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.

Ever wondered about how Williams Sonoma started?…read more The Chuck Williams Culinary Art Museum houses the personal collection of the Williams Sonoma founder. Over four thousand artifacts that showcase the diversity, beauty and functionality of cookware, bakeware and kitchen tools. Interesting to see the wall filled with copper clad bundt pans. So many displays organized by theme and displayed beautifully. Gorgeous rolling pins. Butter molds. Coffee pots. Whisks. The historic kitchen displays are very interesting. The museum is located in the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America at Copia. Fortunately it is free as it is a very small museum. Perfect for a quick stop. Free parking is also available. Check out the large fork and the culinary garden while you are at the CIA if it is not in triple digits (like it was in October!!)

Bake Your Art Art…read moremuseum, of sorts, located inside the CIA** at Copia that features over 4,000 unique pieces is cookware, tools, appliances, and other unique culinary gadgets that have been collected thru the years. The Good: *Free! *Definitely interesting for those of us who enjoy cooking, gadgets, tools, and (D) all-of-the-above. The Meh: *While looking at this stuff is cool, it can only provide a certain level of entertainment. Read, it gets kinda boring after about 20 minutes. The Ugly: *The duck press is kinda wild. Read about it if you've never heard or seen one. Conclusion: Interesting for foodies and free, but don't expect to kill more than an hour here. **Culinary Institute of America, not that other CIA

The Presidio of Sonoma was once very briefly the Capital of the California Republic. No, not the…read moreState of California. This was before California was part of the United States. California is one of four states that were independent sovereign nations before joining the United States and you get a bonus point if you can name all four. Answer below. The Sonoma Barracks aka the Presidio of Sonoma is free to visit and includes a number of rooms with captions and memorabilia that detail the history of the Bear Flag Republic of California, their independence from Mexico and eventually, their joining the Union. The breakaway state lasted from June 14 to July 9 1846, was never recognized by the United States, never formed a government or passed any laws and while Sonoma was the "Capital", it was never official. There are some docents who can answer questions, an organized tour is available and they have a small gift shop. (The answer to the question of which four states were independent. 1. California which you already know now. 2. The Long Star State, aka Texas, obviously. 3. Hawaii, of course. 4. And the one most people don't know? It's Vermont who were not one of the original Thirteen Colonies. Independent from 1777 to 1791 though never recognized by any other nations.) [Review 21010 overall - 527 in California - 1995 of 2023.]

Love the history of this town! The Barricks were fun to roam through!…read moreIt's all nestled around the square where there's lots of trees and Picnic Table's there's restaurants and stores highly recommend going to Sonoma

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.

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.

Great experience in using their services for getting naturalization papers. Was very impressed with…read moretheir historical items, articles, books, photos.

