Experience The Queen Mary – A Historic Long Beach Hotel featuring Art Deco Staterooms, Tours and more. Enjoy your stay aboard the Queen Mary and take advantage of all the wonderful sites. Her story is rich with history, elegance and grandeur. Plus, visit the LEGO Queen Mary on board made from 250,000 LEGO bricks, measuring 26 feet.
The museum offers tours of the Adobe to the public every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Also, the first Thursday and Friday of the month, tours are led by volunteer docents at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. No reservations are needed for parties that have less than 10 people.
Enjoy exploring the past and present at the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, housed in the last remaining original wooden building of the 22 structures built as a military post during the Civil War in the Los Angeles area. Guided tours only. Public tour schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Heritage Hill Historical Park’s 4.1 acres includes four restored and furnished historic buildings that span the early history of the Saddleback Valley and El Toro area from the Mexican Rancho era. Guided tours through the buildings are provided to the public Wednesday – Sunday. There are no fees for entrance or public tours of Heritage Hill Historical Park for groups of seven or less.
At the Heritage Museum of Orange County there is a lot to see and explore. Visit a working blacksmith shop, a rancho home, take a walk in the gardens, or experience the Kellogg House, a late example of Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. General admission to the museum: $7 children and adults 13+; $5 seniors; children under 3 free.
Homestead Museum is located in the heart of a former Mexican rancho and offers free-guided, 45-minute tours of two historic houses, Wednesday – Sunday. The only way to visit the museum’s historic houses is on a guided tour or at a special event. While visiting the rancho, don’t forget to explore El Campo Santo, one of the oldest private cemeteries in Southern California.
Current exhibits include “And the War Came,” which commemorates the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and “The Sultana Disaster,” the worst maritime disaster in American history. Open Tuesday – Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Free admission.
Visit a historic chapel, landmark and museum at the San Juan Capistrano Mission. Guided tours, audio tours, and special tours just for 4th graders are available. Plus, on weekends, kids can pan for gold, make adobe bricks and arrowhead necklaces.
The five-acre park encompasses historic gardens and the restored adobe home of Pio Pico, the governor of California in 1832, and again in 1846 before and during the Mexican-American War. Guided tours of the adobe are offered by appointment only except on weekends, groups of 10 or more need to reserve ahead of time.
Point Fermin Lighthouse was the first navigational light into the San Pedro Bay. It is near many local attractions, such as the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and the Fort MacArthur Museum. Guided tours are offered every hour at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday. General admission is free, however a donation is requested for each visitor.
The Rancho is on a 7.5 acre site and includes four acres of nationally significant historic gardens, a ranch house (1790-1948), and restored barnyard of the early 20th century working ranch. Children and adults can tour the ranch house and experience nature in the lush gardens as well as visit the farm animals (horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits) housed in the barns area. Admission and parking are free.
The adobe ranch house, built in 1844, is the most significant sight at Rancho Los Cerritos. Special events, such as Creation Stations and story times, and are held throughout the year. Guided tours are available, plus a special tour just for families called Rancho Adventures. Admission to the rancho is free. Open Wednesday – Sunday; 1-5 p.m.
See an exact replica of President Nixon’s Oval Office, explore the Pat Nixon Gardens, tour President Nixon’s original birthplace, and climb aboard Marine One. The Nixon Library features 70 major exhibits, 30 multi-media experiences, 11 original films and more than 300 artifacts.
Walk onboard the actual Air Force One aircraft, view a full-size replica of President Reagan’s Oval Office and see a first-of-its-kind hologram of our nation’s 40th President. Special exhibits include: Pompeii: The Exhibition, Reagan and Thatcher – The Special Relationship Between the United Kingdom and United States and the Friendship that Changed the World, and American Presidents Life Portraits.
Take an introductory tour of the Banning Residence, Stagecoach Barn and Improbable Gateway Exhibition at the regularly scheduled times. No reservations are necessary except for groups of ten or larger. Tours are free; suggested donation, $5 for adults and $1 for children.