A 5 star stop for sure!!! What an incredible collection of history. From all ages of Tehachapi…read more Stones and arrowheads to modern horse carts. Doctors accessories, and pieces of historic value from the towns growth. Flash back to an early civilization and see how we were grown. I am in love with the deep history this location boasts. So we'll displayed. Very clean and cool inside, super friendly folks here filled with information. Hit the cool gift shop corner on your way out. There is even a really neat salt and pepper display. There is so much rich history to see here! I highly recommend you pop in ON A WEEKEND and see. They are not open midweek.

If somebody passing through Tehachapi was to ask me, what are the two things we need to do while…read morehere? My answer would be an easy one. Number one head to the Tehchapi Museum, and the second would be to enjoy a poor boy sandwich and ice tea at Kohnens. Those two things and you will have a perfect day. When I visited recently I had the good fortune of meeting Judith Reynolds, who is the museum director. I learned that the museum is run by the Tehachapi Heritage League and is solely run by wonderful volunteers. The docents work about one day a month for 4 hours and range in age from late 50's to 94 years young. I love that they have kept the admission free to the public, they wanted to make sure families could bring the kids and not worry about the price of admission. They do have a donation box and rely on the kindness of visitors, volunteers and grants to keep this museum up and running. You can join and become a member of the museum as I did for my family. It's 20$ for individual or 25$ for a family. People spend more than that on coffee a month, what a great way to keep Tehachapi history alive and available to everyone. With that membership you will receive a newsletter 4 times a year, it's called Settlers' Gazette. It tells about upcoming events for the museum and the Errea House Museum across the street. I was unaware of the events they hold here and now I will make sure my family doesn't miss any. Most of all the items on display are donated by families or on loan. Some of the exhibits include farming, railroad, local history, Native Americans and much more. I happened to really enjoy the display and story about Tony Anthony the fire chief for the old Tehachapi City Fire Department. I am part of a firefighter family and enjoyed looking at everything displayed. I also bought fire patches to add to our collection. In the back to the left is such a great gallery honoring the Kawaiisu people of the Tehachapi mountains. They have a movie playing that is really great to watch. There is so much more to say about the Tehachapi Museum it would take all night to write. Just please visit, learn, become a member and tell your family and friends passing through to stop and see what an amazing place Tehachapi is.

One of the Best Train Museums that we have visited. Located in a Train Depot, it is beautifully…read moredone with displays, artifacts, and Train Memorabilia from the past. Super friendly Staff who really show their passion for trains & the history that surrounds them. They have a nice gift shop where you can find a gift for the train enthusiast in your life, or pick up something for yourself. If you are lucky a train will pass through and you can sit on the platform and feel the history as it passes you by, go see the Tehachapi Loop to complete your visit to Train Town USA.

Enjoyed some time in the downtown area today. Brought the grandkids to play on the little train…read moreslide they have. It's so cute over here and well-maintained. We usually let our granddaughter run around on the grass and play. Luckily, the Man working out front told us not to go on the grass. I guess people are letting their dogs go to the bathroom and not clean up after them. So disappointing, it's such a beautiful area. We were glad for the warning, though. 10/24/25

Tomo-Kahni (translated "winter village") was the site of a Kawaiisu Native American Village. The…read moreHistoric Park is located along a ridge in the Tehachapi Mountains. The site can only be accessed by guided tours which are held two Saturdays per month during the spring and fall months. On the 1.5 mile walking tour you'll get to learn about the Kawaiisu people and how they used to live. You'll also learn about some of the native plants, such as the ephedra plant which was used to make a stimulating tea and the burned charcoal was used to make decorative tattoos. You'll get to see various bedrock mortars where the would crush acorns into their staple meal. You'll pass by large boulders covered in vibrant and colorful neon green and orange lichen. The tour ends at the Ceremonial Cave, also known as Creation Cave or the Teddy Bear Cave. It's really more of a rock shelter. Inside there are well preserved pictographs. The cave is said to be guarded by a supernatural grizzly bear that lives within the rock face that guards the cave from unworthy intruders. Overall it was a vary enjoyable visit. The tour starts at 8:30 AM at the Tehachapi Museum. After a 30 min orientation you'll caravan to the site. We got back to our car around 1pm. The fee for the tour is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 6- 16. There is also a $10 registration fee. You can call 661-946-6092 for tour information and reservations.

