California art, history and natural sciences under one roof. Galleries and special exhibitions are free on the first Sunday of every month. Closed Wednesday, Oct 28.
Hours
Wed-Sun 11am-5pm; open late Fridays until 9pm; closed Mon-Tue
Cost
Adult (18-64) $25; Senior 65+ $22; Youth (13-17) $18; Child 12 & under free; Free first Sundays (galleries and special exhibitions)
Free national historic site honoring playwright Eugene O'Neill, reached only by the complimentary NPS shuttle from the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. Reserved tours at 10am and 2pm.
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
FreeIndoor
Visitor Education Center on the Richmond waterfront telling the stories of civilians on the WWII home front. Free admission and free parking; plan 1-2 hours.
Fully restored water-powered grist mill built in 1846 by Edward Turner Bale and Maria Sobranes Vallejo Bale, with guided tours and exhibits. Three miles north of St. Helena on Highway 29.
Hours
Weekends and some Monday holidays, 10am-4pm; last tour 3pm
Dioramas by Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen, the restored Sam Brannan Cottage, a stagecoach and exhibits on the Wappo people. Kid-friendly with a free scavenger hunt.
Civic Center museum with docent talks and Thursday night programs. Timed tickets let you stay as long as you like. Closed Thu Oct 29 for the museum's Gala.
Note
Closed Thu Oct 29
Hours
Thu 1-8pm; Fri-Mon 10am-5pm; closed Tue-Wed
Cost
Adults $20; 65+ $17; free general admission on the first Sunday of each month
Free Saturdays and Free First Tuesdays at the Legion of Honor
Free daysIndoor
Free general admission to the permanent collection every Saturday for Bay Area residents, and for everyone on the first Tuesday of each month. Special exhibitions cost extra.
Cost
Free on Saturdays (Bay Area residents, ID required) and first Tuesdays
Where
Legion of Honor, 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121
Free Saturdays and Free First Tuesdays at the de Young
Free daysIndoor
Free general admission to the permanent collection every Saturday for residents of the nine Bay Area counties, and for everyone on the first Tuesday of each month. Special exhibitions cost extra; ages 17 and under are always free.
Cost
Free on Saturdays (Bay Area residents, ID required) and first Tuesdays
Where
de Young, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
Visitor area on Mount Hamilton. The East Grounds and Shane Gallery are open 9am-5pm daily; the main building and West Peak area remain closed. Free for all visitors.
Ride restored electric trains 80 to 110 years old on the old Sacramento Northern line: 50-minute interurban trips through the Solano countryside plus short streetcar rides. Admission is good all day; advance reservations encouraged.
Hours
Sat-Sun 10:30am-5pm; interurban trains at 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm
Museum of the Peanuts creator, with exhibitions, a recreation of Schulz's studio, animated specials in the theater and a place to draw your own comics. Tickets are sold on arrival only; free parking.
Buildings and a reconstructed stockade of North America's southernmost Russian colony, founded in 1812 on the ancestral lands of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, 12 miles north of Jenner on Highway 1.
Hours
Daily: compound 9am-3:30pm; visitor center 10am-4:30pm
The 1,565-acre home and ranch of writer Jack London, with his cottage, Beauty Ranch, the Wolf House ruins, the House of Happy Walls Museum and more than 29 miles of trails. Allow about three hours.
Hours
Park daily 9am-5pm; museum 10am-5pm; cottage noon-4pm; closed Dec 25
The huge adobe at the center of the largest private rancho in California between 1834 and 1846, one of the most prosperous estates of the Mexican period.
Hours
Daily 10am-5pm; adobe closes 4:30pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Cost
Museum entry adults $3, youth $2, 5 and under free
Historic sites around Sonoma Plaza in the birthplace of the California Bear Flag, including Mission San Francisco Solano, General Vallejo's home and the Sonoma Barracks.
Hours
Daily 10am-5pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Cost
Museum entry adults $3, youth $2, 5 and under free
Tahoe history from the Washoe people to trappers, pioneers, ice cutting, logging, Snowshoe Thompson, the Pony Express, steamships, the Lincoln Highway and gaming. Private tours can be arranged by phone.
Hours
Sat 11am-3pm, September to mid-December; closed the Saturday after Thanksgiving
Built in 1851 as the Traveler's Rest Hotel, with a furnished Victorian-era farmhouse, docent-led house tours, an 1874 winery, an 1881 wine processing building and 19th-century wagons in the carriage barn.
Museum beside the Lake Tahoe dam with one of the largest Native American basket collections in the United States, plus exhibits on Tahoe's maritime and resort history, pop culture and art.
Hours
Wed-Sun 11am-4pm through Oct 31; Nov 1-Mar 31 by appointment only
Learn about the Nisenan Maidu, who have lived here for thousands of years: exhibits on acorn processing and basket weaving, contemporary Native art, and an outdoor trail past petroglyphs and hundreds of bedrock mortars.
