Fun displays for all ages and many interests! We went with…read moreour young kids and had a great time. The petroglyph exhibit is really detailed, and there are a lot of natural history exhibits, also. There's a small but lovely desert garden outside, and a lot even saw a rabbit enjoying the shade from the hot afternoon sun!

Packed full of interesting exhibits and extensive info on nearby petroglyphs, this small museum…read morerecently enlarged its gift shop. Other new additions include a garden area as well as a sculpture garden. During the Petroglyph festival this November, an arrowhead maker was on hand. The museum also sponsors docent led hikes on China Lake Naval base to see an extensive collection of ancient petroglyphs spread along Little petroglyph trail, 1.5 miles of non stop native American rock art down a dry creek bed. You need to be in pretty good shape to manage the rocky trail and go through a fairly extensive security check to gain access and early sign up is required, but we all agreed the hike was worth it. The docents at the museum are very helpful and run a movie on the petroglyphs on request.

We stopped here on our road trip and it was a nice little museum! The staff were nice and it was…read morevery clean. The bathrooms were also very clean and comfy for a potty break. There were tables in the front you could eat a little picnic at too, if you brought a lunch. As for the exhibits, it is mainly for older kids and adults because it's a lot of reading and adult history. But my kids who are 3 and 6 liked looking at the planes on the ceiling and outside. They got to sit in the jet plane cock pit and also see what a machine gun looked like up close. That was educational for my older son. It was free to enter, not busy, and parking was easy on the street. So, a nice little pit stop to stretch our legs. Spent about 10-15 mins here and then went to the mule museum right next door for another 10-15 minutes. So stop by if you pass through!

This place was amazing! So cool. It looks little on the outside but it was packed with so many…read moreinteresting things. The woman working was so friendly, talked us and our kids through fun little tid bits. Wish we had longer to spend there

We had so much fun stopping here! After years of driving full-steam ahead to Mammoth for skiing, we…read moretook a slow day to stop in during a summer trip. It's a historic mining museum, built from a former speakeasy. Danny is sooooo nice! He explained about the area and talked about his prospecting. He's a true miner! The memorabilia is incredible! Lots of wanted posters. Butch Cassidy, for example. Lots of mining articles, posters, vintage equipment, etc. I've rarely seen a business owner so proud of their business. Danny LOVES what he does. I imagine he could tell great stories all day long! He also gives out cold drinks-- perfect for a hot day. Cactus Cooler! My favorite! It's a $5 donation, but he's not totally firm (sssshhhhh). We had $8 and he was gracious. So, next time you are taking 395, stop in. Relax. Enjoy the step back in time.

I had to add stars to post a pic. The hours listed in Maps are inaccurate. It is closed during them…read moreon a Saturday. Call the number to set up an appointment. It's probably awesome, I'll call ahead next time!

Explored Silver City Ghost Town's creaky saloons and mining cabins--perfectly preserved…read more100-year-old relics felt frozen in Gold Rush days, with cool artifacts everywhere. Affordable entry, haunted vibes added thrill (booked lantern tour next), short drive from Lake Isabella made it an easy adventure. Bodfish hidden gem for history buffs!

We're traveling in an RV & went to Bakersfield because a friend lives out there. Found this cool…read moreplace on Yelp & decided to give it a try. We brought the families & it was a WONDERFUL experience! I even got some cool antiques to put in my RV from the gift shop. I loved the history of the place. I loved that we could bring our dog also.

At first glance, one might see a little shack, but this donation-run museum houses an interesting…read morecollection of pieces from the mining era and beyond, including a modest display on an archaeological search for wreckage of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing in the Mojave Desert. The friendly gentleman overseeing the museum that day was showing people a vial of gold his friend had just found recently in the desert. There's all sorts of things here. Out back are old, mining tools and machinery that really cool to look at up close. They don't look very maintained, so be careful splinters and such.

We tried calling several times and no one ever answers the phone there. We showed up today on a…read moreMonday and the sign said they are open Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. Have they ever heard of an answering machine? From the street, it looks like a tiny museum. I don't remember their hours; but if you try call on the weekends, maybe the ghost in the living ghost town will finally answer.

