This is a really cool place to spend the day with kids. The staff was very kind and helpful. They…read moreplayed a short film for us that explained how the fossils were found in the area. There are many fossils and replica of fossils. You guide yourself on a tour, they give you a booklet to use to guide yourself. Each station has information on the fossils, history,etc. There is an outdoor area with replicas of the homes of the native Yokuts tribe that was originally in the area. There is also an outdoor pond with plaques in front of each different plant that surrounds the pond. It was a really cool learning experience. You can pay a bit extra for fossil digging. There are 19 fossils to dig up, that can take about an hour. We spent about 3 hours there. They also have a cool little gifts shop area.

I don't know how many I've driven by this place along the 99, saying I (we) need to stop and check…read moreit out... finally! After moving out of state , made the stop. So many cool fossils!! Colombian mammoths, sloths, dire wolves, and, yes!! Even American camels.. they were here at one time. Saber tooth cats also roamed the area. Most of this and it's still an active recovery, was started with the expansion of the dump site and widening of highway 99. Once they started hitting the fossils in what used to be a ponded wetland, they've not stopped. Lots of interesting fossils and now they're adding a Mammoth Orange food site, from the golden days of traveling up and down the 99, stopping for a burger and soda coming back to life. It's all definitely worth a stop and enjoying the sight of see a huge full size Colombian Mammoth... a little secret.. they are much bigger than the more famous wooly mammoth. Stop by and enjoy.

It was pretty nostalgic coming here with my kids. I lived in Merced for a few years as a kid during…read morethe first Desert Storm War back when this was Castle Air Force Base and they were flying b-52 bombers over Merced everyday that would shake the windows of my house. We were driving up the 99 from Fresno to Manteca and I thought it would be a fun detour for my kids to see. They were pretty pumped to see the SR-71 Blackbird and one of the old old Air Force Ones. I wish there would have been more planes available on public display without having to pay to get into the museum since we were there after hours and couldn't see any of the other ones except for through a chain link fence. Still a pretty cool experience though and worth the short detour.

As a life member and over 45 year supporter I will say this; I was embarrassed by the state of the…read moregrounds at the outside exhibit yesterday. Lots of overgrown weeds up and around the airplane displays. The walkways need tending too as well. The condition of the planes has deteriorated a bit as well. As an airplane lover I would never say don't go. The history there is considerable. The docent volunteers are devoted folks from the area and a lovable bunch at that. But present management of the overall grounds, buildings and to some degree the planes themselves REALLY needs to be addressed. I took the former chairman of the museum board with me and he was shocked at the way it looked. Come on folks. Get it together raise some funds what ever and let it shine as one of the greatest air museums on the west coast.

This place blew me away. I had Rhanda (I think that's the spelling) as a guide and she was SO…read moreterrific. This is a historical landmark and she walked me through every room with great detail on the origin story and the rooms we were in. One of the best tour guides I've had. I have never experienced anything this - you have to really appreciate the amount of work, design and detail by Baldassare Forestiere - truly a feat! Very grateful the family makes this available for tours. Highly recommend if you appreciate gardening, architecture, art, engineering etc. They also did a great job of reminding me of my appointment and following up afterwards. If in Fresno area, this is a don't miss!!

My family along with our cousins and aunt decided to tour the Forestier Underground Gardens. It was…read moresuch a gem to visit. The gardens were built in an unexpected park of Fresno and these is a lot of history behind them. Parking was somewhat difficult but once you enter, the staff were very kind, organized, and positive. Our tour guide Raul was super sweet and provided a lot of history regarding the gardens and the family who built them. Raul had my 3 young boys engaged and interested. He answered all my questions and was so open to conversation. You could tell Raul was proud to be there telling all of us how the Gardens came to be. The Gardens are very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like these. The smell of all the citrus trees combine with the natural cooling underground was amazing and made the tour comfortable. If you have any time i do recommend visiting these secret gardens.

First visit to the GVM. Docent Cody gave us a tour, and he was excellent. He was very…read moreinformative, answered all of my questions. Cody took us through almost all of the exhibits and explained each one in detail. I do wish the museum were a little more interactive and kid-friendly. There were very few buttons for kids to push, and few things they could actually touch. I wanted to see a planetarium show. But the only available show looked to be for very young kids. I was hoping for a show for teens/adults. To make things worse, this is the only planetarium show this month. Maybe they can rotate shows in the future.

Great experience! Kids will definitely love coming to see the museum and shows. For $5 per show,…read morethat's a great deal. I'm not sure if the actual museum is free because we just walked in after the show. They show tons of animals in their habitat and a gift shop. I can't wait to bring my little guy.

We all really enjoyed it! I've never seen so many gorgeous minerals and rocks in one place! It's a…read morefairly quick trip but even my 7-year-old enjoyed it!

