Fun little museum in the heart of downtown where you can see some fossils and taxidermia…read more Plenty of street parking was available nearby. We spent about 2 hours here going between the different levels the main level you walk in is the middle area and then there's an upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs there are some more animals and then big dinosaur fossils. There a small Egyptian exhibit which was a cool addition. Then on the bottom level it's an area where everything is touchable so the kids can really have some fun. There was area that they're redoing so that was off limits. There is an elevator so if you have some mobility limitations that is helpful. There are fans on all the levels because it doesn't get the best circulation. Overall a great place to spend a few hours out of the house for a fun learning experience.

This museum is so neat! The docents (who are all volunteers btw!) are knowledgeable and funny, and…read morethey kept my Girl Scouts' interest with no issue. The exhibits are beautiful and interesting, and there are interactive elements to some displays. I was stunned by the Yokuts display, which had a full replica of a traditional Yokut home. An extraordinary, nearly-complete fossil found locally is on display. The bottom floor also has a fun exploratory area for kids! It's great! Highly recommend this museum to all ages.

If you are in Bakersfield and looking for something to do, I highly recommend stopping by to learn…read moreabout the city's history. Caution: It gets really hot in Bakersfield, so it might be a tad hot. Make sure to hydrate, wear comfortable clothes, and shoes because you will be walking around looking at the exhibits. There are a few indoor exhibits, but the majority are outside. Tours are self-guided, which is a plus because you can freely explore the grounds and village in the back. There are a few indoor exhibits that feature the vehicles used in the past for multiple purposes, and also a barn that includes memorabilia from old bars that our ancestors enjoyed in Kern County. Definitely a cool concept filled with lots of artifacts from the past. What a great day to enjoy a fun blast from the past!

A MUST-SEE! If you're in Bakersfield, you love architecture, and appreciate the growth of a city,…read moreyou need to see the Kern County Museum. The best introduction to a region is learning of its history. I stopped by as I told my Mom this is a highly-rated experience and gem of the community! Turns out, it is. Kern County Museum is an immersive outdoor experience set up as a community or town where you go from houses to buildings to barns, exploring what life was like when people lived in the olden days. We spotted a hotel, doctor's office, schools, courthouse, and so many more buildings. All the structures are well-maintained and have descriptions in front of them. You're even allowed to go in some of the buildings! My favorite was a the spooky Mason Lodge! We spent a while enjoying the stories and significance of these locations which led to the development of a well-known Central California city! Kern County Museum even has a research center, mini art gallery, and children's discovery center. The facilities are clean and well-kept. There's an indoor section to the museum with background on Native American and war-time culture in Kern. My Mom and I came during a week day, we saw several parents bring their children to explore the museum. There's plenty of parking and room to move around. As an educator, i highly recommend checking this out! It's also perfect for field trips!

A free air museum run by volunteers! How cool is this?…read more Small - we saw everything in an hour, and were given a personal tour by one of the members. A fun stop to stretch your legs and break the monotony of an I-5 road trip!

This is a fun little air museum just outside Bakersfield that packs in a lot!…read more Clean and well kept. Docents are full of knowledge and stories. Lots to look at making it an enjoyable experience! They host a few annual events as well, one notable one is Santa's fly in where the kids get to meet Santa. Give it a visit and you won't be disappointed.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art celebrating its 70th Anniversary was truly such an honor to attend;…read moreand what an unforgettable evening it turned out to be. From the moment you step inside, the space feels like pure magic: vibrant, lively, and brimming with creativity in every corner. The evening unfolded beautifully with a delicious dinner catered by Bord A Petite, an open bar flowing with ease, and a thoughtfully curated silent auction featuring artwork selected by curator of exhibitions and collections Victor Gonzales alongside executive director and chief curator Gilbert Vicario. And the décor? Absolutely dreamy. Thousands of balloons were transformed into whimsical sea creatures all floating jellyfish and playful octopuses that created an enchanting, underwater fantasy throughout the space. I was so wrapped up in the moment: laughing, exploring, and enjoying the evening with my sister and her friends that I barely took any photos of the artwork itself... which just means you'll have to experience it firsthand.

We are members so we love the bakersfield museum of art!!!…read more We most recently went on a Wednesday after having lunch at centro Cali brewery around the corner. It was lovely to be one of the only few people in the museum. They always have great bakersfield and kern county focused exhibits. This time we saw bakersfield standards exhibit which was such a lovely look at all the things that make the valley and its history and culture unique. It made me proud to be a valley girl.

So much cool history here. Especially for country fans. We've been coming here for over 25 years…read more The entertainment, food & drinks are always stellar. The service is always great. It's family friendly & also adult friendly. There's something here for everyone to enjoy. Especially all the historical memorabilia throughout.