The museum is usally closed unless there is an event going on like a school reunion. But you can…read morealways call and make arangemets to have someone meet you there for a tour. https://news-ridgecrest.com/community-of-trona-the-home-of-several-museums/

Nice place to go and look at all the memorabilia they have of the years. Very nice atmosphere,…read morefriendly volunteers.

The Boron Aerospace Museum holds a rich history of the aerospace industry from WWI through Space…read moreExploration, and more... The displays are amazing, don't miss the F4 Phantom and DRAKEN J35 parked right out front! It is a fun place to visit

Wonderful museum with interesting historic artifacts and exhibits. There is so much to look at that…read morea future trip should be made. Museum is free so make a donation to help support it after signing the log book. Bill is extremely knowledgeable and has so many stories to tell. The lovely photographs of the desert flora and fauna in the back room were taken by him. He is usually there Wednesdays but was filling in for someone on the Monday we were there. I learned so much from this place! I did not know that the mule teams were used only for a short period of six years from 1883 to 1889. Who knew also that the "twenty mule teams" actually consisted of eighteen mules and two horses and each animal served a specific role? I found it fascinating that the three sets of mules closest to the wagons (Pointers) were trained to jump over the chain during turns to keep it tight. This maneuver is called the "Dance of the Mules" and is amazing to see on videos of the modern replica mule team. There is a working animatronic display of the twenty mule team in the back room which someone had built. When turned on, the wagon wheels spin and the mules' head and ears move. An interesting newer exhibit of two movies that were filmed in Boron, " The Carpetbaggers" and "Erin Brockovich," can be found in the middle room of the museum. The front room of the museum has various historic displays of nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century life in the area. A working bell communication system from the mine occupies this space. There is even a permanent wave machine used in beauty parlors of the past with electrodes and wiring for hot curlers. I can almost smell the burning hair! There is also a visitor center at US Boron nearby that should be part of your museum visit. It is closed on Mondays, which is the day we were in the area, so there will be a definite return trip soon to explore that.

Wow! What a gem of a museum! I highly recommend visiting this museum if you are near the Lake…read moreIsabella or Kernville area. The admission was free, but PLEASE consider making donations to help employ and maintain upkeep at the museum. This place has such a rich history of artifacts, including a woolly mammoth tooth to a 1900 stock certificate for gold, a display of all the movies ever made in the area and tons of items from the Oregon Trail. Super interesting for kids and adults. I'll definitely be returning for another visit on my next trip to Lake Isabella.

Best small town museum we've been to. Great maps, exhibits, etc. Who knew that John Wayne's…read moreStagecoach was filmed here? History of the lake and how they had to move two towns (Isabella and Kernville) to make room for the water. Ask for Kit to show you around, she is a bundle of energy and very enthusiastic about Kernville.

Don't just make a Barstow stop on the way to Vegas to go to the restroom or to get fast food; check…read moreout the NASA Goldstone Visitor Center... 4 stars!!!! Learn all about the satellite ground station located in Fort Irwin, CA that tracks and communicates with interplanetary space missions at this visitor center. Located in the second floor of the historic Harvey House at the Barstow Amtrak Train Station, the visitor center offers interactive exhibits to learn how the Jet Propulsion Laboratory tracks and communicates with interplanetary spacecrafts. Not just kids, but also adults can find this center a worthwhile stop in Barstow. As a bonus, you can also learn about the historic Harvey House as well as visit the Western America Railroad Museum and the Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum, all during the same stop.

Wow I didn't think much of this place until I got home to read the brochures and went online…read more Goldstone is one of three complexes around the world known as the Deep Space Network (DSN) that provides the ability to communicate with spacecraft! This is on the top floor of the Amtrak train station in Barstow, Ca. There work is within the two-way robotic spacecraft communication and radio astronomy. The Goldstone Deep Space Network Visitor's Center is OPEN Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am-3pm and Saturdays 10am-4pm with no cost to visit and no reservations required. They are closed on Federal Holidays. Historic Harvey House (Casa Del Desierto) 681 North First Avenue, Barstow, CA 92311 The main Harvey House entrance faces South toward the Railroad Tracks and this is located on the second floor. This is a road that is not traveled by much traffic.