Fun little museum in the heart of downtown where you can see some fossils and taxidermia…read more Plenty of street parking was available nearby. We spent about 2 hours here going between the different levels the main level you walk in is the middle area and then there's an upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs there are some more animals and then big dinosaur fossils. There a small Egyptian exhibit which was a cool addition. Then on the bottom level it's an area where everything is touchable so the kids can really have some fun. There was area that they're redoing so that was off limits. There is an elevator so if you have some mobility limitations that is helpful. There are fans on all the levels because it doesn't get the best circulation. Overall a great place to spend a few hours out of the house for a fun learning experience.

This museum is so neat! The docents (who are all volunteers btw!) are knowledgeable and funny, and…read morethey kept my Girl Scouts' interest with no issue. The exhibits are beautiful and interesting, and there are interactive elements to some displays. I was stunned by the Yokuts display, which had a full replica of a traditional Yokut home. An extraordinary, nearly-complete fossil found locally is on display. The bottom floor also has a fun exploratory area for kids! It's great! Highly recommend this museum to all ages.

It wasn't really a festival more like a street fair they had very little Apple focusesread more

This years apple festival has 80 vendors with everything you can imagine. Candles, essential oils,…read morepurses, jewelry, home decor, clothing and so much more. Don't forget to buy some apples while you are there. You won't go hungry, lots of delicious food and a carnival for the kids. My son is having a great time on the rides. Eating lots of junk food too. If you didn't make it out today, don't worry it will be open tomorrow too.

If you're in the area, and espcially if you're a train enthusiast, visiting the Tehachapi Loop…read moretrain track is worth a stop. It's free to visit the historical landmark recording this engineering feat, where you'll also have a good view of the loop. It's not guaranteed that you'll see a train pass by (I didn't!) but it's still worth seeing. Free admission and free parking at the historical marker.

We completely lucked out in getting to the overlook moments before a long freight train passed by…read more The loop isn't just one big loop, it goes around and around and the train coils around the tracks like a snake. It truly was an engineering feat and it is still in regular use. We also noticed that the plaque recognized the efforts by Chinese laborers from Guangdong for building this loop. They were previously erased from history but I am glad their contributions are now acknowledged after so many years.

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!

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.

We traveled a long distance to get there and we ended up there 5 minutes before they closed. My…read moredaughter tried to negotiate with the fellow that claimed he was a family member. We wanted to have 5 extra minutes to walk around. We were willing to pay the entrance fee as were two people behind us. He wouldn't budge and he was mean about it. Truth is it's really junky!

This is such a peaceful and welcoming National Monument located in Keene, CA, just east of…read moreBakersfield. This National Monument has a visitors center, museum, gift shop, a beautiful walking trail with flowering plants and trees as well as a path with various cacti. In the warmer months it's easy to spot lizards and rabbits, as well as having year-round birds and squirrels. You can learn about civil rights, agricultural labor history, and how Cesar formed a Union that is still in existence today. The Park is located in Kern County (the southernmost county of the California agricultural belt) just 30 minutes east of Bakersfield, in the mountains below Tehachapi. It was the first location of the Union headquarters he formed, the United Farm Workers (UFW). His office has been preserved within the museum exactly how it was the day he passed away. Cesar, and his wife Helen, lived and are buried within the Monument (his dog is buried with them too!) in a beautiful and serene garden. Their house is on the property and was left the way Helen had it the day she passed away. There isn't access inside their home, but they do allow special events in their courtyard area that you'd need to inquire about. Entrance and parking are both free to the public, but you can make donations if you'd like. I love visiting this Monument a few times a year, as it's so peaceful and calming. We usually bring lunch and sit at one of the many picnic tables provided.

Nice grounds, but kind of awkward to visit after recent events. Also, you couldn't really walk…read morearound the national monument with the private residence housing. The museum was nice though!