Balls 8 is the aircraft name for a specially modified B-52 that was used by NASA as a mother ship…read more There are planes that are iconic, the Wright Flyer, the 707, the 747, The SR-71 and so on. However none have had as large of an impact on aviation as Balls 8. Balls 8 (a reference to its 008 tailcode) began life as an RB-52B. The RB-52B's were A model B-52's with enhanced reconnaissance capabilities It was turned over to NASA and was modified as a dropship for the revolutionary X-15A. Flying for over 49 years Balls 8 went on to have an illustrious career and served a a drop ship / mothership for many of other programs. Its history can be seen on its right side with painting of almost every drop. Like a mural it tells a story of success and failure. The humor in the men and women who flew and maintained it is evidenced by many of the markings from its nose art to several other misadventures all chronicled on its side. Some of the highlights: (its chronicled in the pics) The alfalfa impact study: a DAST drone deployed its chute before launch and landed in a alfalfa field The F-16 Target Test: During a test where an F-16 was to make a simulated attack, it actually shot at the B-52 with its Vulcan cannon using live rounds :o TFHB: or The Fing hook broke represents the day that the hooks failed on the X-15 pylon. Drops where parachutes failed or the launched vehicle broke up are all represented. Success and failure. all in all it served as dropship for 140 X-15 flights, 17 M2-F2 flights, 37 HL-10 flights, 27 X-24A flights, 41 F-15 RPRV flights, 9 SRB/DTV flights, and 29 F-15/SRV flights.It also carried multiple flights of F-111 Parachute Test Vehicle (PTV), the M2-F3, X-24B, Shuttle Reusable Booster/Drop Test Vehicle (SRB/DTV), Ryan BQM-34 Firebee II, DAST, Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology, Pegasus orbital booster, X-38 Crew Return Vehicles, and the X-43A Hyper-X. One mystery mission revolves around 4 very small bat figures. These missions are unknown but I think they were Senior Prom Stealthy Cruise missiles tested in the 80's The airframe itself is highly modified and the right wing sports a notch in it to allow for tall tail fins of some vehicles and several camera blisters to film drops and launches. Balls 8 serves a gate guard for the North Entrance to Edwards AFB and is accessible to the public. There is very little there however, beyond the aircraft. However, those transiting the area can stop and take a quick look.

Would not let civilians in to see museum I drove 1 1/2 hours and the military guards were rude and…read moredismissive.

A 5 star stop for sure!!! What an incredible collection of history. From all ages of Tehachapi…read more Stones and arrowheads to modern horse carts. Doctors accessories, and pieces of historic value from the towns growth. Flash back to an early civilization and see how we were grown. I am in love with the deep history this location boasts. So we'll displayed. Very clean and cool inside, super friendly folks here filled with information. Hit the cool gift shop corner on your way out. There is even a really neat salt and pepper display. There is so much rich history to see here! I highly recommend you pop in ON A WEEKEND and see. They are not open midweek.

Had a lovely time at the museum, even though I am not from tehachapi. Just visiting the museum was…read moreinteresting so educational for people who like history.

I enjoyed my visit to Edwards. It has everything you could need. The commissary is great, clean,…read morestocked, and great customer service. The thrift store was awesome, but with amazing employees. I hear the bowling alley is way better than the one in Tehachapi. I can't wait to try it out. Spent a great day here, and look forward to my next. 11/15/25

This is a hard 1. For ANYONE who hears you can do walk-in appointments with DEERS. do not come…read morehere. I was turned away from an E3 visitors gate guard saying I cannot go in. I proceeded to call the DEERS office, and they said, I could come in as a walk-in, but they cannot tell the gate guards what to do. Kinda shitty considering they see all the paperwork I am veteran, I've got all my documentation, have a BA disabled ID card, all that. But no, knowing that I traveled A FUCKING TRIP away, no. Why are yall so stupid?

The Boron Aerospace Museum holds a rich history of the aerospace industry from WWI through Space…read moreExploration, and more... The displays are amazing, don't miss the F4 Phantom and DRAKEN J35 parked right out front! It is a fun place to visit

Wonderful museum with interesting historic artifacts and exhibits. There is so much to look at that…read morea future trip should be made. Museum is free so make a donation to help support it after signing the log book. Bill is extremely knowledgeable and has so many stories to tell. The lovely photographs of the desert flora and fauna in the back room were taken by him. He is usually there Wednesdays but was filling in for someone on the Monday we were there. I learned so much from this place! I did not know that the mule teams were used only for a short period of six years from 1883 to 1889. Who knew also that the "twenty mule teams" actually consisted of eighteen mules and two horses and each animal served a specific role? I found it fascinating that the three sets of mules closest to the wagons (Pointers) were trained to jump over the chain during turns to keep it tight. This maneuver is called the "Dance of the Mules" and is amazing to see on videos of the modern replica mule team. There is a working animatronic display of the twenty mule team in the back room which someone had built. When turned on, the wagon wheels spin and the mules' head and ears move. An interesting newer exhibit of two movies that were filmed in Boron, " The Carpetbaggers" and "Erin Brockovich," can be found in the middle room of the museum. The front room of the museum has various historic displays of nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century life in the area. A working bell communication system from the mine occupies this space. There is even a permanent wave machine used in beauty parlors of the past with electrodes and wiring for hot curlers. I can almost smell the burning hair! There is also a visitor center at US Boron nearby that should be part of your museum visit. It is closed on Mondays, which is the day we were in the area, so there will be a definite return trip soon to explore that.

