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!

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.

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.

What to do after brunch on Sunday in Palo Alto? Head to the Foster! Parking is a breeze, the…read moreadmission is free, and the experience works for all ages! As a dabbler in watercolors, I was transfixed--some of these paintings are huge--and he does not use photographs! As an educator, my mind was brimming with opportunities to integrate his work into humanities and human geography classes. The Foster website has excellent resources. This is a must see if you are in the area!

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.

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.

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 an interesting place. First it has free admission which is always a plus in my book. Then…read moreit has old books- and I mean OLD books. The ones I saw on the shelves were from the 1500-1800s. There were also more modern books but those you can see anywhere. I had heard they had some lithographs by Henry Evans. Evans was an artist and book printer from the San Francisco Bay are. When I inquired, they brought out his portfolios for me to view. He is noted for his botanical prints although he did do other drawings. The McCune has one of the larger collections of Henry Evans works in the world. They are putting them online in case anyone is interested. Visit http://www.mccunecollection.org to see some of the lithographs online. They also have an 1852 working printing press and a linotype machine in the collection. The linotype is a huge machine which immediately attracts your interest. I was looking at the engravings from some of the books in the collection. There was a collection of 4 volumes of Don Quixote with detailed engravings showing his journey in Spain. This was a 1780 set made in Spain. There was also a 4 volume set of Schiller's works with German engravings on every few pages. There was too much to see in the limited time I was there but I expect to visit again when I have a chance. The collection is in the JFK Library at 505 Santa Clara in Vallejo, CA 94590. It is only a short walk from the Vallejo ferry terminal that connects San Francisco to Vallejo. The ferry trip is a nice ride on the San Francisco Bay.

The McCune Rare Book and Art Collection is located at the JFK Library at 505 Santa Clara St,…read moreVallejo, CA 94590. Admission is free. This is a hands on collection containing many rare books for study and appreciation. They have a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible (ca. 1450), the Kelmscott Chaucer, Baskerville Bible, Byrne's Euclid, and 6 books printed before 1501. The amazing part is that they will bring these books out for you to sit down and read, if you so desire. The collection contains hundreds of books by famous publishers and printers. There is also a superb collection of Henry Evans botanical prints and other artists. There is an 1852 Albion Press for printing documents. The collection is worth seeing for its historical value, as well as the many items of unique nature in the collection. It is especially strong in Book Club of California items, Grabhorn Press, Nonesuch Press, Doves Press and Ashendene Press. There are also a number of items by William Morris of the Kelmscott Press. There are latin editions that span the range from the 15th to the 19th Century. The only problem is that this collection is usually only open on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 2-4 pm. However, they do have a website: http://www.mccunecollection.org. At this website you can see a list and some pictures of many of the items in the collection and can email them to set up an appointment at times when they would not normally be open. Since this is a free service, and the collection is run by volunteers, it is good to take advance of this option. I have been through the collection a number of times and always discover something that I have not noticed before. I spent a few hours there looking at the early history of Solano County and Vallejo. Another time I looked at the illustrations in the collection of early Latin books that are on the shelves. They also brought out the Gutenberg Bible leaf so that I could see it. I usually check the website to see what additional items they have posted. A great place if you have a few hours to spare. It is in downtown Vallejo, a short walk from the ferry terminal and a few blocks from the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.