If you're interested in the history of mineral's & mining then this is the place!…read more Boasting California's official mineral collection containing over 13,000 objects from California and around the world. While taking a tour you will find many gems, mineral specimens, crystalline gold, mining artifacts and a mine tunnel you may walk through. This collection has been in Mariposa since 1983. Prior to that, San Francisco was its home for over 100 years. We spent most of the morning & afternoon exploring this spectacular place. Very informative about each specimen and the history surrounding it. The two rangers hosting this site are full of information and colorful stories. A must see! My only caveat is they don't allow anyone to take photographs inside for security reasons. I sure would have loved a close up picture or two... No worries, I still had fun. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=588

This is a nice place for younger children. Lots of stuff for kids to play with to see how things…read morework. Reasonably priced at $7 per person for all day with re entry. I'm excited to see what else they bring in to expand.

My 2.5yo had a blast here - I was surprised at how many things he found to play with here, from the…read moresandbox with monster trucks, to the tractor area, to the fire truck outside and the toddler room. I would totally bring him here often but the hours are a little problematic for us. His nap time usually starts anywhere from 11-12 and they don't open until 11 most days. He does much better in the mornings than in the afternoons in terms of mood and listening skills. I wish they could have at least one day a week where they opened at 9am for the little ones, but if not, then I guess we'll see if he's still into it after he drops his naps in the future.

The Mariposa Museum and History Center is a gem of a place--and a great way to stave off the…read morepost-meal slumber after lunch at 1850! There is SO much information available, and it's stunningly coordinated and handpainted; an art installation on it's own. We learned so much about the local history and area, and it was neat to see it presented in a way that really brought the history to life. The staff were all very warm and welcoming. I would DEFINITELY come back because there's just no way to read everything in an hour. I highly recommend.

The Mariposa Museum & History Center was founded in 1957 and filled with exhibits featuring Native…read moreAmericans, Spanish settlements, the Gold Rush, Yosemite, and Mariposa history. I admired the cool artifacts outside. Inside were stories and more artifacts from the old days. Great place to learn about Mariposa's past.

Was an amazing experience!! Tour guide was very…read moreknowledgeable. Wish they had the fruit for sale. It was perfect for the picking

It was beautiful and quiet and refreshing. In addition to the bonsai collection itself, the…read moregrounds of the park were restful and relaxing. A gem of a stop!

We met family from Sacramento here today, we're from Bakersfield. We have never been here before…read more It was a great deal at $3/person, since it's the 1st sat of the month. We spent about 3 or so hours playing & exploring. It's really meant for younger ages,probably up until about 10-11. My son is going to be 11 next week & loved it because he loves dinosaurs, digging & science. Not sure i would go out of my way to go back, only because we don't live locally but if we lived in fresno I would consider getting a membership. They have a lot of great programs throughout the week which would be great for school field trips or homeschooling co-ops.

A wonderful place for kids with lots of different events that can cater to any of your kids'…read moreinterests! Got to volunteer at their Star Wars May the Fourth event and it was a great time!

I took my children here for a fun afternoon and it is a very cute place and kept the kids…read moreentertained for a while. When we arrived the street parking is sort of iffy, I believe they were doing construction but when we went inside the front desk was very welcoming and I just let my kids run around, there favorite part was the water room ( I am not sure the correct name for it ) but it was pretty cool. It's two levels so multiple things for them to do. It's is affordable and I plan to return and highly recommend if you have small kiddos

I think this place is an awesome addition to Modesto! wish it were there when my girls were little…read more however, I get to enjoy with my grand dude now. we went when it first opened and he loved it. very clean, lots to do and explore. however, now that he is going to be a whopping (lol) 6 years old in another 2 months... I felt like it probably won't be a place he's excited to go to again. he was able to whiz around and get through everything quite fast. But maybe it's because we have many of the things the museum offers at home? like the magnets. painting, crayons, target checkout center, groceries and kitchen...etc. OFC the slide was his favorite. and the stage. we stayed for the last 10 minutes of story time that was very well done by the gal that read the shape book. I would highly recommend this for anyone with kids 6 and under. I do need to add... the unfortunate news of the paint. I specifically asked if it was water based and washable. the girl said yes. I asked because I just put his new shorts on for first time. Well ofc he dropped blue paint on them and his sock. I asked if there was water and a towel so i could get most of it off before getting in car. Came home and immediately treated. Washed in cold water. Hung dry just in case. Still there! Then.. I soaked in oxi-clean overnite. Re washed. it did not come all the way out:( I called to let them know so it doesn't happen to anyone else. She apologized but really nothing more. I think this is a non profit... so, I just let it go. so, you've been enlightened to the possibility with the paint. Wear older clothes you don't care about! I will post pics.