If somebody passing through Tehachapi was to ask me, what are the two things we need to do while here? 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. read more