Originally named Brighthouse Amphitheater, but recently changed names to Spectrum since the…read moreBrighthouse name change. This Amphitheater boasts beauty and function. As the focal point of the Park at Riverwalk, this Amphitheater is surrounded on the sides by a man-made lake and river, which is especially refreshing to be nearby in the Bakersfield heat. The entire theater is really lovely with a moat-like feature separating the seating from the stage. There's plenty of stadium seating where you could either bring a blanket or low back chair. There's also a large grassy hill behind the stadium seats for blanket seating. Needless to say, there is no shortage of space to sit. What's especially great is the fun acts that come to this amphitheater. Plenty of cover bands, local favorites, and a few older celebrity acts. It's definitely a nice feature for Bakersfield that's being taken care of.

A free air museum run by volunteers! How cool is this?…read more Small - we saw everything in an hour, and were given a personal tour by one of the members. A fun stop to stretch your legs and break the monotony of an I-5 road trip!

This is a fun little air museum just outside Bakersfield that packs in a lot!…read more Clean and well kept. Docents are full of knowledge and stories. Lots to look at making it an enjoyable experience! They host a few annual events as well, one notable one is Santa's fly in where the kids get to meet Santa. Give it a visit and you won't be disappointed.

One of the best places to go to for Bakersfield a must do here locally. If your a race fan; as of…read more2025; you will get many opportunity to come out here and watch local Legend Kevin Harvick including his son at 12 years of age; along with the Huddleston family racing which are all among legends of the sport throughout the year. It's a great time, a super fun atmosphere that's here to stay all year long. I bet by 2026/2027 this place will have all racing of all types and most likely close to of not 7 days a week. It's definitely what Bakersfield is known for and what a blast it is out here. They definitely go out of there way to get the entire crowd involved from track walk one and greet and meet with drivers, after races pit parties and so much more. It's definitely a great time with a great location literally right off I-5. Staff is awesome all the way around with even bringing in local food truck vendors. Beer is cold and served in 24oz cans, bring your own koozie for them and the staff will put the beer in your koozie prior to opening them. Most of the time their is some sort of fireworks and when they around holidays or big event races, their is usually a good firework show afterwards. It's definitely a very interactive experience that you typically won't find anywhere else!!!

Scoring pylon doesn't work. No way to track drivers. You can't even tell what lap they're on…read more Don't waste your money

This was the 2nd Annual Tamale Fest and I was excited to check it out. When you enter at the gate…read morethey give you some tickets for your free tamales. When you go to get your tamales, you're given 4 1/4 pieces, so basically you're given 1 free tamale, but 4 different flavors. This event is brand new to Bakersfield and I do anticipate it to grow in the future. It wasn't a bad event at all, there were at least 10-15 vendors/trucks out there selling crafts or food. Music was provided by a live band and there was a little bit of stage entertainment. You're able to bring your own folding chairs from what I was able to see and there's lots of room for growth. One thing I'm hoping to see in the next years as this event grows is more restaurants showing off their tamales. Maybe even a tamale throw down. I only saw 2-3 different trucks, which I think is okay since it was their 2nd event. When we went there was supposed to be some kind of tamale eating contest, but I think something happened in the process. Hopefully we can check out that contest next year and see who can put it down. ;-)

