Such a great local venue to enjoy at or to take dance class or to watch live jazz music. Such a…read morewarm welcoming quaint environment with lovely staff/docents. A great inexpensive night out in Turlock! Check out their calendar online for upcoming exhibits and events for your next date night!

If you're motoring on either I-5 or (esp.) CA-99 between Northern and Southern California and want…read morea GREAT place to get out and stretch your legs--one that is less than 2 miles from the freeway--you will really kick yourself if you miss this absolute gem of a museum. It may be small, but the works displayed are varied, and ALL are truly outstanding. And since none of the pieces are permanent, you can go back there every 2 months or so and see completely different artwork. Lisa, the curator/manager for the past 20+ years, is truly passionate about this place, and it really shows. (No, I'm not related to her; in fact, I just met her today during my first visit.) I heard about this place through the old (R.I.P.) AAA TourBooks, and this is *definitely* one of their better "finds."

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.

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.

Elegant, unique, historical venue for a wedding. Paired with great weather made the outdoor-indoor…read morecombination just perfect for the intimate event. Added chic decor and great vibes made for a perfect evening.

Yesterday the McHenry Mansion had free entry into the mansion as well as carriage rides and crafts…read moreat the museum/park across from the mansion. It was decorated for Christmas which is so beautiful! The staff were very nice and helpful. It was quite busy but overall a nice experience! At the museum, they had crafts that my friends and I participated in. We also walked through the museum and it wasnt as busy as the mansion! We had a good day and enjoyed ourselves!

Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

This review is for the polar express train ride. Let's cut right to the sleigh bells: At a cool $85…read morea pop, this ride definitely costs more than a lump of coal. For my family of three, we signed up for the holiday hype, and while it wasn't exactly perfect, it was certainly an event to remember! Singing Christmas carols was an absolute delight! My personal highlight? The hot chocolate scene. The performers were fantastic, and the cocoa itself was surprisingly delicious & paired with a yummy snickerdoodle cookie. The trip to the North Pole, while blessedly short, felt truly magical. Watching all the kids scramble to one side of the train to catch a glimpse of Santa's HQ was a sight. Now, for the "improvements" section. The train apparently needs a gallon of WD-40. Parts of the ride were punctuated by a noise I can only describe as "ears-piercing squeaky"--a sound that could shatter a candy cane. Also, when the classic Polar Express story was being read, those of us in the back were left playing a fun game called "Can You Hear Me Now?" (Spoiler: We could not). Finally, the outside scenery was less "winter wonderland" and more "passing landscape." It would have been brilliant if they had just added a few festive Christmas decorations along the route. Just a few! We aren't asking for a full-scale holiday village, just something besides barren trees. While our ride came with a few minor mechanical and auditory "features," we still had a magical time. It wasn't perfect, but what ever is?

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.

Had some time in Stockton so I wandered into the Haggin and was pleasantly surprised with the…read morecollection and displays describing Stockton's past. They had a nice selection of art from America and Europe. Memorable pieces included ones from the Barbizon School and Also the impressionists. The Renoir in the collection was on loan to the Morgan Library but it was nice to see paintings from noted artists like Hassam, Bérard, Lhermitte, and Bierstadt. I enjoyed reading about the industry in Stockton's past and also how the Haggin Museum came about. I spent around 1-1.5 hours there. The neighboring park is a delight too with a pond, pool and basketball courts.

Lived locally for about 20 years, how did I not know this gem existed. Will make a point to revisit…read moreas their exhibitions change.

This was definitely a fun stop on our road trip! The first floor is the shop, where you can sample…read morea few cheeses or get something like cheese pie at the cafe. But definitely go upstairs, especially if you have kids, to look at the exhibits on dairy farms. We honestly would have missed the stairs if we didn't ask somebody how to get to the exhibits. It's not obvious! There's also a little movie about cheese making that you can ask the staff members to start for you. We also paid $4 each to do the ice cream making at 11:00 a.m. My only real complaint about the whole thing is that the kids weren't able to see what ingredients were in their can before they started the shaking process. The staff led them through all these different shaking exercises, and then they got to open their cans at the end and see some ice cream. But it really didn't mean anything to them because they had no idea what was in there in the beginning! I said something about it to the staff, just asking them why they didn't have the kids look in it at the beginning, and they said it's because they usually do field trips with hundreds of kids..... But our tour was just around 10 people! If I could do it all over, I would have had my kids unscrew the lids to see what was inside. But besides that little pet peeve, I appreciated the staff giving information and a little tour of the exhibits, and the movie is also included at the beginning of the event.

