This was a very last minute visit as it wasn't planned but I was in the neighborhood visiting another property. This ranch is hidden in plain sight. The area surrounding it is pretty urbanized with apartments across the street and an distribution center nearby. Don't miss the entrance! There is an abundance of things to see! Each building and each room has a lot to take in. If you are into history, antiques and such, this is the place! read more

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This is a great place to take kids for a quick history lesson. The docents were knowledgeable and the place is a fantastic learning yard. Loved it... read more

It's a awesome property with all kinds of stuff to see, a lot old machinery, vehicles, the main building is two story's with a watch tower, the building to the left is full of old stuff from dolls to ice boxes. There's goats, chickens, cats, and a tortoise. One of the houses is a Sears house, which if you don't know is house you would buy from a Sears catalog and they would deliver everything you need to build your own house. The hours are not great and it takes some time to see everything so I'd wouldn't show up at the last hour they are open unless you have been here before. I heard that a guy does a beekeeping class in the far back of the property on Saturdays. Overall you won't be disappointed if you like seeing old machinery and old stuff. You can buy chicks, chickens and eggs!!! read more

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I came the hours they listed.. but the gates were closed. I called no answer. Left a message.. no one called back. I was excited to come visit read more

I love it here looks scary from outside but the worker here is Amazing and always very helpful

My best advice is to not be in a hurry when you go to visit the ranch / museum. There is a LOT to see here, and the guide you'll encounter will enjoy talking about the history of the family, and how the timing of Jesse Hathaway's coming to California and settling in the area coincides with the expansion of the oil industry. This is no formal, polished place. This is about a family that lived and worked this property, kept their stuff, and decided to share it with the public instead of just having it sold off and distributed to the winds of fate. There is literally STUFF everywhere, along with colorful chickens to greet you when you park. My grandfather would have felt right at home here. Stepping into the machine shop gave me an instant sense of nostalgia for Grandpa's garage and basement. Filled with all the pieces, parts, and tools of the industrial era, it is a sight to behold. Our guide (I didn't catch his name) seemed to know all about the usage of the various work areas, and to my delight, he turned on the engine. The building came to life with belts and pulleys driving assorted pieces of machinery. I'd expect that drilling, pressing, tooling, and other functions would be capably handled by the system. We also got to see the area the goats inhabit. There are dozens of them! Including adorable kids, the younger generation is well represented. We learned that they bring in outside males for breeding to keep the herd genetically diversified. It is something to see a full sized goat leap upwards to perch on a tractor like there's nothing to it. Show off! We never did get to the house part of the museum, due to time constraints. We will have to go back for that. I think we only scratched the surface. read more

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While on the way home from picking up my daughter from school today, we decided to stop by the Hathaway Ranch & Oil Museum. Boy, am I glad we did!! We arrived just on time to hear the docent Dick give a very informative tour on the history of Santa Fe Springs. It was great to hear all the stories he shared, he is a walking book of knowledge and a very nice man. We also got to see the baby goats and a very large land turtle. We didn't get to see the museum so we will be returning in the next few days to cover that part of the tour. I highly recommend visiting if you're ever in the area. read more

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This is a great little spot right in "your own backyard". They just recently reopened and have limited hours due to COVID. I suggest you call in advance to get the most recent hours of operation. A new property manager has taken over so there is lots of work to be done still but nonetheless it did not stop us from having a great time! The employees are friendly, informative, and patient with children. There are chickens, rabbits, cats, goats, a pig, turkeys and they are planning on adding more animals. There are fruit trees, lots lots of vintage farming equipment. There is a museum too. My nieces made some crafts out of recycled materials they had on hand. The kids had a great time and can't wait to go back. read more

