We had our wedding at the Benicia Historical Museum on July 11, 2025, and it was exactly what we…read morewanted! From start to finish, the venue was beautiful. We used the outdoor space for most of the event, and it hardly needed any decorations--the natural flowers and surroundings spoke for themselves. What truly made our experience unforgettable was the incredible support from Zoe, the event coordinator. She went above and beyond to make our big day seamless. Zoe was kind, communicative, and so organized. Every question we had, she answered with ease. Every little hiccup, she handled before it even became a problem. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but Zoe made the entire process feel smooth and stress-free. Our guests loved the unique atmosphere of the museum, and we couldn't have asked for a better backdrop for such a special occasion. We're still getting compliments! If you're considering this venue for your event--do it. And if you get to work with Zoe, just know you're in excellent hands. Thank you again to Zoe and the entire Benicia Historical Museum team for helping us create memories that will last a lifetime! - J and Karina

Wedding venue was very enjoyable. It has plenty of parking, indoor as well as outdoor event spaces.read more

Walking around on a Sunday afternoon, we notice the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park was open…read more We decided to go in and take a look around. It's not free to do so. I believe it's $3 per adult, which is not bad at all. We walked through and looked at the informational displays on the first floor. The Park Ranger that worked there spoke to us and gave us a little history. We also walked around the carriage house, workers' quarters, and sculptured gardens. Very nice visit. Glad they have it open for tours.

It was so cool understanding more of the history with Benicia and our state. Our guide Charlie was…read moreawesome. He loves his job and history. I loved his energy and how passionate he was. He explained a lot to us and let us take pictures even hold the keys. Its only 3 dollars to get in. Worth it! Only issue is that Fischer house was closed because they're fixing windows and it was suppose to be done by March and it still isnt. So couldn't see inside.

This is one of the coolest car-related things I've ever done…read more The Cobra Experience (which is a non-profit) periodically has an event called "What's That Third Pedal For?" This event which happens bi-monthly provides an eclectic group of cars with a variety of transmissions to learn on. I had not driven a manual transmission car for at least 9 years (when I had parked a vintage Porsche 911 during a previous job - BOY that had a heavy clutch) and for $30.50 ($15.50 if you're between 15-20), this was an absolute no brainer! The cars provided today were a Nissan Pathfinder Northwest Edition, 2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z51 package, 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 289 HiPo, and a Superformance Shelby Cobra reproduction - not just any reproduction but the one that was used on-screen in Ford Vs. Ferrari(!!!). The course is designed to have participants get the chance to drive each car around a designated area surrounding the museum for 2 laps after receiving an initial ride-along lap with the instructor beforehand and parking in the designated 'pit' area to swap seats. This included multiple stop/starts to practice clutch release, upshifting and downshifting. All the cars appeared to be well-cared for and the instructors were super patient and helpful. My goal for this was to see if I could get through it without stalling. Not only did I manage this goal even with the GT350 and Cobra having no power brakes/power steering and super-heavy clutches, but all 4 instructors gave me high marks. What an absolute treat, and on top of that they gave each participant schwag bags filled to the brim and even a poster! WOW! I highly recommend this event alone as if you are looking to practice stick-shift. It's a fantastic way to do so in a safe, controlled environment as well as potentially drive special cars as a bonus for a very reasonable price. I'll definitely go back to the museum soon for a visit. Thank you to everyone the Cobra Experience, this was AWESOME!

Really amazing place, amazing cars, and truly amazing staff. Don't miss out on this place…read moreseriously. Don't listen to that guy Grigor with the bad review he sounds like a real loser. I will be back to the Cobra Experience forsure!

What a lovely little gem of a building that takes you back in time. 3-4 rooms filled with old town…read morememorabilia and historical sales and product from the sugar factory next door. It was free to get in, but gently asks for donations to help support. Lots one star from me as I would have really liked more description information on the different items. Otherwise you really are not sure what you are looking at :(

This was a fun stop and the whole reason I made a trip to Crockett…read more They have a wild miscellany of city history, industrial equipment, hobbyist work, and local flavor. I think I spent about 45 minutes wandering through the place, which is probably plenty unless you read everything. But I definitely recommend it for anyone who is into tiny museums - about 4-5 rooms that used to be a train station. Sadly, there's not that much that has that train station feel. But aside from that, if you've never seen a cream separator, punch card sorter, or a scale model of the National Cathedral (D.C.) and want to, this is your place. Staffed by friendly, knowledgeable docents who take pride in Crockett's history.

