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Kern County Museum

3801 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, California

Description

The Kern County Museum documents and preserves historical buildings, items and exhibits related to the history of Kern County, California. The Pioneer Village contains over 50 buildings, several of which were relocated there from the surrounding area. It includes a schoolhouse, church, train station, hotel, courthouse, a wooden oil derrick, etc. and the most notable structure is the Beale Memorial Clock Tower. Other exhibits include 'Neon Plaza', with neon signs from various restaurants and shops, and 'Black Gold' which describes the county's oil industry.

Access & Transport

The museum is located in Bakersfield at 3801 Chester Ave. This is about 2km from the center of town. It is 300km / 2h15 drive north of Los Angeles, 170km south of Fresno and 180km east of San Luis Obispo.

Instructions & Recommendations

Some of the exhibits close at 15h00 / 15h30.

Meta review

Mixed online reviews for this attraction. It doesn't see a heavy flow of visitors which means maintenance isn't what it should be and access inside most buildings isn't permitted; this makes it less engaging, which in turns means less visitors... Comments do highlight the potential though and suggest that the experience could be enhanced with docents, for instance (maybe that had to do with the Covid pandemic). On the positive side, most buildings have short descriptions and there is a variety of things to see.

Environmental & Social

No or limited carbon footprint and helps preserve the county's architectural and historical heritage.

Conclusion

If you happen to be in the Bakersfield area and keen to learn more about early California's country life (late 19th century) then this is an excellent stop. No stand-out item, but visually interesting with some educational aspects to it. A guided tour might be worth considering if available.

Key positive

Broad range of buildings

Key negative

Needs more maintenance

Suitability

No restrictions

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in July 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Last admission at 15h30. Closed on Federal Holidays.

av. transport time:2h

est. visit time:1h 30m

Regulated hours

Monday -

Tuesday -

Wednesday09:00 - 16:00

Thursday09:00 - 16:00

Friday09:00 - 16:00

Saturday09:00 - 16:00

Sunday09:00 - 16:00

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
US$9
Adult
13 - 64
US$10
Child
3 - 12
US$5
Infant
0 - 2
US$0

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