The Empty Space is one of my favorite places to be in Bakersfield.. Scratch that. The Empty Space…read moreis one of my favorite places to be period. I've caught at least a dozen shows here since finding out about this local gem in high school. From musicals to plays, every show has been amazing. They can make me crack up laughing, want to boogie on down with them during a dance break, and maybe even shed a tear. I can confidently say I would go to any show they put on. A friend could ask me if I wanted to go to the Empty Space tonight, and without knowing what was playing I would say yes. Consistently very talented casts! Phenomenal stage design! Great directing! Fun choreography! Lighting and audio teams always do a great job! It is always clear the whole team are fully invested in the material and bringing out the best in each other. Top tier local talent all around. The Empty Space is more than a place to catch amazing local theater. They also showcase art from local artists in their art gallery which acts as their lobby. I recommend getting there early to enjoy the artwork and grab their super affordable snacks. After being away for a while, I was excited to attend my first show at their new location, Dracula: A Comedy Of Terrors. And a bust out loud comedy it was. Phenomenal show as usual. I'm not sure I could've gotten a better welcome back to The Empty Space. Thank you to the whole cast and crew who made that show happen. Their new location is super nice and spacious. The old location had its charm, but their new location is much larger and the seating has extra leg room, which is always appreciated. Many longtime fans of the Empty Space will recall how the old building immersed the audience was in the show due to the close proximity to the performers, and how many of their productions would utilize the space in creative ways for stand out moments. I'm glad to say they do a great job utilizing the new space in a similar manner. When you walk into the theater you actually walk onto the stage initially which provides an all encompassing immediate immersion into whatever world you're about to enjoy an awesome story in. For those thinking of auditioning to be a cast member, I actually had the pleasure of being in their 2016 production of "In The Heights" which took place in their previous location and highly recommend it. It was a super fun experience. They're very kind and welcoming.

LOVE LOVE LOVE The Empty Space. I've only started going this year (2025) and so far have not been…read moredisappointed. The location is easy to get to and parking is plentiful. The lobby is nice and cozy and the staff is always super nice! The concession stand is reasonably priced with a good selection of snacks and drinks. I enjoy the custom cocktails they serve. The theater seating is good with good views no matter where you sit. The cast is always great and super talented. I highly support local theater and have been recommending The Empty Space to all my friends and family.

I LOVE this basketball team. People should be shocked at the high level of play. The arena fills…read morelike a Jack Nicholson seat from anywhere. It shouldn't be this cheap to get such good food and attend a semi-pro sports event. GO JAMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year was a disgrace. Total money grab. Years past were a magical experience. Not 2024. So…read morelittle effort, was put into this. The village was largely dark and not festive at all. The "hayride" was a pickup truck pulling a trailer. In the past they had horses pulling wagons. The Christmas music was provided by a high school band, bless their heart they tried their best but again in the past they had professional musicians providing the music. They were supposed to have carolers but that didn't seem to happen. At least we didn't see or hear them. There was one bounce house that was far too small for the size of the event. I've had larger bounce houses in my backyard for a birthday party. Almost no trapping of Christmas to be seen, no tree, no lights, no nativity. There was a Santa who they had tucked away in an off area. It seemed most people had no idea he was in there. The gentleman they had for Santa was excellent. The church exhibit was closed when in the past you could go in, sit and listen to the church organ. I could go on, but again this year's Lamplight Tours was incredibly disappointing compared to past years offerings. The model A cars were cool and the train was neat for the kids. The engineers very kind.

We have always wanted to check out this one night a year Holiday event at the Pioneer Village in…read morethe Kern County Museum. Finally got the chance to go this year! They had a lot of the buildings open for viewing and tours. With docents and volunteers dressed in costumes from the 1800's era walking around, singing Christmas carols and giving tours of several buildings, this event aims to give you a holiday experience from the past. They have decorated the some of the houses & buildings with Christmas trees, a few Christmas lights, lamplights/candle lights and holiday decor. The horse drawn carriage that would pass by every so often while you are walking the "streets" in the village adds to the feel of experiencing holidays back in the day. We love history and learning about the past so this was right up our alley. Great family event. We will definitely go back next year! Only issue we observed was the short time frame this event is open. The Pioneer Village can hold a lot of people to attend this event but with this holiday event open only from 4pm-8pm, there was not enough time to go in all the buildings for the tours with long waits in line (we waited in line for almost 2 hours to see the Howell House). They have to come up with something to make it more enjoyable for everyone. And for people like us who would like to see everything have enough time to go around. They can limit tickets, run it longer, have multiple nights open or have more volunteers giving out the tours to make wait times shorter. Since our kids decided not to ride the carriage, we were able to see more. And we picked and chose which buildings & houses we wanted to tour and see. So until they work out this issue, I suggest you plan your evening when you go.

I have had Cathy take care of Snicky for years. She is so good with him and always alerts me to any…read morehealth issues. I trust her completely.

A very nice venue for holding equine events! The arena has great footing and the staff is super…read morehelpful. We will hold more events there in the future.