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The Hathaway Ranch and Oil Museum was completely deserted when Brandon D. and I showed up. We were greeted by half a dozen cats and the occasional wandering gang of roosters walking the property. It was eerie, really, with no one around. We were walking by the houses, which were locked up or had "Private Residence" signs and no one was in the office. Roosters kept crowing, and for the longest time we only encountered either napping cats or flocks of chickens strutting through the weeds. Not sure where to go we started ambling about the grounds, looking at all of the rusted over tractors, trucks, steamrollers, threshers, and other oil drilling and farm implements back there. Eventually, while looking at a pen of goats near the open restrooms, we were met with a kind African-American woman who said she saw us walking around and hoped we enjoyed "looking at all of [their] rusted things." She directed us to Dick, an older gentleman in a cowboy hat with sparkling eyes, who had just finished leading a small tour group. He took led us into a small room in a garage with a noisy ceiling fan and the walls lined with photos of oil derricks. We were joined by a man in overalls he kept going on about how Dick was "going to give you the business," regarding the history of the area, but who then left after putting down $10 for a couple jars of jelly saying he if he stayed he knew Dick "would ramble on for 6 months." Truth be told, Dick very informative about the Hathaways, their sons, their work ethic, how they kept employing people during the Depression, how they raised cattle, how they helped other dig oil wells, how they never threw anything away, how they were self-educated... seriously, the man really knows A LOT about Jesse and Lola Hathaway and Santa Fe Springs, and he's not afraid to tell you all about them. The best part of the tour was seeing the machine shop. All of the machines are powered by a gas engine (used to be steam) that brings to life a system of belts and wheels the whir on the ceiling. Dick flipped a switch that made the whole room become animated. Really cool for the engineering geeks out there. As the tour winded down, Dick told us about how a film crew came through last week to use the machine shop to double as Alexander Graham Bell's workshop. He described the production as using a lot of profanity, and this launched into discussing HBO's "Deadwood" and his own family's settler history. He got a bit teary-eyed near the end. Again, I recommend visiting this place (which seems to only be open Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursdays from 11-4), even just to talk to Dick and get him to take you though the machine shop. Amazing. read more

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I stopped by on a whim one afternoon. I only got To spend about an hour there, but was pleased with what I encountered. We got a one on one tour since there was no one else there. The man who led the tour was very enthusiastic and had tons of neat information. He walked my 5 year old and me all around to see the all the animals and let us touch and feed them. He sent me off with little souvenirs like a fresh laid egg and some peacock feathers. I didn't get to see very much so I'm planning another trip soon. I would recommend that you wear some shoes you don't care about because it is pretty dusty. read more

Hathaway Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Fe Springs, California

I visited the Hathaway Museum with my 4 year old. We had some other errands to run in the Santa Fe Springs area, and saw this was nearby on our Passport2History Museum Program. The grounds are large and there is a lot to see. Watch for the sign as I drove by it the first time. It's a little confusing where to park, as when I went in I thought just the house on the left was the museum, but the entire grounds are the museums, so you can park anywhere. Just watch out for the chickens, roosters and cats running around! The docent was already mid tour, so another staff member caught us up to him. Full disclosure... by this time in the day, my toddler was in a bit of a mood, so he wasn't in the best place for a tour. The first staff member had told us there they had 25 baby goats, so my son was eager to get to that part of the tour. Our docent was very kind and knowledgable and gave a very detailed tour. It was a bit too detailed for my son's speed, so we had to cut it kind of short, but if you're intro history, I would definitely come back and check this place out because there is a lot to see! He said we only caught about a third of the place. There is a lot of cool oil stuff in the big mental oil tower which is now part of the museum. We didn't make it to the house across the street that I'd LOVE to see! We did get to see all the baby goats though! There is a ton to see here, but make sure you give yourself enough time. I'd go when they open so the kids are a bit more ready for a tour. I wish this were a bit more self guided so we could still see everything but go at our own speedy pace. Our docent while doing his best, wasn't really picking up on the cues that we needed the speedy tour. But if you're adults only, you'll love this! I hope to get back there! You can make a decent day trip out this way from LA. Look up what else is around. There are some cool historic restaurants, other museums, and King Richard's Antique Center, which is supposedly the largest in CA! read more

