This is one of the coolest car-related things I've ever done…read more The Cobra Experience (which is a non-profit) periodically has an event called "What's That Third Pedal For?" This event which happens bi-monthly provides an eclectic group of cars with a variety of transmissions to learn on. I had not driven a manual transmission car for at least 9 years (when I had parked a vintage Porsche 911 during a previous job - BOY that had a heavy clutch) and for $30.50 ($15.50 if you're between 15-20), this was an absolute no brainer! The cars provided today were a Nissan Pathfinder Northwest Edition, 2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z51 package, 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 289 HiPo, and a Superformance Shelby Cobra reproduction - not just any reproduction but the one that was used on-screen in Ford Vs. Ferrari(!!!). The course is designed to have participants get the chance to drive each car around a designated area surrounding the museum for 2 laps after receiving an initial ride-along lap with the instructor beforehand and parking in the designated 'pit' area to swap seats. This included multiple stop/starts to practice clutch release, upshifting and downshifting. All the cars appeared to be well-cared for and the instructors were super patient and helpful. My goal for this was to see if I could get through it without stalling. Not only did I manage this goal even with the GT350 and Cobra having no power brakes/power steering and super-heavy clutches, but all 4 instructors gave me high marks. What an absolute treat, and on top of that they gave each participant schwag bags filled to the brim and even a poster! WOW! I highly recommend this event alone as if you are looking to practice stick-shift. It's a fantastic way to do so in a safe, controlled environment as well as potentially drive special cars as a bonus for a very reasonable price. I'll definitely go back to the museum soon for a visit. Thank you to everyone the Cobra Experience, this was AWESOME!

Really amazing place, amazing cars, and truly amazing staff. Don't miss out on this place…read moreseriously. Don't listen to that guy Grigor with the bad review he sounds like a real loser. I will be back to the Cobra Experience forsure!

I randomly came across the John Muir National Historic Site, and I'm so glad I did!…read more You first enter through the visitor center, where I happened to overhear a gentleman at the desk telling another guest about the property and a tour happening at 11am. This was on a random Thursday, and luckily, it was 10:55am! So naturally, I decided to stick around for the tour lol. You walk up a short path to John Muir's house, where a docent leads a quick tour that's about 20-25 minutes. Afterward, you're free to explore the rest of the house, including the second and third floors, at your own pace. I especially enjoyed reading about the lives of John Muir's in-laws, wife, and daughters, which gave the house a more personal feel. The top-floor bell tower was a fun surprise -- you can actually ring the bell! I also enjoyed walking around the rest of the property and seeing all the different fruit trees that were planted there. Overall, I really enjoyed my visit. It's always cool stumbling across a local historic site and getting to learn a little more about the history of the area. Definitely worth a stop if you're nearby!

4.4 stars We all…read moreknow some of his famous quotes: "The mountains are calling and I must go." "Going to the mountains is going home." "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." According to Brittanica, John Muir was largely responsible for the establishment of Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park. Muir was a preservationist that didn't agree with allowing industries to harvest resources within the national parks. He was able to swing public and congressional opinion in favor of national forest reservations through his writing, which led to the establishment of Mt. Rainier National Park in 1899 and Grand Canyon National Park in 1919. His home became John Muir National Historic Site in 1964. Much of the exhibits within the home discusses his personal life and achievements. He was the eldest of 8 children, immigrated to the U.S. in 1849, and he married Louie Wanda Strentzel in 1880. He and his wife had 2 daughters named Wanda and Helen. In his lifetime, he has written 300 articles and 10 books, which can be purchased online and at Muir Woods National Monument and Bear Valley Visitor's Center. I highly recommend visiting this site if you'd like more information :) there's a lot more details here.

If you want to learn the history of Martinez (1800-1909s) this is the place. The museum is small…read morebut has so much to share! They've done a great job in their set up and displays. Very easy to follow. The museum has two floors packed with past and current Martinez information. I like how they break it by subject making it easy to follow.

This museum is small, but mighty, and is chock full of local history!…read more Located in the historic two-story 1890 Borland home on the corner of Escobar Street and Court Street, it's a must-visit if you're a resident of CoCo County. Thanks to the Martinez Historical Society -- plus volunteers -- they saved the building from being demolished! The museum is staffed by volunteers who grew up in Martinez, saw it change and grow throughout the decades, and can give you an "old-timer's" first-person account of where and how things used to be : ) For example, did you know that Martinez was THE place to go for shopping and people watching? Or that numerous historic buildings and historic building elements were torn down in the name of modernity? Check out the old photos and memorabilia forever immortalizing past Martinez residents and enjoy local found items from the Ohlone and Bay Miwok. You can tour the small museum with the volunteers as your guide, or simply walk through on your own. But you'd be missing out on the best part of the visit : ) *Note: Make sure you sign in, in the guest book, pick up a few brochures for local historic sites, and contribute a donation in an envelope.

Came here for my cousin's Baby Shower this place is beautiful on the inside and outside, it has a…read morelot of history. The inside was very spacious it had two bathrooms and a full kitchen along with a bar a stage and a dance floor, there was so much room which was a great thing cause we have a huge family. The baby shower turned out amazing delicious food and drinks and you know when alcohol is involved and we haven't seen each other in a while we turnt up lol. If you are planning a wedding or baby shower or a birthday and want it to be amazing book this place you will not be disappointed.

