial State Park Museum: Crossing the Sierra, from wagons to railroads	p. 165
Ehrman Mansion: San Francisco banker family's summer home	p. 167
Vikingsholm: A Viking castle on the Emerald Bay	p. 169
Tallac Historic Site	p. 171
Baldwin Estate	p. 172
Pope Estate	p. 172
Heller Estate: Summer mansions for San Francisco's elite families	p. 173
Bodie State Historic Park: California's most authentic ghost town	p. 174
Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site: Transplanted historic railroad town great for kids	p. 176
Manzanar National Historic Site: Our uprooted American citizens	p. 178
Gold Country and High Sierra Tours	p. 181
Gold Country and High Sierra Travel Information Centers	p. 185
Central Coast
Introduction	p. 187
Trivia	p. 188
Mission San Juan Bautista: Mission built just a few feet from the San Andreas fault	p. 189
Carmel Mission: Mission founder Father Junipero Serra's burial site	p. 191
Custom House and Pacific House Museums: Two of California's earliest government buildings	p. 193
Cooper-Molera Adobe: An expanded Mexican adobe home	p. 195
Larkin House: Home of Monterey's Mexican-era business leader	p. 197
Colton Hall: California's state constitution was written here	p. 198
Monterey Maritime Museum and History Center (Stanton Center): Maritime memories	p. 200
National Steinbeck Center: A great novelist's life, explored	p. 201
Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum: A cornucopia of antique farm equipment	p. 203
Mission San Antonio de Padua: California's third mission	p. 205
Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument: A newspaper baron's mountaintop mansion	p. 207
Mission San Luis Obispo: Hilltop mission in old San Luis Obispo	p. 209
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park: A living-history mission	p. 211
Mission Santa Ines: Spanish mission in a Danish town	p. 213
Mission Santa Barbara: Queen of the missions	p. 215
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: Fortieth US president's final resting place	p. 217
Central Coast Tours	p. 219
Central Coast Travel Information Centers	p. 221
Los Angeles County
Introduction	p. 223
Trivia	p. 224
Workman and Temple Family Homestead: Two contrasting mansions	p. 225
Rancho Los Alamitos: A gentleman's ranch	p. 227
Los Cerritos Ranch House: Expansive historic adobe home	p. 229
The Getty Center and The Getty Villa: LA's premier art museums	p. 231
California African American Museum: The African American movement West	p. 233
Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits: LA's sticky fossils	p. 235
Petersen Automotive Museum: The cars of the stars and much more	p. 237
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: From a rare shark to birds of a feather	p. 239
Museum of the American West: Gene Autry's western museum	p. 241
Southwest Museum of the American Indian: The oldest museum in Los Angeles	p. 243
Adamson House: Beach house mansion	p. 245
San Fernando Mission: Mission Hills mission	p. 247
William S. Hart Mansion: Silent film star's hilltop mansion	p. 249
Will Rogers State Historic Park: Cowboy philosopher's ranch home	p. 251
Fenyes Mansion: A Pasadena Beaux Art mansion	p. 253
The Gamble House: Craftsman home built for the Gambles (of Proctor and Gamble)	p. 255
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum: The need for speed	p. 257
Huntington Museum: Home of the paintings Blue Boy and Pinkie	p. 259
Los Angeles Maritime Museum: Historic ferry terminal turned museum	p. 261
Pio Pico State Historic Park: A Mexican governor's El Ranchito	p. 263
Banning Residence Museum: A 23-room Greek Revival home	p. 265
Los Angeles County Tours	p. 267
Los Angeles County Travel Information Centers	p. 271
South Coast and Desert
Introduction	p. 273
Trivia	p. 274
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Birthplace: A president's legacy	p. 275
International Surfing Museum: Surf City USA	p. 277
Newport Harbor Nautical Museum: The museum of yachting	p. 279
Mission San Juan Capistrano: Father Junipero Serra's church	p. 281
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia: California's 18th mission	p. 282
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park: A Hollywood star's working ranch	p. 284
Museum of Making Music: The history of modern musical instruments	p. 286
Mission San Diego de Alcala: California's first mission	p. 288
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park	p. 290
La Casa de Estudillo (The Estudillo House)	p. 290
Seeley Stable Museum	p. 291
McCoy House: California's early history returns	p. 292
Marston House: An $18,000, 8500-square-foot home	p. 294
San Diego Museum of Man: Anthropology on a human scale	p. 296
San Diego Air and Space Museum: A timeline of human flight	p. 297
San Diego Automotive Museum: Take a ride through automobile history	p. 299
San Diego Model Railroad Museum: California's largest model railroad museum	p. 301
San Diego Natural History Museum: From archeology to zoology-and plenty for kids	p. 303
San Diego Museum of Art: The art of American and European masters	p. 304
Maritime Museum of San Diego: A museum of ships	p. 305
San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum (USS Midway): Forty-six years of active duty	p. 307
Twenty Mule Team Museum: The borax museum	p. 309
Colonel Vernon P. Saxon Jr. Aerospace Museum: Experimental X-planes and more	p. 311
US Naval Museum of Armament and Technology: Navy weapons development	p. 312
Scotty's Castle (Death Valley Ranch): Death Valley oasis	p. 314
South Coast and Desert Tours	p. 317
South Coast and Desert Travel Information Centers	p. 321
Trivia Answers
North Coast	p. 323
Shasta Cascade	p. 324
San Francisco and Greater Bay Area	p. 325
Great Valley	p. 326
Gold Country and High Sierra	p. 327
Central Coast	p. 328
Los Angeles County	p. 329
South Coast and Desert	p. 331
Index	p. 333
About the authors	p. 343
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