This place is awesome. On-site working machine shop from 1935, blacksmith working, original machinery that made SantaFeSprings(originally Fulton Wells), and live farm animals to hold and touch. Awesome place to check out! The best tour guides from people that lived in and around the ranch as it was operating. A great experience for the whole family. read more

The environment of the Ranch is instantly welcoming. It is unique and beautiful in every way. The original items here have their own heartfelt stories. Each story told is fascinating. There is so much to learn, see, and admire. I would like to thank Richard for being so informative and kind. This Ranch is amazing, and you won't regret going. I'll be back really soon. read more

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I've been exploring interesting places in the Los Angeles area for 35 years and finally stumbled onto this one. It is not your typical museum. It's more like a time warp. The docent, Dick, was a walking encyclopedia and very nice man. We were fascinated by everything we saw and learned and are planning a return trip to see what we couldn't cover in the first four hours. The family history is fascinating. So is the local history, which covers the rough and tumble early days of Los Angeles after 1905. If you like machines, this is nirvana. If you're not into machines, there is still plenty to pique your interest. There are 5 acres of interesting artifacts in various stages of preservation and decay. One gets a strong sense that the place has changed very little within those 5 acres and the fascinating stories of a family of interesting characters are enriched by the stuff that surrounded them. Who needs a curator when everything is exactly as they left it? Go early and make a day of it. Get the tour from a docent. Prepare to get muddy or dusty. Wear old shoes. It's an unforgettable place. read more

The docent was AMAZING. This gentleman should write a book! We are from the UK. My son is homeschooled, so this was a perfect stop off on our way to LA. We have studied a lot of California history in the time we have been here - it was fun to see a real wagon from either the Oregon Trail or the 49ers coming west -I forget which, though it needs investment. The family history and how oil came to be involved and the lives of the children was absolutely fascinating. It's a very interesting place read more

Hathaway Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Fe Springs, California

When I visited Hathaway Ranch, I was disappointed to see nearly everything covered with spider webs, dirt, and the smell of cat urine. Hathaway Ranch could be a wonderful museum. And I would like to visit again, if it gets cleaned up. It would be easy to do, but the workers don't seem to understand. read more

The thing that caught my eye was the nice house you can see from the street. Sadly you can't go inside because of regulations that prevent it from being accessible by the public. However if you want a quick look around the property there's no problem. Lot's of old vehicles, machinery, and a tremendous amount of chickens walking about. But if you want a tour that's when things get challenging. They really only have one person who gives the tours who's been there since the 1960s, and is intent on providing as much info and detail about everything. I had to come here on 2 days. First day, a tour just started so I joined in, that covered the middle area of the ranch. Some people dropped out after about an hour but I hung in for over two hours. We never made to the the other house that you can tour inside because we ran out of time and the place was closing. Came back on day two to tour the inside of the house. Had to wait around because like I said they only have one person that gives tours, and that person was running late. So we start the tour of home and after about an hour we only covered three rooms. That's two hours of me being there good grief. Just then more visitors arrive. So I'm hoping they will just join in from the point we were at. But the old timer guide decides to start the tour from the beginning for them. Now I was hoping he would do a quick rundown but quick is not in this persons vocabulary. After waiting for 30 minutes I decided I had enough and just had to leave. The ranch itself is not very fancy. The family that lived there were not quite hoarders but definitely pack rats. There is junk everywhere. The house is pretty modest. So a bit of history, quick look around you will be fine. If you want to get in on a tour be ready for an encyclopedia of info and clear your schedule for several hours. read more

We were in the area to visit Heritage Park that I saw this house in my Passport 2 History booklet. Showing up later in the day with a 3y be and 6yo the museum itself would have probably been painful for both myself and the docent/groundskeeper David, bbu he still legl is on a tour of the property that my boys loved. They got to see all the cool old vehicles, including an actual steam powered steam roller. They met goats and chickens, saw fruit trees, etc. David even sent us home with a few pieces of fruit and some awesome feathers. Even without seeing the museum's inside it was a great stop. read more