California Museums and Culture

    Charles M. Schulz, Sonoma County

  2301 Hardies Lane - Santa Rosa, CA           
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 26, 1922, Charles M. Schulz was the only child of Dena and Carl Schulz. From birth, comics played an important role in Schulz’s life. At just two days old, an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky” after the horse Spark Plug from the Barney Google comic strip, and throughout his youth he and his father shared a Sunday morning ritual reading the funnies. Schulz always knew he wanted to be a cartoonist and was very proud when Ripley’s newspaper feature, Believe it or Not, published his drawing of the family dog in 1937.
    International Museum of Women, San Francisco County
  P.O. Box 190038 - San Francisco, CA             
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The mission of I.M.O.W. is to value the lives of women around the world.
I.M.O.W. is a groundbreaking social change museum that inspires global action, connects people across borders and transforms hearts and minds by amplifying the voices of women worldwide through global online exhibitions, history, the arts and cultural programs that educate, create dialogue and build community. With its unique focus on cultural change, I.M.O.W. advances the human right to gender equity worldwide.
    Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum, San Francisco County
  175 Jefferson Street - San Francisco, CA             
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Two floors and over 10,000 square feet filled with the strange, the unusual, and the unbelievable! See in person the incredible "Believe It or Nots" you've read about in the Ripley books and cartoons and seen on television.
    Timken Museum of Art, San Diego County
  1500 El Prado, Balboa Park - San Diego, CA            
Located in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park, the Timken Museum of Art houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection of European old masters American art, and Russian icons.
Artworks in the collection range from 13th-century altarpieces through 18th-century portraits to 19th-century still lifes. Represented are the works of Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian painters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Petrus Christus, Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Veronese, as well as American artists such as John Singleton Copley and Eastman Johnson.
Admission to the Timken Museum of Art is always free.
    The Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego County
  1649 El Prado - San Diego, CA           
The Museum of Photographic Arts officially opened its doors on May 1, 1983 as one of the few museum facilities in the United States designed exclusively to collect and present the world's finest examples of photographic art. The appointment of nationally renowned curator/photographer Arthur Ollman as Executive Director brought visionary leadership and instant credibility to the nascent museum. In 2006, Deborah Klochko became the second Executive Director in MoPA's 25 year history. Klochko is now guiding MoPA into the next phase of its evolution.
MoPA has displayed works from the entire history of the medium; from 19th century daguerreotypes to albumen prints, from Pictorialism to master works of 20th century and contemporary works and photojournalism by many of the best photographers working today.
    Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco County
  655 Mission Street - San Francisco, CA             
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The Cartoon Art Museum is committed to fostering and promoting a greater appreciation of cartoon art. This it achieves through collecting, cataloging, preserving and displaying the finest representations of original cartoon art as well as providing innovative educational programs designed to enrich the cultural life of our community.
    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles County
  5905 Wilshire Boulevard - Los Angeles, CA             
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Location & Parking
The main buildings at LACMA (also known as LACMA East) are located in the Miracle Mile area between Fairfax Avenue and La Brea Avenue, on Wilshire Boulevard, just east of Ogden Drive. LACMA West is two blocks west, at the northeast corner of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.
    Pacific Coast Air Museum, Sonoma County
  2230 Becker Blvd. - Santa Rosa, CA            
Founded in 1989, the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the acquisition, restoration, safe operation and display of historical aircraft and provides an educational venue for students and the community. We also intend to honor those heroic aviators who have contributed so much to the growth and defense of our way of life.
    Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco County
  685 Mission Street - San Francisco, CA            
An international museum, based in San Francisco, MoAD is committed to showcasing the "best of the best" from the African Diaspora. To facilitate this, MoAD reaches out and initiates collaborative ventures with institutions of similar vision from around the world. Already, the museum has forged rich relationships with the British Museum, the Museum of African Art (NY), Eileen Harris Norton and Peter Norton, and the University of California Berkeley, amongst others.
Drawing from the collections of museums, institutes, organizations, universities and private citizens, MoAD is a collector of stories—a repository of information to be shared with all who wish to know about the African Diaspora.
    The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco County
  145 Jefferson Street - San Francisco, CA             
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The spirit and energy of San Francisco is manifested in the history of one of its most popular landmarks - The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Bedecked by colorful waving flags and surrounded by a complex of gifts shops and entertainment sites, the museum welcomes guests to one of the world's most visited spots. Three generations of the Fong family have kept the Wax Museum a vital and changing San Francisco attraction.
As one of the world's largest wax museums, the fully restored San Francisco attraction continues to show all aspects of life from the ignoble Chamber of Horrors to the inspiring Hall of Religion, including the historic Library of U.S. Presidents, the spectacular Recreation of King Tut's Tomb and the unique Palace of Living Art, where the world's most famous masters, and their masterpieces come to life through the magic of wax artistry.
    Hollywood Wax Museum, Los Angeles County
  6767 Hollywood Blvd - Hollywood, CA           
What began as a family business has blossomed into a world famous entertainment company, Kuvera Attractions. Entrepreneur Spoony Singh built the Hollywood Wax Museum with the vision of bringing people close to their favorite stars. More than 40 years later, the Hollywood Boulevard attraction is the longest running wax museum in the nation and has expanded into other cities across the United States.
    ferrari, Los Angeles County
   - Beverly Hills, CA
          