Fun venue for country music Good food, service and…read moreatmosphere with a great collection of memorabilia

Beautiful space ! Perfect for a small party or event . I love the monthly First Friday shows from…read more5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and the second Saturday events from 9:00PM to 5:00PM .

modern gigitty gigitty got game. Space is coo but he needa maybe throw up some othr peepls works…read moreinstead of jus his own. Maybe make it in2 a real gallery with some rotating exhibits. We need more places besides the Museum of Art cause we kno that place ain't gettin any chedda

Bakersfield Village Fest is definitely the party of the year. I was fortunate to obtain VIP access…read moreto the venue. We were able to park at the VIP lot and avoid crowds, enter the VIP entrance, and access to the VIP lounge with snacks, drinks and most importantly, clean restrooms. The VIPs were also welcomed in an hour early for dinner. At the entrance there is a metal detector and bag check. The website said clear bags only, so I prepared accordingly but they weren't too strict with enforcing it. We were given a village fest cup and a stamp card. The event sponsors Big Wave Kona had a large booth with ample staff pouring our first drink to get us started. We definitely felt the aloha! We started off in the VIP area to eat dinner. Then it was party party for the rest of the night. There were 4 different stages of live music, 100+ brews, 70+ wines, and unlimited food and snack samples from the local businesses. I have been to many food and spirits type of festivals and this one is without a doubt the best one I've been to. Loving the VIP life. Can't wait to come back for next year's Village Fest!!

So great in so many ways. Fabulous food, great music, outstanding beers and wine, clean outhouses…read moreetc. One HUGE problem though. The massive amounts of second hand smoke. Especially cigar smoke. Folks can smoke ANYWHERE. In food lines, on the dance floors, in front of the high powered fans etc. And there is a LOT of it. Really quite unbelievable. And while someone might argue a good cigar is pleasant, this is definitely not true of second hand cigar smoke! It's stomach churning putrid nonsense. Why not have designated zones for this? I have no problem with designated zones. It is truly remarkable that this can occur.

The seat of Kern County and the largest city in the county, Bakersfield is the 48th-most populous…read morecity in the United States (my home city of Charlotte is 16th). There were Native Americans here going back thousands of years but the first European to explore the area was Francisco Garcés around 1776. The city was officially incorporated in 1873. Bakersfield's location at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and proximity to the Tejon Pass on Interstate 5 between the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Joaquin Valley, has made the city a regional transportation hub. I only spent a few hours in this pleasant town, between a laundromat and trying to find a hilariously named intersection. I found the city easy to navigate, pleasantly clean and definitely huge. The roads I drove were in mostly good condition. I have a need to come back and spend some time here, perhaps when fuel prices drop again because the GasBuddy price map reports this area as some of the most expensive in the country. The California Living Museum https://www.yelp.com/biz/calm-zoo-bakersfield, Minter Field Air Museum https://www.yelp.com/biz/minter-field-air-museum-shafter Bakersfield Museum of Art https://www.yelp.com/biz/bakersfield-museum-of-art-bakersfield, and the Kern County Museum https://www.yelp.com/biz/kern-county-museum-bakersfield-3 are on my list. [Review 17541 overall - 338 in California - 1059 of 2022.]

The ladies at the Treasury department are very helpful and nice! They make the process for setting…read moreup your business as easy as possible.

This year was a disgrace. Total money grab. Years past were a magical experience. Not 2024. So…read morelittle effort, was put into this. The village was largely dark and not festive at all. The "hayride" was a pickup truck pulling a trailer. In the past they had horses pulling wagons. The Christmas music was provided by a high school band, bless their heart they tried their best but again in the past they had professional musicians providing the music. They were supposed to have carolers but that didn't seem to happen. At least we didn't see or hear them. There was one bounce house that was far too small for the size of the event. I've had larger bounce houses in my backyard for a birthday party. Almost no trapping of Christmas to be seen, no tree, no lights, no nativity. There was a Santa who they had tucked away in an off area. It seemed most people had no idea he was in there. The gentleman they had for Santa was excellent. The church exhibit was closed when in the past you could go in, sit and listen to the church organ. I could go on, but again this year's Lamplight Tours was incredibly disappointing compared to past years offerings. The model A cars were cool and the train was neat for the kids. The engineers very kind.

We have always wanted to check out this one night a year Holiday event at the Pioneer Village in…read morethe Kern County Museum. Finally got the chance to go this year! They had a lot of the buildings open for viewing and tours. With docents and volunteers dressed in costumes from the 1800's era walking around, singing Christmas carols and giving tours of several buildings, this event aims to give you a holiday experience from the past. They have decorated the some of the houses & buildings with Christmas trees, a few Christmas lights, lamplights/candle lights and holiday decor. The horse drawn carriage that would pass by every so often while you are walking the "streets" in the village adds to the feel of experiencing holidays back in the day. We love history and learning about the past so this was right up our alley. Great family event. We will definitely go back next year! Only issue we observed was the short time frame this event is open. The Pioneer Village can hold a lot of people to attend this event but with this holiday event open only from 4pm-8pm, there was not enough time to go in all the buildings for the tours with long waits in line (we waited in line for almost 2 hours to see the Howell House). They have to come up with something to make it more enjoyable for everyone. And for people like us who would like to see everything have enough time to go around. They can limit tickets, run it longer, have multiple nights open or have more volunteers giving out the tours to make wait times shorter. Since our kids decided not to ride the carriage, we were able to see more. And we picked and chose which buildings & houses we wanted to tour and see. So until they work out this issue, I suggest you plan your evening when you go.