Great space, filled top to bottom and side to side with flight memorabilia dating back more than…read more100 years. So many exhibits to enjoy. Head over as soon as you can. Visit the great gift shop for souvenirs, home decor, clothing and more

We stopped here on our road trip and it was a nice little museum! The staff were nice and it was…read morevery clean. The bathrooms were also very clean and comfy for a potty break. There were tables in the front you could eat a little picnic at too, if you brought a lunch. As for the exhibits, it is mainly for older kids and adults because it's a lot of reading and adult history. But my kids who are 3 and 6 liked looking at the planes on the ceiling and outside. They got to sit in the jet plane cock pit and also see what a machine gun looked like up close. That was educational for my older son. It was free to enter, not busy, and parking was easy on the street. So, a nice little pit stop to stretch our legs. Spent about 10-15 mins here and then went to the mule museum right next door for another 10-15 minutes. So stop by if you pass through!

One of the Best Train Museums that we have visited. Located in a Train Depot, it is beautifully…read moredone with displays, artifacts, and Train Memorabilia from the past. Super friendly Staff who really show their passion for trains & the history that surrounds them. They have a nice gift shop where you can find a gift for the train enthusiast in your life, or pick up something for yourself. If you are lucky a train will pass through and you can sit on the platform and feel the history as it passes you by, go see the Tehachapi Loop to complete your visit to Train Town USA.

Enjoyed some time in the downtown area today. Brought the grandkids to play on the little train…read moreslide they have. It's so cute over here and well-maintained. We usually let our granddaughter run around on the grass and play. Luckily, the Man working out front told us not to go on the grass. I guess people are letting their dogs go to the bathroom and not clean up after them. So disappointing, it's such a beautiful area. We were glad for the warning, though. 10/24/25

At first glance, one might see a little shack, but this donation-run museum houses an interesting…read morecollection of pieces from the mining era and beyond, including a modest display on an archaeological search for wreckage of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing in the Mojave Desert. The friendly gentleman overseeing the museum that day was showing people a vial of gold his friend had just found recently in the desert. There's all sorts of things here. Out back are old, mining tools and machinery that really cool to look at up close. They don't look very maintained, so be careful splinters and such.

We tried calling several times and no one ever answers the phone there. We showed up today on a…read moreMonday and the sign said they are open Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. Have they ever heard of an answering machine? From the street, it looks like a tiny museum. I don't remember their hours; but if you try call on the weekends, maybe the ghost in the living ghost town will finally answer.

Adorable museum with an enthusiastic and well informed tour guide. I even received a personal…read moreindividual tour! Judy Garland grew up in this neighborhood and her father ran a movie theater just down the street. The museum has the theaters old seats! Myrtie, the proprietress was quite the force to be reckoned with. She lived past 100 and was a stalwart of the community!

Western Hotel Museum in Lancaster is open only on Friday and Saturday 11 AM - 4 PM. I chose to…read morevisit on Friday since Lee Esther's Cajun Créole Cooking in nearby Palmdale has its Friday only delectable Ya Ya Gumbo special in order to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Western Hotel may be the oldest, historical building on main drag Lancaster Blvd. It has a Victorian, rural feel housing so many in the past who have passed away. It is a self guided tour, but you can book a tour at least 2 weeks in advance to see both the MOAH Museum and the Western Hotel for $3/person. I was lucky to get an impromptu tour being the only person in the hotel near closing by Richard who was manning the front reception. Because of Richard's kind invitation, I was enlightened to the importance of the hotel taking part in Lancaster history run by the Webbers. Richard is quite the raconteur telling tales of Lancaster to make Western Hotel part in its history alive again. He also has a witty, humorous side showing me a violin case in one of the guestrooms which hid inside itself a bottle of whiskey and 4 ceramic shot glasses. Richard's very informative, friendly, amiable manner was able to transform a standard self guided tour reading labels into a vibrant, time machine sending me back to the olden times of Lancaster. Thanks for going out of your way and gifting me a very entertaining 60 minutes!!! This was a 5 star experience.

This place truly exceeded my expectations. It is seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The Mojave has…read morelots of places that fit that description. So when I made the drive to the visitor center I was blown away by the nice, friendly, informative setup. There is a large parking area right next to the 24/7 operating borax strip mine. It has a really nice visitor center with museum style exhibits, photos, historical information, and a theater which shows an educational film. There are friendly, knowledgeable volunteers and a nice little gift shop with lots of free pamphlets too. The top of the visitor center is a large observation deck from which you can view the huge operation. Nice photo ops here. Not a short drive but really glad I came.

This was a fun little place to stop. Our kids really enjoyed it too. Worth a visit if you're in the…read morearea.