Tripadvisor
1 / 30#30. California State Capitol Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,405 reviews)
- City: Sacramento
- Read more on Tripadvisor
Highest-rated museums in California by visitors
Museums are popular tourist attractions because they provide fun ways to learn about history, science, and culture. As stewards of our civilization, they collect and exhibit items of significant importance, typically based around a theme, topic, or place. Many cover areas like art, natural history, or science, but some museums dedicate themselves to highly specific topics like mustard, play, hot air balloons, and even funeral history. Ultimately, museums present a window into different eras of society so people can learn about the past.
Collecting, preserving, and displaying items is not a new idea. The world's first museum dates to about 530 B.C., a project of Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, a Babylonian who had a collection of Mesopotamian artifacts. The oldest public museums still in existence are the Capitoline Museums in Rome, a collection of art and archeology museums started in 1471. America's oldest museum predates our country's founding. The Charleston Museum, a preservation of South Carolinian Lowcountry history, opened in 1773.
Museums are important not just because they preserve important elements of our history and culture but also because they can improve our well-being. Naturally, museums promote education and learning and can also bring joy. Researchers studying art museums found that they can reduce depression and increase people's sense of belonging. Quiet museum environments allow people to slow down and relax, and looking at exhibits can reduce stress. Museums also foster community by hosting events, activities, and tours that encourage social interaction.
No wonder they attract nearly 900 million visits a year.
With over 30,000 museums in the country to choose from, there's something for everyone. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated museums in California on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 11, 2025. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Keep reading to see what museums are in your own home state.
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2 / 30#29. Charles M. Schulz Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,195 reviews)
- City: Santa Rosa Sonoma County
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3 / 30#28. Norton Simon Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,281 reviews)
- City: Pasadena
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4 / 30#27. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Rating: 4.4/5 (2,116 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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5 / 30#26. Musee Mecanique
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,990 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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6 / 30#25. Trees of Mystery
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,290 reviews)
- City: Klamath
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7 / 30#24. Madame Tussauds Hollywood
- Rating: 4.3/5 (3,390 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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8 / 30#23. Legion of Honor
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,089 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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9 / 30#22. de Young Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (2,211 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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10 / 30#21. Cable Car Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (3,791 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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11 / 30#20. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,373 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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12 / 30#19. Birch Aquarium At Scripps
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,987 reviews)
- City: La Jolla San Diego
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13 / 30#18. Palm Springs Art Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,787 reviews)
- City: Palm Springs Greater Palm Springs
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14 / 30#17. Palm Springs Air Museum
- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,106 reviews)
- City: Palm Springs Greater Palm Springs
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15 / 30#16. Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,627 reviews)
- City: San Juan Capistrano
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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16 / 30#15. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (3,192 reviews)
- City: Simi Valley
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17 / 30#14. The Broad
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,831 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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18 / 30#13. Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,844 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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19 / 30#12. The Getty Villa
- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,591 reviews)
- City: Malibu
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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20 / 30#11. California State Railroad Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (2,833 reviews)
- City: Sacramento
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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21 / 30#10. Battleship USS Iowa Museum
- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,193 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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22 / 30#9. California Science Center
- Rating: 4.6/5 (4,006 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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23 / 30#8. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (3,313 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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24 / 30#7. California Academy of Sciences
- Rating: 4.5/5 (6,079 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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25 / 30#6. Walt Disney Family Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,860 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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26 / 30#5. Exploratorium
- Rating: 4.6/5 (3,608 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
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27 / 30#4. Petersen Automotive Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,541 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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28 / 30#3. The Getty Center
- Rating: 4.8/5 (14,842 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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29 / 30#2. USS Midway Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (25,870 reviews)
- City: San Diego
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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30 / 30#1. Griffith Observatory
- Rating: 4.6/5 (20,810 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.
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