Hours
Tue-Sun 9am-4pm
Cost
$7; students and seniors $6; under 5, military and tribal members free
Free county history museum on the first floor of Auburn's historic Courthouse, from the Nisenan people to the late 20th century, with the Placer County Gold collection, the Pate Collection of American Indian artifacts and Thomas Kinkade's original "Auburn Centennial". A docent-led Old Town walking tour starts here Saturdays at 10am.
Adults $15; seniors and college students $10; ages 6-17 $8; 5 and under free; Pay What You Wish on the third Sunday of each month (advance registration recommended)
Museum of Sacramento history in Old Sacramento and home of the Old Sacramento Underground Tours. The Play Ball! baseball exhibit runs through Jan 24, 2027.
Hours
Daily 10am-5pm (last tickets 4:30pm)
Cost
Adults $12; seniors 65+ and college students $10; ages 6-17 $6; 5 and under free
The story of the Yuba-Sutter region, from the Nisenan people to the Gold Rush, farming, floods and the area's many cultures, plus a handmade 3D relief map of the Sutter Buttes. Now showing Abuelita's Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories, through Nov 21.
Hours
Wed-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat noon-4pm; closed Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the day after; occasional unexpected closures, call 530-822-7141 before visiting
Home of the Yolo County Historical Collection, 13,000 objects from the 1830s to the 1930s showing early county life. Current exhibition: Glass From the Past, through May 15, 2027.
Hours
Tue and Thu 12-4pm; also Sat Nov 21 and Dec 19, 8am-4pm
UC Davis art museum with rotating exhibitions, including the ongoing Together Again, 1956-2026, plus the Margrit Mondavi Sculpture Garden. Art Spark offers drop-in art-making for all ages Saturdays 1-4pm. No timed tickets.
Hours
Wed-Sat 10am-5pm through Dec 5; closed Nov 11, 14 and 26
Cost
Free
Where
UC Davis, Old Davis Road and Alumni Lane, Davis, CA
One of the oldest continuously operating Chinese temples in North America and the only Taoist temple in the United States with Bok Eye, the water god, as its central deity. The museum inside displays artifacts dating back to the mid-1800s.
Hours
Worship hours Sat-Sun 9am-3pm; temple access by appointment, call or text (650) 678-8246 or (650) 690-6398
Guided tours of the Warren P. Miller house, a Gothic Revival landmark, tracing Marysville from trading post to Gold Rush city through exhibits, artifacts and period furnishings. Free street parking nearby.
Hours
Tours Sat 1-4pm (the museum's FAQ also lists Fri 1-4pm) or by appointment; call (530) 743-1004 to confirm
Military aviation history next to Castle Airport. The VC-9 presidential aircraft is open for tours on weekends, weather permitting, from 10am to 2:30pm for an extra $10 per person.
Hours
Daily 9am-4pm; last aircraft-area admission 3:15pm
Cost
$25 ages 18-64; $20 seniors 65+ and military/veterans; $15 ages 6-17; under 6 free with a paid adult
Exhibits on Merced County history in the county's three-story 1875 Italianate courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Current exhibits include The MAC at 30: A Canvas of Community and America 250 Merced County.
Hands-on play exhibits for young children in downtown Stockton. Adults must be accompanied by a child, and children by an adult. Guests with an EBT card and ID get 50% off admission for up to four people.
Art and local history in Victory Park, now showing an exhibit celebrating the Stockton Symphony's 100 years. Free for everyone on the first Saturday of the month (Nov 7, Dec 5).
Hours
Wed-Fri 1:30-5pm; 1st and 3rd Thursdays 1:30-9pm; Sat-Sun noon-5pm; closed Mon-Tue, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Cost
$8 adults; $7 seniors 65+ and military; $5 ages 10-17 and students; under 10 free; Free for all on the first Saturday of the month
Where
Haggin Museum, 1201 N. Pershing Ave., Stockton, CA 95203
Now showing Prism Play: A Full Spectrum of Art Quilts (through Jan 2), 62 works by Studio Art Quilt Associates members, and Our Sierra: Works by David & Vivian Patton (through Jan 23). Free for children 12 and under with an adult and for SNAP EBT cardholders plus up to 3 guests.
Hours
Tue-Sat 10am-5pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Cost
$7; $5 seniors and students; children 12 and under free
An active parish founded in 1771 by St. Junípero Serra. Admission includes a self-guided visit to the Basilica, museums and grounds. Access to the Basilica may be limited during weddings, services and special events.
Hours
Wed-Thu 10am-4pm; Fri-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 11:30am-5pm; closed Mon-Tue, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Dec 26
Cost
$15 adults; $12 seniors 62+; $8 ages 7-17; 6 and under free
Historic buildings in downtown Monterey, including the Custom House, the oldest government building in California, with museums and guided history walks that start at the Custom House.
Hours
Custom House, Pacific House and First Brick House Tue-Sun 10am-4pm; guided walks Thu-Sun 11am, 1pm and 3pm
Natural history galleries with hands-on activities, a native plant garden with a fossil dig pit, and Sandy, a life-size gray whale model. Bring a same-day Monterey Bay Aquarium ticket for $2 off.
