Keep an eye out for the special events held at this museum as I always have a good time! This year I have been to the annual yard sale on the grounds and an annual holiday tea in the museum, both of which were very well run. The holiday tea was my first experience inside the full museum. Upstairs was a display of items made and invented in Sunnyvale, which was really interesting! Downstairs, there are historical exhibits about the Murphy family, showing off many of their wares. There are additional exhibits that feature history of the Ohlone tribe as well as information about agriculture and innovation in Sunnyvale. The teas throughout the year are held by the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association and are run by volunteers as fundraisers, and we had a lovely time. I would highly recommend attending! Lots of easy parking is available in front of the museum. There is a museum store that, in addition to museum merchandise, sells vintage jewelry and other fun treasures. read more

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We enjoyed checking this place out over the weekend. An outdoor courtyard in front of the museum, as well as two levels of exhibits inside, showcased the history of Sunnyvale and the surrounding area, staged rooms (bedroom, kitchen, living area) presenting plenty of interesting pieces in the Murphy home, old photos of Libby's water tower (the giant fruit can that still stands today), antique instruments such as an 1895 graphophone along with several different pianos, vintage toys and technology with an impressive timeline display that brought a feeling of nostalgia, and of course the temporary Baylug Gingerbread Village Lego exhibit, charming in the details including a model railroad, planes, trains, and boats (with the option of a scavenger hunt too). The staff and volunteers here were helpful and cordial during our visit, and we appreciated getting to explore the various rooms at our own pace. We picked up a few items from the gift shop before leaving, some cool lego glasses and sunglasses for kids, the timing during the holidays working in our favor as they had some quite unique stuff. We also walked around the Orchard Heritage Park and Interpretive Exhibit, adjacent to the museum. We viewed the informational boards on site, about the community who cared for the land as well as apricots! Sure there were plenty of bare trees in winter, but the scenery was still so lovely. It was a great way to end our time here. Days/hours of operation are limited during the week, just Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays (for 2024, closed xmas eve and new years eve, but open an extra day Saturday 12/28). Free parking and free admission. read more

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I grabbed food and boba nearby and stumbled upon this little gem! This museum is free (they accept donations) Plenty of parking in the parking lot. You can walk around yourself for a self guided tour or they can also give you a tour. They also offer a short video to watch as well if you want to learn more about the history. My bf and I were really lucky to have been able to stop by when they had the lego display. The staff members were super friendly and informative. There were a few rooms you can go into to learn about the history of Sunnyvale. One of my favorite would be the room with the mural representing the progression of Sunnyvale throughout the years. A kind staff member noticed me looking at the mural and took the time to explain it to me, helping me appreciate it more. She also showed me a few other fun and interesting things in the museum. If she reads this, thank you so much and I really appreciate it! They also have a small gift shop, however they were working on reorganizing and cleaning the space when I went as Christmas came to an end. Overall, great experience and I am glad I was able to discover this at the correct time as their hours are limited. read more

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum - Museums Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

This place is Sunnyvale's best kept secret! I had no idea the Heritage Park Museum had so much to offer until I visited. The exhibits are really interesting and give you a great sense of the city's history. They also host fun events throughout the year that make it feel super community-oriented. I went on a Sunday and was surprised (in the best way) to hear live piano music filling the space--it gave the whole museum such a welcoming vibe. The gift shop is also worth checking out, with lots of unique items you won't find elsewhere. If you live nearby or are just passing through, definitely stop by. It's a hidden gem! read more

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum - Site map - Museums Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Check out this museum for a comprehensive tour of the history of Sunnyvale and its impact on the economic growth of this valley. From large ranches of the earlier Mexican land grantees to the orchards to our booming electronics industry u will learn how we came to this point in time. read more

Sunnyvale has been famous for the tech industry bellwethers which overshadowed its rich history. This museum is definitely a hidden gem for people who are interest in what was before Big Tech at this town! read more

Nice little history museum, with some fascinating exhibits about old-time Sunnyvale, its importance in the aerospace industry, and of course its prominence in the tech industry. Totally free to visit, although hours are limited. The volunteer staff is uniformly pleasant and eager to answer questions. If you've spent any amount of time in Sunnyvale or the Silicon Valley in general, it's worth a visit. read more

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I came here with my husband and brother-in-law. Neither of us knew about this museum before today. The building is a replica of the Martin Murphy's house. The Murphy family was the first to cross the Sierras in a covered wagon and settled in what would become Sunnyvale. Other family members settled in the areas that became Murphys and San Martin. We had a very friendly volunteer show us around the place that included rooms made up of furnishings taken from the homes of the Murphy family members. Other displays cover other notable items from Sunnyvales past, such as the canning factories, railroad, and businesses. This is a great place to soak in some local history! read more

Very nice, well hidden museum that displays the history of Sunnyvale. Although I am not much of a fan of history museums, I thought this museum was very interesting. It was interesting to learn about the history of my hometown. The displays are nicely presented. When you walk in, you have the opportunity to watch a short introductory film. The museum is not very large, but you can easily spend an hour or so in there because there are lots of small details to look at. There is lots of information about the Murphy family, who were one of the founders of Sunnyvale. The museum has a gift shop that has a ton of inexpensive, cute, knick knack sort of items. The museum is located right next to the Sunnyvale Community Center, but is nicely hidden. It cannot be seen from the main road. Defiantly worth a visit if you are interested in history museums. There is free parking and the museum is free of charge. However, there is a jar for donations. read more