IMHO We came here…read morefor a private event, a family baby shower. This venue is huge! Before entering the building, a nice security guard greeted us and gave us options to get to the second floor, either elevator or stairs. We chose the wooden stairs! The whole venue has a cool, rustic feel with its wood and brick facades. My first impression was that they must've just freshly varnished the entire floor because that's what it smelled and looked like. Thankfully the smell didn't overtake the venue. The floor looked great! LOL The family did all the decorating and provided the food. There is a small kitchen to do prep work. In the back there is a long bar area and a small stage. Table and chair storage holders are big and cumbersome and can't be camouflaged during your event. Bathrooms were slightly dated but brightly lit. They should update their bathroom stall latches to something other than hook and eye closures. Overall, a nice spacious area for your event.

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!

Fantastic delivery experience and very knowledgeable staff. Have dealt with them for many many…read moreyears and always enjoyed their service.

Chris recently repaired my original Ms PacMan Cocktail table. Not only did he fix it, he made…read morerecommendations for how to make it better, then came back and installed the new parts when I had procured them. He also gave me a history lesson about and PacMan and how it came to be. Absolutely amazing service. Thanks Chris, you're the best!!

It was boring and meaningless... The woman told the stories…read moreabout herself, walking by downtown Martinez... Did I order the stranger talking about her and her probably contacts to ghosts?! No. I wanted to see something I couldn't see myself... I wanted to see some evidence of paranormal... no way... The stuff is active and seems to me, they are good people, but the tour itself sucks... Really they seriously tell about 47 minutes talking to a ghost, who can turn on the flashlight , and they told that for all those time(47 min!!!) they just asked the ghost to turn it on and off.... People, could you turn on your brain?!? What about other questions? How old is that ghost, what's his name, what's the purpose of his being there, how he can help them?;))) etc Looks like these people watched some movie ... called them "sensitive" to ghosts and energy and.... just waste your time for your own money! I hardly could stand till the end... So stupid.. Don't go, it was worst thing ever... P\S\ sorry for my English, I am a foreigner, but I couldn't keep silent.

My husband and I have been on several ghost walk tours in Martinez with Crystal, Joey and the rest…read moreof the Central Valley Paranormal team. Everything about the tour is educational and Crystal does her research before taking you through the tour. The team is well equipped and even lets you participate closely if you wish by allowing you to use their tools also. Every walk has been a little different for us. We reach different heights of paranormal awareness with each walk. We had one bad experience and that was because of some drugged out person that decided to join us, NOT because of Central Valley Paranormal Group. I recommend this tour to anyone living in the are that wants to experience and learn more about the paranormal activity around us. Ask questions and get involved. That is what Crystal and her team are there for!

This place is great and has some really cool stuff! I got a signed basketball for my husband for…read morehis birthday. He mentioned that it was really cool and I went back and got it for him. The staff helped me purchase it for him as a surprise.

You name it they have it. From turn of the Century items to current sports art's and Entertainment…read more It's also the only place to buy Colin Morris pencil work Thanks for your outstanding service

Great experience in using their services for getting naturalization papers. Was very impressed with…read moretheir historical items, articles, books, photos.

If you're a local history buff, then you NEED to utilize the resources at Contra Costa Historical…read moreSociety! The historical society was founded in 1951 and contains Contra Costa County documents dating back as early as 1852. Although they have moved locations thrice over the years, their expansive curated collection remains: www.cocohistory.org/frm-center.html Their volumes of documents are cloth-bound, leather-bound, or loose leaf and can be viewed upon request. If you'd like to learn more about your family's background or want to look at your official property line, then this is the place to go! For those who can't visit them in person, they have digitized a plethora of documents that you can access via their online database: www.cocohistory.org/frm-resources.html You can search and peruse: + County Records + Court Records + Photographs + Immigration & Naturalization Papers + Probate Documents + Obituaries + West County Times + Newspaper Photo Negatives + Maps + School Records + General Subject Files (e.g. Agriculture - Growers, BART, Bridges) + Subjects by City (e.g. Antioch - History, Brentwood - People) + Special Collections They have THOUSANDS of old photographs that are also now digitized, thanks to the generous photography donation by the late Louis L. Stein, pharmacist and owner of Arlington Pharmacy in Kensington. Stein always wanted to be a historian and he collected an enormous amount of photos depicting Contra Costa County history from the 1850s to the 1930s: www.cocohistory.org/llstein.html Stein even saved The Martinez Adobe from being razed and it's now part of the John Muir National Historic Site: www.tinyurl.com/v2qp5rq So you KNOW that this collection contains almost anything that you've ever wanted to view of historic CoCo County! www.cocohistory.org/frm-photos.html There are great gifts in their bookstore (both on site and online) that you can purchase for history enthusiasts: www.cocohistory.ecrater.com/ and many of the books were researched and written at the CCCHS! They even publish a quarterly newsletter, essays, and videos that you can access on their website that are both interesting and informative : ) I especially appreciate their extensive list of links to additional local historical sites, which is helpful when you are doing research. Right now, they are featuring a tiny one-room exhibit, Women Win the Vote In California, Contra Costa & the Nation, for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. The society has both paid staff and volunteers who work to digitize and preserve history (you can sign up on Volunteer Match to help www.volunteermatch.org/search/org1049632.jsp). You can learn more about CCCHS in this 2 and a half minute video that was produced by KTVU in 2015 when it was chosen as a non-profit partner for the Lescher Foundation Speaker Series presentation by David McCollough: www.youtu.be/fTLIXmEsESo *Note: They offer memberships that supports the non-profit preservation of Contra Costa County history.