The employees and volunteers here are awesome…read more On my first visit, I came for the tourist information. They were eager to help and loaded me up with all sorts of information about Death Valley and beyond. They suggested that the Rademacher Hills Trail would be a good, quick visit for someone new to town. I happened to be there the day before there was a guided trip with a naturalist to Death Valley. This was awesome because I wanted to visit the area and having someone who had scientific knowledge was as important as someone who knew the better places on the map. $30 for this trip (cheaper for members) was inexpensive, although it did not include admissions and passes. A couple of days later, I actually visited the museum for the museum, and they have quite a variety of artifacts and informative displays about minerals, the naval base, and the origins of people in the area. I got my second senior discount ever, which was both pleasant and unnerving. If you look at the old stove out in the yard, you'll think "who would ever use that?" When I had moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1988, I was looking for an apartment and someone had converted the upstairs of their house to an apartment. There was one of those stoves, apparently from the 1930s.

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!

It is a great place to stop. There's a lot of interesting things to see and it's not a…read moredisappointment I was actually pleasantly surprised

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!

I wanted to take the tours so I called to see if they were available when we would be nearby. The…read morefirst day we did the Mining Tour, and the second day I did the Gold Prospecting Charter. The were both fabulous. Dan and Arlene are the current owners of The Owl Cafe and are so knowledgeable about the area and mining. Since we were only 2 people we could go in one car, but more people would need to follow in their own car and stop along the way. The price was very affordable $99 for 2 people and included a tour of the museum. The museum is jam packed with interesting items. While there is a museum, you should probably call and make a reservation to see it rather than drop by. The Owl Cafe was once a cafe but has not been one in a long time but it historically was a cafe, a barber shop, a bar, a casino and more. A rich history dating back to the early 1900's. The surrounding areas were used in many movies of the 1930-1950's. The second day I took the Gold Prospecting Charter and we found gold! Dan and Arlene are members of prospecting organizations and have access to sites where mining can be done. They use a method called dry-washing. It involves quite a bit of digging, flinging the dirt onto a machine, collecting the heavier stuff and then panning it. If you find gold, they put it in a vial for you to keep. It was so much fun! I can't imagine being a minor and doing it every day because it was very physical. The price of the tour was a bargain $79 for one person, $20 more for each other person. Your would need a vehicle with a high clearance because they have to pack their vehicle with all the equipment, and then you follow them to the site which is probably on a dirt road.

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.

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.

Prices are a bit expensive in my opinion to go in and look around the Ghost Town. Which I opted to…read morenot do due to the fee. The "antique store" is very small dark and you need to watch your footing.

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.

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.

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

The docent gave us an amazing tour of the entire inside of this place. The museum is set up…read morechronologically starting with prehistoric digs such as a giant wooley mammoth tooth, and then proceeding to the history of the miners who first settled the area. There is even an interactive display showing how damming the river changed the topography and created the lake. A must see! Open Thursday through Sunday.

Great small town museum. Every time you turn a corner there's more stuff. All displayed nicely…read more Thank you to Christy the docent and our new friend. They have movie night as well.

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.

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.