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.

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.

This is a non profit museum. They have trains on the outside you can view 24/7. They are located in…read morean old Harvey House, next to a working train yard. Inside they have a variety of things relating to BNSF railways, along with a small gift shop. Manager Noah, is friendly & knowledgeable.

On a Sunday morning in November, this is where Huell Howser taped an episode on train depot. We…read moretook the bridge from Del Taco and recognize the train depot museum. We got there too early but able to look at different trains parked outside. So much history in this little town. This place is great for train enthusiasts and children.

I had a lovely time at the Desert Discovery Center! It's a small but beautifully maintained museum…read morefocusing on local animal and plant species. They are active in maintaining some of the only remaining members of endangered species of fish, turtles and tortoises. There are great educational exhibits and a wonderful garden outside which includes a pond of endagered fish and turtles. The staff, especially Natia, were super helpful and spent a lot of time explaining the exhibits. AND....there's the second biggest meteorite ever found in the USA! An absolute must. You can also take advantage of the hiking on the nature trail outsude the museum. Educational. And, there is a gift shop. Free parking and admission.

Closed - This place has a lot of potential but still appears to be closed (although there is no…read moresignage indicating it is closed until you look inside the building through the fence, the signs from the road show "open"). The grounds are not maintained & covered in trash and broken glass. The trail & picnic area would be nice otherwise. Disappointing because there's so little to do in Barstow.

I visited as a total tourist. It's a nice stop for a bathroom break. I walked in there, looked…read morearound and it literally looked like they didn't change much and I could see a scene from an old film being filmed here easily. It's almost eerie, like I could see and get the vibe from what events were held there. It's got to be haunted. Nothing spectacular but it's historically cool to visit and there's not much to do/see out in these parts.

This is a wonderful stop on a road trip to take a break and look around. Limited displays but great…read morehistorical information. It was fun to look at the spaces where the restaurant was and imagine what it was like when it was open. The location is still an Amtrak station. There is a NASA exhibit upstairs which describes a satellite location in the desert. Free admission.

The restored train depot at Kelso, California is a gem. Three floors of exhibits including art…read more It is worth a visit when in the Mojave Desert area. NOTE-this is NOT in the city of Barstow!.It is near Baker and Cima California.

Not really in the city of Barstow, more towards Cima. It's a visitors center, gift shop, and museum…read morewith exhibits in Mojave National Preserve. There's a 20 minute introduction movie you can watch about Mojave. They also have actual flush toilets rather than pits in the ground.

First time visiting Calico and this place had a lovely charm, especially with the Halloween decor…read more The Mystery Shack tour was definitely a hoot to do with some funny history behind its name. Raul was very charismatic and inviting when it came to engaging with the mysteries of the place. Can't wait to visit this town again for the night events!

Came here for the first time with my family of 10. It was summer so it was very hot, plan…read moreaccordingly. They charge for admission at the parking booth per person. Walking is uneven for those in chairs or are tripping hazards. But for the typical people still watch your step. We did all the attractions. Mining, mystery house, cave, and the train. Some were silly, fun, and interesting. We laughed at our tour guide she was great and very friendly.

if youre thinking about going, or are passing through barstow - do it!!!! this museum is WAY larger…read morethan i expected and full of the largest, wildest collection of clown souvenirs and historical pieces that probably have ever existed. not only is everything so cool looking, but its super educational and feels like youre walking through something way more fun and exciting than your typical museum. also - the booking process is SO easy! although it says its "closed", just go to the website and send a quick text and steve will reply so quickly to schedule a time that works for you. thank you steve!!!!

From the owner: The California Clown Museum is the largest clown museum in the world. With pictures, paintings,…read moreantiques, porcelains, plates, tattoos, T-shirts, music boxes, plushies, toys, posters, jewelry, everything and anything with a clown on it. Unique beautiful works of art. A clown ally playground and clown car garage. There is the world history of clowns, rodeo clowns, famous clowns, harlequins, scary clowns, killer clowns, clown cars. You will learn everything about clowns. Great fun and educational for kids and adults with free tours, videos and performances.

Barstow was a brief photo stop for us as hubs had never been on Route 66 before like Doc and I…read more We did a 15 minute backtracking from our planned route to take a few photos. There were only a few tourists like us snapping photos. The businesses and area we were in were still closed.

I miss driving out to Vegas but due to newly picked up hobbies during the Pandemic, I'm unable to…read morereturn for till I figured out a solution. This was 1 of my favorite rest stops of course due to Barstow Outlets on Tanger Way. That's quite a smaller Outlet but still made it a nice rest stop! I only rated the 'City of Barstow,' 4 stars was one really had to follow the 'Weather App,' because some times when I stopped for gas, I hit high winds which weren't fun. Aside from high winds, Barstow has been the popular rest stop for Vegas trips in general I'm sure. I liked the 'Valero' station as well as '7-11.' I also uncovered 'Arby's,' Barstow which I'm hoping they made it through CoVid.