The Ocean Institute is an educational facility is located in the beautiful city of Dana Point. Its mission is to educate people of all ages to become responsible stewards of the ocean. The Institute is nationally known for its hands-on approach to environmental education, marine science and maritime history programs. The Ocean Institute specializes in ground-breaking marine and social science programs. It has a collection of artifacts and animals on its campus. More than 110,000 K-12 students and 6,000 teachers annually participate in the Ocean Institute's 61 award-winning programs.
The Norton Simon is a medium size museum located just a block away from Old Town Pasadena. Its collection reflects the work of artists from all over the world and done throughout many centuries, with a particularly significant compilation of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. This is the place to enjoy the creations of renowned names like van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, and many more.
Best and worst time to go to Norton Simon Museum
The museum is open Monday through Thursday between noon and 5 p.m., except Tuesday when it is closed. Friday through Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free on the first Friday of the month; therefore this is also the Museum's busiest day.
Must see/do at Norton Simon Museum
There is an entire floor (downstairs) of Asian art representing countries like Nepal, India, China, Pakistan and Thailand.
At street level there are multiple medium size galleries with paintings and sculptures ranging from the 14th century to present day.
Check the sculptures both in the front of the Museum (where you can find a Rodin), as well as surrounding the pond in the garden.
Admission to the Norton Simon Museum
Youngsters under 18, active military personnel, and students with valid ID get in free of charge. For all others entrance ranges $9 to $12. Admission is free on the first Friday of the month.
Parking and public transportation to the Norton Simon Museum
The parking lot at the Museum is large and free of charge.
If using public transportation, the Metro Gold Line's Memorial Park Station would be the most convenient, at 0.8 miles (about a 17 minute walk) from the Museum. You can plan your trip at metro.net.
Food at Norton Simon Museum
The Garden Café is located at the sculpture garden and it offers salads, sandwiches, pastries, and drinks. It is a great spot to sit and enjoy the tranquil view of the pond. Food is not allowed in the galleries.
Insider tip for visitors to Norton Simon Museum
Look at Lucas Cranach the Elder's paired paintings "Adam" and "Eve" (1530) with special interest, as it could be the last time you do. These paintings are currently the center of a legal dispute over the Museum's rightful ownership. Marie van Saher wants them returned to her family, alleging that they were forced away by the Nazis from her late father in law.
Author's Bio: Dena Burroughs has lived in Los Angeles for almost 30 years. She loves Shakespeare, Vincent van Gogh, and dancing Salsa. VidaSalsera.com is her own website.
The Creation and Earth History Museum has been engaging the community with their view of the origin of man- Biblically literal "young earth" creation- for about 20 years.
The museum's website describes the facility as "a 7500 sq. ft. showcase for a literal six-day creation and young earth with an ever-growing emphasis on God's design in creation," and isn't connected to any specific denomination.
The latest wing of the museum, completed in the summer, details the Human Anatomy, focused on the complexity of life, leading to the idea that only God could have created such complexity. You can also get a picture with some dino replicas at the new Dinosaur Gardens- which pushes the concept that modern man and dinosaurs lived simultaneously.
The museum is owned and funded by Scantibodies Laboratory, Inc., and is funded by a non-profit 501(c)(3) ministry, the Life and Light Foundation. It has a few paid staff and about 45 hard-working volunteers.
It is described as a "biblical walk through history." The museum explains that scientific data is flexible enough to be interpreted in different ways, namely in ways that question evolution, the age of the earth and the Big Bang.
Admission is free, and guided tours and family memberships with extra goodies are available for purchase.
The museum's exhibits include:
- Days of Creation 1-3 Heavens & Earth Genesis 1:1-13
- Day of Creation 4 Astronomy - Light, Sun, Moon & Stars Genesis 1:14-19
- Days of Creation 5-7 Living Creatures & Garden Genesis
- Fall of Man
- Noah’s Ark World Wide Flood
- Grand Canyon Wall & Fossils – Evidence for a Flood
- Mount St. Helens
- Ice Age
- Ancient Civilizations Room
- Hall of Scholars Creation/Evolution debate since Darwin
- Human Anatomy Exhibit
- Dinosaur Gardens
A bookstore is also on site, allowing museum goers to research more about what they learn at the museum.
Cornerstone Sonoma is a commercial community of local home and garden shops, wineries and galleries embedded among lush architectural landscaping. This collection of shops and restaurants sprawls over nine acres of geometric modern gardens and water features. This center is alsoavailable for event rentals, particularly weddings.
Palos Verdes Art Center is non-profit community arts organization. It is involved with local schools and pre-schools and organizes tours of exhibitions, visiting speakers and gives scholarships. Visual art classes, drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, digital arts, art history and much more is taught here, and everybody from ages 3 to 103, and of all skill levels, are welcome. Small classes are taught by artists and art educators. Private and semi-private lessons can also be arranged. Terms begin in January, April, July and September.
Villa Aurora is a Los Angeles historical landmark and artist residence. Originally built in 1927, it was home to émigré German-Jewish novelist Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. It was once a magnet for socializing among L.A.'s European émigré artists, writers and composers, including Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann as well as movie greats Fritz Lang and Charlie Chaplin. After undergoing restoration, Villa Aurora reopened in 1995 as an artist residence and houses Feuchtwanger Memorial Library, fostering German-American exchange in the fields of literature, music, art and film. The villa offers various cultural events during the year. Tours of the Villa arranged by appointment show the home's major rooms, the installed organ and its pipes and the front and rear patios.
Locals and tourists alike are enchanted by the beauty and serenity of the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District, which was designed by Bernard Maybeck in the style of Greek and Roman architecture for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This San Francisco landmark is a popular backdrop for wedding and other formal pictures. Built around a man-made lagoon at its original site, the palace is one of the last remaining structures of that World Fair. It appeals to people of all ages, in particular to couples, photographers, history enthusiasts and architecture buffs.
Parking and public transportation at Palace of Fine Arts
Parking is free in a small parking lot, as well as on the street. The San Francisco Muni 15 bus line from downtown stops a few blocks away.
Best and worst time to go to Palace of Fine Arts
Any time of the year is good to visit this landmark. It's typically busy on the weekends. To avoid the crowds, visit either early in the morning or in the evening.
Admission to Palace of Fine Arts
Admission is free. The rotunda is inaccessible when weddings or other events are taking place.
Must see/do at Palace of Fine Arts
Check out the architectural details of the rotunda. Visit the Innovation Hanger in the palace's exhibit hall, which is free and open on Wednesdays to Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Other places to visit near Palace of Fine Arts
Nearby, in the Presidio, is the Walt Disney Family Museum, which features exhibits on the life and work of the founder of Disneyland. Also close by is the Fort Mason Center, which is home to several small museums and galleries, such as the Mexican Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery. About three miles away, beneath the Golden Gate Bridge is the Fort Point National Historic Site, a brick fort that the United States built before the Civil War to protect the San Francisco Bay.
Insider tip for visitors to Palace of Fine Arts
Read the street signs when you park on the street to avoid getting a parking ticket. Be sure you are not parked during street cleaning hours. Also, check for the time limit for parking on that street.
Author's bio: Susan Echaore-McDavid writes Take 25 to Hollister, a blog about Hollister, San Benito County and nearby areas.
The Hiller Aviation Museum, located at the San Carlos Airport, is an aircraft history museum founded by Stanley Hiller, Jr. The museum specializes in Northern California aircraft and helicopter history. Its mission is to stimulate and engage its visitors to discover the past, celebrate the present and imagine the future of aviation. Hiller's is educational and fun for the whole family.
