Oakland Museum of California
Head across San Francisco Bay and check it out!
Many travelers want to immerse themselves in their destination by eating local specialties, drinking local wines, beers and other beverages, staying in locally owned hotels and learning about the history of the place. If you’re planning a trip to the Bay Area and want to learn about the history of California, as well as Oakland and the surrounding area, you should plan on spending at least part of a day exploring the galleries and exhibits at the Oakland Museum of California. This cool facility has undergone extensive remodeling over the last several years and is now a state-of-the-art museum offering the latest technology to help tell some very old stories.
This museum is divided into three main tiers, each dedicated to a specific part of California history, such as:
- California Art
The museum’s art collection includes more than 70,000 original works of art, dating from the mid-1800s to works from contemporary artists. Many different artistic media are represented, including different types of painting, sculpture, photography and many more. - California History
The history tier of the museum offers artifacts from well before European explorers discovered our state, including an extensive collection of Native American crafts, tools, art and other one-of-a-kind items. Displays also include items from each era since then, such as mining tools and other equipment from the Gold Rush, everyday items from the waves of immigrants that came to California and much more. - The Natural History of California
Few countries, let alone U.S. states, have a more varied climate, geology, terrain, distinct habitats and ecosystem than California, and this tier’s curatorial staff makes sure that guests have new things to discover and marvel at each time they visit. Insects, fossils, bird eggs, seashells and many other items are on display, each accompanied by helpful and educational signage that increase each guest’s appreciation and understanding of the item and our state.
The Oakland Museum of California is located at 1000 Oak Street in Oakland, right off Interstate 880 and easily accessible by public transportation. General admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children. Those who love a good bargain will want to visit this museum on the first Sunday of each month, when admission is free or Friday nights from 5 to 9 p.m., when admission for adults is half-off and everyone under 18 is admitted for free. The museum is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and most major holidays. For more information, visit the museum’s website at http://www.museumca.org/.