this is a nice museum.
    Musée Mécanique, San Francisco County
  Pier 45 at the end of Taylor Street - Fisherman's Wharf - San Francisco, CA           
One of the world's largest (over 200) privately owned collection of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines in their original working condition. (You can play them!)
    San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, San Diego County
   - San Diego, CA             
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No carrier has the history or the crew to match the Midway. A 47-year odyssey that spanned the end of WWII and Desert Storm, an odyssey in which more than 225,000 Americans took part.
    San Diego Art Institute, San Diego County
  1439 El Prado - San Diego, CA            
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The San Diego Art Institute mission is to maintain a center for emerging artists and the visual arts in San Diego.
SDAI's most visible activity focuses on showcasing the work of San Diego emerging area visual artists through a program of over 30 juried shows a year, (regular show, "One-Foot" show, special outreach shows, youth art & others). Different art professionals are selected as jurors for each show assuring exhibitions of high quality and great variety. Jurors' Choice and Honorable Mention certificates are awarded at monthly public receptions.
    Maritime Museum of San Diego, San Diego County
   - San Diego, CA            
The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world's finest collections of historic ships, including the world famous Star of India.
    International Puppetry Museum, Los Angeles County
  1062 N. Fair Oaks Avenue - Pasadena, CA           
In October of 1999, a group of puppeteers, producers, business professionals and lovers of puppetry came together to form a steering committee. The goal was to create a non-profit center in Southern California that promotes and preserves puppetry arts. While there are other such centers in in America's heartland of entertainment, there is no place dedicated to honor and celebrate this magical art.
    San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego County
  2001 Pan American Plaza - Balboa Park - San Diego, CA             
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The San Diego Air & Space Museum celebrates aviation and space flight history through preservation of significant artifacts, presentation of dynamic exhibits, and commemoration of the men and women who forged aerospace history, educating the public about the social and historical significance of aerospace technology and its promise for the future and inspiring students to excel in technology, mathematics and the sciences, and encourage all visitors to become life-long learners in support of aerospace advancement.
    California State Military Museum, Sacramento County
  1119 Second Street - Sacramento, CA           
The California State Military Museum is located at 1119 Second Street in the Old Sacramento State Historical Park. It is only a few minutes walk from the State Capital, The California State Railroad Museum and several other fine museums, parks, and tourist attractions. The museum, opened by Governor Pete Wilson in 1991, is the official military museum and historical research center of the State of California. This was reinforced on 11 September 2002 when Governor Gray Davis signed legislation making the museum a permanent museum under the California State Military Department and providing permanent funding for the museum. Finally on 13 July 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation to amend the Government Code to make the museum the state's official military museum.
    Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles County
  46 North Los Robles Avenue - Pasadena, CA           
Pacific Asia Museum is one of only four institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further cultural awareness and understanding through the arts.
    Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles County
  9786 West Pico Blvd. - Los Angeles, CA            
The Museum of Tolerance provides a unique and provocative experience that challenges visitors to become witnesses to history, confront the dynamic of intolerance that is still embedded in society today.
Through powerful interactive exhibits, arts and lectures, special events and customized educational programs for youths and adults, the Museum engages visitors' hearts and minds in a journey of discovery to inspire change.
    Orange Empire Railway Museum, Riverside County
  2201 S. - Perris, CA           
The Orange Empire Railway Museum's purpose is to preserve and display artifacts and documents of the rail transportation industry in order to educate the public on the technology, history and impact of the rail transportation industry in the West and more specifically Southern California.
    California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, Sonoma County
  5250 Aero Drive - Santa Rosa, CA           
The Museum provides California Indians and the public with a first class museum facility in which to portray California Indian history and culture from an Indian perspective. In addition, the museum showcases and encourages the present-day renaissance of California Indian culture, affirming its survival and continued vitality in the face of extreme adversity. Finally, the museum provides opportunities for Native Americans to receive training and experience in a variety of fields such as museum direction, curation, design and interpretation.
The Museum was developed by the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC), a 100% Indian owned and operated nonprofit corporation. Originally founded in 1983 as a resource for tribal courts, the NIJC has steadily expanded its mission and is now known as a major force for improving the quality of life and the quality of justice in Indian country.
    Aerospace Museum of California, Sacramento County
  3200 Freedom Park Drive - McClellan Air Force Base, CA           
The Aerospace Museum of California Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that was formerly known as the McClellan Aviation Museum. The Museum has been in existence since 1982. The name was changed in 2005 to reflect the new vision focused on education and to reflect the full heritage of aviation and aerospace in the Sacramento region.