My bf and I attended the open house this past Sunday and enjoyed our time here. The entrance is…read morelocated up the steps on the right side of the building. Admission is free for kids (up to age 16) and $5 for adults. They accept cash or credit card payments. The workers were friendly, and we were free to explore at our own pace. This model railroad display was amazing, two floors of detailed scenery and miniature trains, buses, and cable cars moving along the tracks. Loved seeing the setup for different cities in the east bay, old companies and factories, and various landmarks and bridges, representation from the 1940's to today. A diverse range of scenes in the exhibit included people camping, fishing, and boating, emergency vehicles and rescues, a movie theater, casino, Starbucks Coffee, C&H Sugar, the city of Sacramento (including the CA State Capitol building), and the China Wall at Donner Pass, part of the Central Pacific Railroad. There was even an entire amusement park with a ferris wheel, carousel, various carnival rides, and colorful blinking lights. More than enough to keep visitors engaged. They offer a scavenger hunt too. This may be the largest model railroad exhibit I've ever been to. It wasn't too crowded, and obviously the place is family-friendly. Parking was free and easy out front. I was truly impressed with this train show, and with the changing themes and designs throughout the year, I wouldn't hesitate to return for another open house event.

Lots of opportunities to interact with highly experienced model railroaders. Very kid friendly as…read morechildren can get close to the trains without a lot of Plexiglas in the way. Only $5 for adults and kids under 16 free!

This home museum is a part of the Benicia State Capitol Park. I am reviewing in separately. It…read moreisn't always open when the Capitol Building is. It is worth timing your visit to see both of them. The very reasonable $3 admission will cover both the home and Capitol. I enjoyed a great tour of this pre-civil war home. It is filled with the items and artifacts of the original families. The house had stayed in the family until it was deeded to Benicia in the 1960s. It made it even more interesting to see how things had changed over the years. Our tour started in the rear of the house and worked to the front and then upstairs. The outer buildings are interesting. The garden is also worth exploring; the volunteers are replanting some of it. I enjoy house museums, and this one is great one. I loved to see how people lived and this one gave me a real feeling for the 100 years that the family lived here.

Thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Patty (on the Love train). She was knowledgeable about the history…read moreand had a great sense of humor. If you love learning about history, what better way than visiting actual places that encapsulates the era. For this location it was the mid-1850s. Recommend to visit when you're in Benicia.

If you want to learn the history of Martinez (1800-1909s) this is the place. The museum is small…read morebut has so much to share! They've done a great job in their set up and displays. Very easy to follow. The museum has two floors packed with past and current Martinez information. I like how they break it by subject making it easy to follow.

This museum is small, but mighty, and is chock full of local history!…read more Located in the historic two-story 1890 Borland home on the corner of Escobar Street and Court Street, it's a must-visit if you're a resident of CoCo County. Thanks to the Martinez Historical Society -- plus volunteers -- they saved the building from being demolished! The museum is staffed by volunteers who grew up in Martinez, saw it change and grow throughout the decades, and can give you an "old-timer's" first-person account of where and how things used to be : ) For example, did you know that Martinez was THE place to go for shopping and people watching? Or that numerous historic buildings and historic building elements were torn down in the name of modernity? Check out the old photos and memorabilia forever immortalizing past Martinez residents and enjoy local found items from the Ohlone and Bay Miwok. You can tour the small museum with the volunteers as your guide, or simply walk through on your own. But you'd be missing out on the best part of the visit : ) *Note: Make sure you sign in, in the guest book, pick up a few brochures for local historic sites, and contribute a donation in an envelope.

This turned out to be one of my favorite stops, especially when I'm in between appointments in Palo…read moreAlto. I knew in advance that on Thursdays (2nd & 4th weeks only), the public street parking in front of the building was off limits for street sweeping/no parking between 7am-11am, so I got very lucky pulling up in front at 11am sharp. Nice. Easy walk. The Foster Museum was very simple, decent, positive, and relaxing environment filled with gorgeous nature views/sketches/watercolor artworks by the U.K. artist, Tony Foster. Good feeling here. Free admissions and good customer service staffs. You can just walk in or register online. There's a tiny gift area not far from the public restrooms. I signed the guestbook at the end of my walk. Good place to hang around/includes unlimited paper, paper/pencils/samples/etc. If you like to sketch and get some creative inspirations, all the nature artworks in the gallery is definitely a good place to start. Not huge, but perfectly quite and calm for art lovers. You can request for an orientation and/or tour as desired. Great first impression during first visit. It's the positive feeling I get from observing the energy and various colorful artworks. Simple and stress-free. Good value/free admissions is totally worth the 1-2 hours here. They also host art classes too, but I will need to take time to browse around online. Good vibes. Staffs are friendly inside. Hidden place. Love it.

This place is a hidden gem in Palo Alto, in an industrial area surrounded by factories. It is a…read moremuseum of the work of Tony Foster, an artist from UK who paints beautiful watercolor landscapes. It's free, and a nice place to visit for an hour or so ... highly recommended.

The Shell Alumni Museum is a volunteer effort run by the retirees (and family) of the nearby…read morerefinery. It is located at the far end of the parking lot (off Pacheco) that also serves the Shell Clubhouse. It is a nicely appointed building that contains a conference room and a lot of neat Shell memorabilia. What I admire the most is the certain equality, community service, and fun that retirement brings for these hard working alumni. Many former supervisor, manager, and employee work relationships come together in the form of trips, the annual Christmas lighting at the Clubhouse, activities for children of Shell employees, and other community-based activities.