If you're a local history buff, then you NEED to utilize the resources at Contra Costa Historical…read moreSociety! The historical society was founded in 1951 and contains Contra Costa County documents dating back as early as 1852. Although they have moved locations thrice over the years, their expansive curated collection remains: www.cocohistory.org/frm-center.html Their volumes of documents are cloth-bound, leather-bound, or loose leaf and can be viewed upon request. If you'd like to learn more about your family's background or want to look at your official property line, then this is the place to go! For those who can't visit them in person, they have digitized a plethora of documents that you can access via their online database: www.cocohistory.org/frm-resources.html You can search and peruse: + County Records + Court Records + Photographs + Immigration & Naturalization Papers + Probate Documents + Obituaries + West County Times + Newspaper Photo Negatives + Maps + School Records + General Subject Files (e.g. Agriculture - Growers, BART, Bridges) + Subjects by City (e.g. Antioch - History, Brentwood - People) + Special Collections They have THOUSANDS of old photographs that are also now digitized, thanks to the generous photography donation by the late Louis L. Stein, pharmacist and owner of Arlington Pharmacy in Kensington. Stein always wanted to be a historian and he collected an enormous amount of photos depicting Contra Costa County history from the 1850s to the 1930s: www.cocohistory.org/llstein.html Stein even saved The Martinez Adobe from being razed and it's now part of the John Muir National Historic Site: www.tinyurl.com/v2qp5rq So you KNOW that this collection contains almost anything that you've ever wanted to view of historic CoCo County! www.cocohistory.org/frm-photos.html There are great gifts in their bookstore (both on site and online) that you can purchase for history enthusiasts: www.cocohistory.ecrater.com/ and many of the books were researched and written at the CCCHS! They even publish a quarterly newsletter, essays, and videos that you can access on their website that are both interesting and informative : ) I especially appreciate their extensive list of links to additional local historical sites, which is helpful when you are doing research. Right now, they are featuring a tiny one-room exhibit, Women Win the Vote In California, Contra Costa & the Nation, for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. The society has both paid staff and volunteers who work to digitize and preserve history (you can sign up on Volunteer Match to help www.volunteermatch.org/search/org1049632.jsp). You can learn more about CCCHS in this 2 and a half minute video that was produced by KTVU in 2015 when it was chosen as a non-profit partner for the Lescher Foundation Speaker Series presentation by David McCollough: www.youtu.be/fTLIXmEsESo *Note: They offer memberships that supports the non-profit preservation of Contra Costa County history.

After My Own Art…read more Located on 217 acres of pristine Napa Valley land, the Di Rosa is a contemporary art museum that's been operating publicly since 1997. This museum is the personal collection of Rene & Veronica di Rosa. The Good: *Temporary exhibits rotate approximately every four months. *Complimentary umbrellas (more on that later) *A good portion of the exhibits are outdoors along their gorgeous property. *Shuttle if you don't want to or need assistance walking from building to building. *You really have to like weird shit because this place is full of it. Personally, I love it, but if you're more "serious" art person, then this probably won't be your jam. *Picnic tables on the grounds, as you're encouraged to bring food and drink to enjoy in their outdoor area. *Friendly staff The Meh: *General admission of $25 might be a touch high for an art museum. The Ugly: *Be wary when visiting during inclement weather,as there's a large part of this museum that's outdoors. So you'll probably miss out on some of it, but the free umbrellas (mentioned above) did come in handy. Conclusion: Fun art museum with some really cool pieces and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Great art collection. The car by David best was my favorite - a local. The political exhibits were…read moreinteresting as well. Thought provoking and inspiring conversations. The outdoor gallery seemed so vast and too much to cover in one visit. Appreciated the shuttle ! Everyone that worked there was so knowledgeable and excited about the works. Highly recommend.

Cute museum in downtown San Rafael. Very thoughtful writing descriptions for the artworks. It would…read moretake about 30 mins to read everything. Nice to learn a little about political art and world leaders. Free entry, but requested $5 donation. Metered street parking right outside the museum. It's also walking distance to (on the same block as) Mission San Rafael.

Are u open today ..anybody on planet earth ..human life is fragile ...carry it ...be carefulread more

It's such a shame- the property owner is evicting Little Wing Farm (Point Reyes) from their land…read more I heard the news while chatting with other patrons at the farm stand, and now it's confirmed on their Instagram. There are only two or three weeks left before the farmstand is gone for good. If you've ever loved this place or haven't been yet, now's your last chance to visit and support.

I absolutely LOVE a roadside farmstand so when I drove by this one my the way to Hog Island Oyster…read morefarm I knew I had to double back and check it out. And I'm so glad I did! They have the most STUNNING campanula flower bouquets I've ever seen! The colors are screaming spring and summer! The smaller one was $25 and the larger one is $40. I physically could not leave without one.........so I ended up getting the smaller one . They were also selling bunches of spring onions (I got one), bags of baby kale, and zucchini plant starters. FYI this place is cash only! Since service is spotty, they don't accept Venmo or Zelle.