Hours
Wed-Sun 10am-4pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Cost
$12 adults; $8 ages 4-18, students, seniors and military; free for ages 3 and under and Monterey County residents
Downtown art and history museum with rotating exhibitions, weekly Open Archives hours and a busy calendar of classes, talks and community celebrations.
Hours
Mon 9am-1pm; Thu-Fri 12-8pm; Sat-Sun 12-6pm
Cost
Suggested admission $10; seniors, students, teachers and veterans $8; members and under 5 free
Small natural history museum founded on Laura Hecox's collections, with exhibits and fossil collections near the East Cliff shore. Free for everyone on the first Friday of every month.
Hours
Tue-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
Cost
Adults $5; seniors 60+ and students $3; under 18 free; Free for everyone on the first Friday of each month
UC Santa Cruz's hands-on aquarium on the bluff above Monterey Bay: a seawater touch tank, Monterey Bay tanks, and one of the largest blue whale skeletons on display. Daily tours are included with admission.
Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-4pm
Cost
Ticket prices vary by age (see source); children under 3, UCSC students and members do not need a ticket
An 1859 Greek Revival home with 15 rooms of county history, including a Gold History Exhibit, past fashions, a Victorian bedroom and parlor, Native American and Chinese American collections and a schoolroom. Large-scale working models of the Kennedy and North Star mines run Fri-Sun at noon and 1pm.
Exhibits on Chico history in the downtown Carnegie Library building, including the Mechoopda, the Bidwells, the Chico Chinese Temple and Chico's natural history.
Hours
Thu-Sun 11am-4pm
Cost
Suggested admission $5 adults; $3 seniors, veterans and students; under 5 free
Exhibits on Oroville Dam, the area's geology, wildlife, hydropower and cultural artifacts, plus a theater, a 47-foot observation tower with lake views, and access to the Dan Beebe Trail.
A temple built in 1873 that is both a place of worship and a museum, with Confucian and Buddhist temples, Tapestry Hall's embroidered art and costumes, and a garden with bamboo planted in the 1860s.
Hours
Sat-Sun 11am-3pm; other days when volunteers are available
Lake County's museum in the historic courthouse, with Pomo baskets, exhibits on the geologic history of Clear Lake, gems and minerals, pioneer artifacts and a restored courtroom.
Hours
Thu-Sat 10am-4pm (the county page also lists Wed and Sun noon-4pm; call 707-262-4552 to confirm); closed county-observed holidays
Grace Hudson's artwork, Pomo basketry and Carpenter-Hudson family history, the 1911 Sun House, and the current exhibition Deep Valley: People, Places, Memory (through Feb 7, 2027). Docent-led Sun House tours generally Fri-Sun 12-3pm.
Hours
Wed-Sat 10am-4:30pm; Sun 12-4:30pm
Cost
$7; $5 students and seniors; $15 families; free on first Fridays
Where
Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House, 431 South Main Street, Ukiah, CA 95482
The Mendocino Headlands visitor center in an 1854 house, with a scale model of Mendocino in 1890, historic photographs, tools and relics of the logging and lumber-shipping era, and free videos on request.
Hours
Daily 11am-4pm; 707-937-5397
Cost
Free (donations appreciated)
Where
45035 Main St, Mendocino, CA 95460 (parks.ca.gov lists 735 Main St)
An 1861 house museum overlooking the ocean. The current exhibit, Art of Resistance (through Feb 28, 2027), shows protest and activism art from Mendocino's history.
Hours
Apr-Dec: Thu-Mon 11am-3pm; Jan-Mar: Fri-Sun 11am-3pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
A 1909 light station in a state historic park, with a history museum and gift shop in the lighthouse, a 1930s lightkeeper's home and a tidepool aquarium. Keep dogs leashed.
Railroad and aviation artifacts, including Engine 5, an 1875 Baldwin that later worked as a movie engine at Universal Studios, plus wooden rail cars, an early steam automobile and docent-led tours of the museum, rail yard and restoration shop.
Hours
Sat-Sun 10am-4pm; Mon, Tue and Fri 10am-2pm; closed Wed-Thu
94 listings in 25 counties. The most are in Sacramento County (10), Santa Clara County (9), San Francisco County (6).
Which museums listings are free?
25 listings list free entry, including Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, John Muir National Historic Site, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, Bay Model Visitor Center.
Which museums have free days or free hours?
From each museum's own page: BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive) (Free days); Chabot Space & Science Center (Free hours); Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) (Free days); Asian Art Museum (Free days); Free Saturdays and Free First Tuesdays at the Legion of Honor (Free days). See Free and Budget-Friendly for more.
Which of these are indoors?
78 listings are also in the Rainy Day and Indoor section, such as BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive), Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), Pacific Pinball Museum.
How are these listings checked?
Every listing links to the venue's or organizer's own source. Source links are checked automatically, and a listing shows a Last checked date when its source answered that check; the most recent check in this section was Oct 21, 2026. Past events are removed on each rebuild.
Section: Museumsmuseum