Highest-rated specialty museums in California, according to Tripadvisor
Highest-rated specialty museums in California, according to Tripadvisor
The Ashmolean Museum, founded in 1683 at the University of Oxford, stands as the first public museum in the world. The gallery was started when its founder, Elias Ashmole, in 1677 donated his private collection to the university. Much of that original collection is still on display, including a crystal ball, several kidney stones, and preserved, exotic animals.
By creating the museum, Ashmole sought to do what all museum curators have worked for since: to create a space where people could be inspired and educated by artifacts and art from the world around them. Specialty museums are particularly focused, diving deep into highly specific subject matters, from seashells to ventriloquism.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest specialty museums in California on Tripadvisor. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your own home state.
#30. Palm Springs Air Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,003 reviews)
- Address: 745 N Gene Autry Trl, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-5464
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#29. Route 66 Mother Road Museum
- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (210 reviews)
- Address: 681 N 1st Ave, Barstow, CA 92311-2201
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#28. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (3,067 reviews)
- Address: 40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley, CA 93065-0600
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#27. The Gamble House
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (589 reviews)
- Address: 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103-3564
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#26. Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (88 reviews)
- Address: 1101 W McKinley Ave Bldg 3A, Pomona, CA 91768-1639
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#25. Estrella Warbird Air Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (228 reviews)
- Address: 4251 Dry Creek Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446-9540
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#24. Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (89 reviews)
- Address: 400 Brennan Cir Located on Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA 94535-5001
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#23. National Steinbeck Center
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (383 reviews)
- Address: 1 Main St, Salinas, CA 93901-3436
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#22. Morro Bay State Park
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (469 reviews)
- Address: State Park Road, Morro Bay, CA 93442
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#21. The Wende Museum of the Cold War
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (170 reviews)
- Address: 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230-3738
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#20. 49ers Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 4900 Marie P Debartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA 95054-1100
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#19. The Queen Mary
- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (3,039 reviews)
- Address: 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802-6331
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#18. Charles M. Schulz Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,124 reviews)
- Address: 2301 Hardies Ln, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2668
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#17. The Tech Interactive
- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (964 reviews)
- Address: 201 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113-2008
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#16. Lyon Air Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (183 reviews)
- Address: 19300 Ike Jones Rd 19300 Ike Jones Road, 92707, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana, CA 92707-5229
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#15. Museum of Making Music
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (359 reviews)
- Address: 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008-4608
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#14. Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,583 reviews)
- Address: 26801 Ortega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2601
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#13. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (552 reviews)
- Address: 2800 Buck Owens Blvd, Bakersfield, CA 93308-6314
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#12. The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (197 reviews)
- Address: 3190 Lionshead Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92010-4701
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#11. Corona Heritage Park and Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 510 W Foothill Pkwy, Corona, CA 92882-6305
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#10. Intel Corp and Museum
- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (259 reviews)
- Address: 2200 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95054-1537
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#9. Oakland Museum of California
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (748 reviews)
- Address: 1000 Oak St, Oakland, CA 94607-4820
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#8. Original McDonald's Site and Museum
- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (293 reviews)
- Address: 1398 N E St, San Bernardino, CA 92405-4529
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#7. Petersen Automotive Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,341 reviews)
- Address: 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036-3605
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#6. Mission San Luis Rey
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (615 reviews)
- Address: 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside, CA 92057-6402
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#5. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (914 reviews)
- Address: 1660 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126-2126
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#4. The Getty Villa
- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,486 reviews)
- Address: 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy Pacific Palisades, Malibu, CA 90265-5708
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#3. California State Railroad Museum
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (2,759 reviews)
- Address: 125 I St, Sacramento, CA 95814-2204
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#2. USS Midway Museum
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (24,863 reviews)
- Address: 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101-5811
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#1. The Getty Center
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 (14,503 reviews)
- Address: 1200 Getty Center Dr N Sepulveda Blvd & Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1657
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