A very solid 4 1/2 stars I haven't been here in years. Since I was in the area, I decided to…read moreswing by. Their cheese is very good, having won awards from the California State fair, to nine medals, including gold, at the 2026 World cheese championships. Yes, it's good. you've probably had it, but never knew it. they sell their cheese in bulk to food service providers, restaurants, and other retail brands that package and sell the cheese under their own names It's a great place. Everything from souvenirs, to snacks, wines, jams, Peet's coffee, they have a small café, and of course, cheese, cheese, and even more cheese. They do offer tours, but they are limited. However, you can ask somebody from the register, to come over and turn on the "Moo-vie." hosted by a cartoon cow, it covers the cheese, making process from farm, forward. Yes, it's a little "cheesy", (pun intended) but it's cute, and it's interesting. There are pictures throughout the visitor center, and they also have a small area upstairs, that also talks about the cheese making process, and you can look down into the factory. As I mentioned, there are lots of cheeses for sale. They also have samples. They have "squeakers" which is what they call their cheese, curds, many different varieties of their cheeses, and other gourmet cheeses from other companies. I bought a small apple, walnut, smoked cheddar, which was very flavorful, and then I also decided to take a gamble, and got a 1 pound block of Hilmar habanero pepper jack cheese. The 1 pound block of cheese cost under seven bucks. Extremely reasonable for such a good quality cheese. Yes, it definitely packs a punch, (hey, it's habanero....) but the creaminess of the cheese helps, mellow out the habanero a bit. You can also cook with it, like a cheeseburger, or scrambled eggs, etc.... And that also helps mellow out the habanero. it is definitely toward the higher end of what I like for in spicy, but it is definitely good. At the café, they actually sell a cheese chowder, which is supposed to be excellent. I don't think my poor system could've handled it, so instead, I got one of their grilled cheese sandwiches, the zesty tomato, which was Monterey Jack, sun-dried, tomato, tomato, basil pesto, on sourdough bread. Yes, still rich, but the tomato help helped cut the richness. The only reason I'm taking off a half star, was because the bread was a bit overdone on the sandwich. Not enough that I had them redo it, but I could definitely taste it a little bit. The amazing taste of the sandwich. Helped take away the overdone taste of the bread. A great place to visit, I will be back. Thanks.

Yesterday the McHenry Mansion had free entry as well as cradts at the museum, carroage rides and…read moremore! While visiting the museum, my family and I had a wonderful time getting info on the Stanislaus Libraries in the area, looking at Modedto artifacts and making crafts! The staff were very kind and helpful! Overall, we had a wonderful time!

I had always wanted to stop in at the McHenry Museum, but I never took the opportunity to go, until…read morerecently. The museum hosted an event right before Graffiti Night to kind of kick it off. It was a free event to go inside the museum, and outside were lots of classic cars, trucks, and a few bicycles!! I included lots of photos inside and out!! Well, they had another event last Saturday night! "A night at the McHenry Museum!" What a cute and fun idea!! It was great for all ages. We received a night guard evidence log when we checked in at the front desk! Right before that, we were welcomed by a greeter who opened the door for us. They had nine exhibits with stamps from the people dressed in period or historical costumes. They each gave a little demo or speech about the exhibit they were in. They were all so friendly, and interactive. It really made the scenes come to life! One exhibit was trying to get gold out of the clay rocks, to turn into the cashier for play money, which in turn one could "buy" real candy. I had such a wonderful time. I hope they do this activity again, sometime soon. It would be fun to know about it way in advance, so I could dress up too. That would be really fun! I did not find out about it until a few days before. However, I am so glad I went!

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.