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My first time to Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum on Tues 11/16/10. It's next to the Community Center in Sunnyvale. FREE Museum is what I like. This is about the history of Sunnyvale. They building that it's in was built in 2008. You can read about Martin Murphy's party who crossed over the Sierras from the mid West in 1844, before the Donner party. Martin Murphy Jr was credited for founding the City of Sunnyvale. There's a 6min video you can watch too. There's a re-creation of a dining room, parlor & bedroom w/ items from the original Murphy Bayview ranch home such as gold-gilded clocks, candelabra, silver, portraits, & the 1840's four-square grand piano used by the family. Upstairs they had a room with miniature trains. The Lockheed exhibit is recently completed. Lockheed was established in Sunnyvale in 1956. It's neat to look at. Worth checking out if you want to learn more about local Sunnyvale history. They have a Victorian Christmas Tea every Dec for $25pp, only Dec 4 still available this yr. Docent told me they also do a Tea in Spring near Mother's Day. Small gift shop near the entrance. Days & Hrs: Sun, Tues, Thurs 12:00 to 4:00 pm Website: http://www.heritageparkmuseum.org/ read more

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum - Museums Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

A nice museum to spend an hour or two at. Free admission! Nice docent. Perfect activity to feed your brains on a rainy day. They are opened on selected days of the week and limited hours. Would recommend to check online before heading down. There are ample parking space right in front of the museum, which is always highly welcomed. Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by two docents. We signed in and was surprised that one of the docent offered to give us a tour. Started with a 5mins introductory video which was very useful to provide context as we explored the museum. They had a grand piano and have some volunteers who would pop in to play for the visitors which is really a very nice and sweet gesture. Despite being a small museum, we spend more than an hour going through everything. They have an upper floor which has special exhibits occasionally. Unfortunately, during our visit, the previous exhibit had just ended and they were taking them down to swop for another. The docent shared they have occasional tea sessions where visitors and members are encouraged to dress up in costume reflecting the past and join them to have tea. Pretty fascinating. Overall a very lovely experience. Learned a lot from them too. Recommended! read more

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My friend and I enjoyed visiting the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum to see a photographic history of Sunnyvale and some artifacts from the original Murphy Family home. Well-informed docents are available for a full tour or to answer questions. We also enjoyed cruising their cozy gift shop It takes only about an hour; this is not a large museum. The museum does offer special events like Victorian teas and antique fairs on occasion. This is a good place to bring elementary school children either with family or as a full classroom with teacher. There is plenty of free parking in the Sunnyvale Community Center lot. The museum is located near the Sunnyvale Community Center but maybe 150 yards on the opposite side of the parking lot near the orchard. Hours are only noon to 4:00 pm Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Folks who like this heritage museum can become a member to provide financial support or you can become a volunteer. read more

The true name of this venue is Sunnvale Heritage Museum Park. I was leaving the Sunnyvale Community Center when I looked across the parking lot and discovered Sunnyvale Heritage Museum Park. I pulled over, parked and got out to get a birds eye view. I had just bought a flat of blenheim apricots so I moesied over to eat some of my apricots in the near by apricot orchard. There was a sign in front of the apricot orchard 'Heritage Oaks Park'. To the right of the orchard was the Sunnvale Heritage Museum Park that is only open a few days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. This place was a hidden gem much to my surprise, but not anymore man! read more

Apricots, apricots, memorable apricots are now for sale at the City of Sunnyvale apricot orchard or Heritage Apricot Orchard as I've heard some people call it. My neighbor brought me half a lug and they are so apricotty tasting. They are the apricot version of home grown tomatoes if you know what I mean. Very juicy and so flavorful! Time to learn how to make an apricot pie. Yummy! read more

Fantastic museum run by volunteers, no paid staff. I always bring visitors here, they are surprised that there is more to the Bay Area than tech companies. Sunnyvale was founded by Martin Murphy, great story.. http://www.heritageparkmuseum.org/murphy.html The museum offers an upstairs room for rentals, we had a family party there are few years ago for 60 guests. They also have teas and other events througout the year. Admission is free but donations much appreciated http://www.heritageparkmuseum.org/museum.html read more

Just took 3 children aged 9-11 to the Sunnyvale Historical Museum. Their opinion? "That was actually interesting". The exhibits are well displayed for a small local history museum. We were given a personal tour by a lovely attendent named Dorothy. She knew all the interesting facts to spark the children's interest. read more

Nice quaint museum, perfect for info and artifacts on local history!

Spacious room. Nice docent. It's very interesting to know some local history. Actually it's pioneer history. I found it by coincidence. It's hidden well. :) this museum deserve a 5 stars. read more

If you like history and are in the area check out the Sunnyvale Historical Museum. Free of charge and free parking. Excellent exhibits, very nicely done and well kept. Be aware that there are limited hours as they have volunteers that give the tours and staff the museum. This is a great summary of how Sunnyvale was settled, major industry and changes throughout the years. On the grounds is an active orchard that preserves the history of the area. read more

This museum is one of Sunnyvale's best kept secrets. It has a wonderful collection of Sunnyvale's history going all the way back to the Ohlone Indians. There are a couple of rooms devoted to the Martin Murphy family, one of the first families to come cross country to settle in Santa Clara Valley. They made it over the mountains a year or two before the Donner party. Here are permanent and rotating exhibits. Some highlight various businesses that were part of Sunnyvale's history and other feature special interest items that follow a theme. This is a great place to bring out-of-town relatives to show them a little of Sunnyvale's history. There is a small gift shop that carries some antique linens and other wonderful gift items at very reasonable prices. The museum is open to the public and it is free. It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 12 PM - 4 PM. read more