This list of museums in California is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
Central Coast and Monterey Bay Area
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Includes Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties
Inland Empire
Riverside County and San Bernardino County (includes Ontario)
Los Angeles County
North Coast
Includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino counties
Orange County
San Diego County
San Francisco Bay Area
Includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties
San Joaquin Valley
Includes Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties
Shasta Cascade
Includes Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties
Elsewhere
The museums below are found in the following counties, which may be split over different regions:
- Gold Country - includes Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sierra and Tuolumne counties.
- High Sierra - includes Amador, El Dorado, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Placer counties
- Imperial Valley - Imperial County
- Napa Valley - Napa County
- Sacramento Valley - includes Colusa, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties
Defunct museums
- American Victorian Museum, Nevada City, also known as Teddy Bear Castle Museum,
- ARCO Center for Visual Art, Los Angeles
- Atascadero Historical Society Museum, closed due to the 2003 San Simeon earthquake, seeking new location
- Briggs Cunningham Museum, an automotive museum in Costa Mesa, closed in 1986 (website)
- California State Military Museum, Sacramento, closed in 2014
- Carole & Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures, Los Angeles, closed 2001, collection can be seen online
- Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame, Hollywood, operated by Frederick's of Hollywood, museum closed in 2005, displayed sexy Frederick's underwear worn by famous stars, information
- Children's Discovery Museum of North San Diego County, Carlsbad, closed in 2006
- Copia, Napa, closed in 2008
- Exotic World Burlesque Museum, moved from Helendale to Las Vegas, Nevada
- Forrest Ackerman's Sci-Fi Mansion, Hollywood, science fiction memorabilia, closed in 2003, information
- Fort Roosevelt Natural Science and History Museum, Hanford
- Guinness World Record Museum, San Francisco location; a museum still exists in Hollywood
- Hays Antique Truck Museum, Woodland, collection moved to Reno, Nevada in 2013,
- Helen Moe Antique Doll Museum, Paso Robles
- Hollywood Entertainment Museum, archive of former website, closed in 2006 (website also closed by 2014)
- Hollywood Erotic Museum
- Imaginarium of Nevada County, Nevada City, closed in 2010
- Kenneth G. Fiske Museum of Musical Instruments, Claremont, located at Claremont College, collection sold to Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix
- Lake Arrowhead Children's Museum, closed in 2006
- Lechler Museum, Piru, closed in 2000 and contents auctioned interview with owner
- Max Factor Museum, Los Angeles, closed in 1996, information, museum about Max Factor and movie make-up history; building now houses the Hollywood Museum
- Mingei International Museum, Escondido location closed in June 2010
- Movieland Wax Museum
- Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Buena Park location closed in 2009
- Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, Victorville, moved to Branson, Missouri, official site
- San Diego Computer Museum, holdings gifted to the San Diego State University Library, now web-based only
- Treasure Island Museum, San Francisco, website, closed in 1997 but trying to reopen, interpreted the American experience in the Pacific as lived by the men and women of the U.S. sea services: the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
See also
- Arboreta in California
- Aquaria in California
- Botanical gardens in California
- Historic landmarks in California
- Forts in California
- Museums list
- Nature Centers in California
- Observatories in California
- Registered Historic Places in California
References
External links
- Museums in the USA: California
- Southern California Museums & Historical Sites
- California Association of Museums
- California Historical Societies and Museums
- LA Tourist: Museums
- House Museums, Open Air Museums and Ship Museums in Southern California
- Things to do in Los Angeles