Side Trips of Things to Do and See in Southern California
Borax Visitor Center, North on White Ave to the 210 Fwy east, North on 15 Fwy to the 395 North, west on Hwy 58, exit
East Borax Rd, go right and follow the signs. Distance: 98 miles. (760) 762-7588. [email protected] Admission:
Motorcycles: $2.00 Automobiles: $3.00 Buses: $12.00
Buried deep in the Mojave Desert is one of the biggest and richest deposits of borax on the planet. You will also find the
Borax Visitor Center, one of the best-kept secrets of the Southern California desert. Hours of Operation: During normal hours
of operation, the Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m Admission: Automobiles: $2.00 You
get a free sample and they dump ore in the parking lot so you can get some free ore.
(The Monrova Gem & Mineral Society always goes to both places in Boron and go rock hunting in the early morning before it
is too hot then take our picnic lunches to the visitor’s center where they have nice picnic tables and clean bathrooms. The
Sierra Palona Club from Newhall has a claim where banded onyx is located is to the north of Boron only a few miles. North
Edwards Road also called Clay Mine Rd north to Ariel Acres turn on dirt road by the propane tank and go to the right for
about 3 miles. There is a post in the roadway with a box where you sign up as to who you are and how much material you
have taken. No charge. Go to CFMS Clubs Newhall and find their website for a map.)
Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Distance: 26 miles, (714) 567-3600
The Bowers Museum is an internationally-celebrated institution of art and culture. In the past the Bowers Museum has
featured Jewels of the Connoisseur, and Gems of the Medici and usually has a gem or mineral collection featured. Its guiding
philosophy is to help people learn about other cultures through their arts, and offer a greater understanding of ourselves and
appreciation of the world in which we live. For information visit http://www.bowers.org.
Calico Ghost Town, 36600 Ghost Town Rd., Yermo. Distance: 99 miles, (800) 86C-ALICO,
http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx
The Calico Ghost Town is a mining town that became a ghost town after 12 years of mining the largest silver strike in
California. When silver lost its value, Calico became a ghost town. Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm) purchased Calico in
the 1950’s and has architecturally restored the buildings. Calico Ghost Town has shops, restaurants and offers camping and
outdoor recreation.
Good Old Days Museum, Free, 328 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia. Distance: 18 miles.
H (626) 358-8157 or W (626) 445-6630 M-F 9 to 1
Owner is Janie Duncan President of the Monrovia Rockhounds.
By appointment only. In my home. There are stairs. Located on foothill Blvd. 3 blocks east of Myrtle Ave.
Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center, 7621 Granite Dr, Riverside. Distance: 24 miles (951) 685-5818
A wonderful small museum that houses the largest collection of dinosaur eggs in America. In addition to the museum there is
a cactus dealer and an interesting gift shop. Take a picnic lunch and eat at the picnic tables. It can be hot there. There is a
Saturday morning rock walk and dinosaur walk at a cost which is great for kids.
La Sierra University Natural History Museum, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. Distance: 28 miles. (951) 785-2307.
http://inlandempireexplorer.com/world-museum-of-natural-history-la-sierra-university/
Open Saturday 2 pm -5 pm and by appointment for group tours. Largest sphere collection. Petrified wood collection and rocks.
Lots of birds, reptiles and natural stuffed. Free
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. Distance 35 miles, Phone: (213)
763-DINO. Directions: http://www.nhm.org/site/plan-your-visit/directions-parking.
A fantastic collection of gems, minerals, gem carving, jewelry, and special collections. Be prepared to be overwhelmed. This
is also where the CFMS Golden Bear nugget and the CFMS benitoite specimen are usually on display. Fossils are on display
in the Dinosaur Hall and The Age of Mammals exhibit traces 65 million years of evolutionary change. If you have time you
will be glad you visited.
Other Attractions at Natural History Museum at Exposition Park
 California African American Museum
 California Science Center
 Expo Center Swim Stadium
 Imax Theater at California Science Center
 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
 Rose Garden
GIA Museum
http://www.gia.edu/gia-museum
To schedule an individual or group tour, visitors must sign up by emailing [email protected] or call:
1 800 421 7250, ext. 4116 or 1 760 603 4116GIA. Distance: 84 miles
The GIA Museum is located at the GIA Institute and houses some specular gems, minerals carvings and jewelry. The goal of
the museum is to build a real appreciation for Gemology and the Jeweled Arts." GIA Museum exhibit viewings are free and
available to the public through scheduled tours. Visitors must sign up for a tour by calling (800) 421-7250, ext. 4116.
Himalayan Tourmaline Dig
26439 Highway 76, Santa Ysabel, CA at Lake Henshaw Resort, (775) 830-5797 or (775) 772-7724, Distance: 104 miles,
http://www.highdesertgemsandminerals.com/html/himalaya_mine_dig.html
Dig through mine bearing ore gravels transported from the mine to Lake Henshaw Resort. Find tourmaline, quartz crystals,
lepidolite, topaz, morganite and other pegmatite minerals. The owners of the mine opened a new pocket in 2012.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Distance: 41 miles,
323 857-6000, http://www.lacma.org/
Los Angeles County Museum of Art is the largest museum in the western United States and houses more than 100,000 items
spread among the different exhibits. One of the newest exhibits is the “Levitated Mass” which made history when the 340-ton
granite rock was transported to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from the Stone Valley Quarry in Riverside County,
CA. Traveling at night only at about 7 miles per hour it took 11 days.
Ocean View Tourmaline Dig, Pala CA, Distance: 79 miles.
Sift through mine run ore to see if you can find a tourmaline, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite, quartz, etc. Go through
www.Digforgem.com to make plans for a visit.
Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Distance 40 miles,
(323) 934-PAGE (7243), http://www.tarpits.org/
The bubbling asphalt pits – La Brea Tar Pits – is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities. The Pits are on the same site
as the Page Museum and visitors are able to watch if an excavation of Ice Age creatures is going on. This onsite Museum
displays Ice Age fossils including saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and mammoths from 10,000 to 40,000-year-old asphalt
deposits. After excavating outside, the fossils are brought inside the Page Museum for processing and visitors are able to see
what happens with the fossils after finding them, its paleontology in action. The best fossils are on display. The world's most
famous Ice Age fossil excavation site is located in the heart of Los Angeles! Outside the Museum, in Hancock Park, the
Pleistocene Garden and iconic life-size replicas of extinct mammals depict the life that once grew, and roamed, in the Los
Angeles Basin.
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at Webb School , 1175 W. Baseline Rd., Claremont. Distance: 6 miles
(909) 624-2798, http://alfmuseum.org/
Monday through Friday – 8:00am to 4:00pm (now open over noon hour), Saturdays – 1:00 to 4:00pm (September through
May), (Closed Saturdays, June through August) Museum Admission: $6.00 Per Person, 4 & Under Free We accept cash or
checks only, please. Travel through time as each period is color-coded. You may ask for a private tour of the research
department in the basement in advance for groups only .
Ronald Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Dr., Simi Valley, Distance: 74 miles, 805 577-4008,
http://www.reaganfoundation.org/
The Ronald Reagan Library, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, replicas of the White House Rose Garden and White
House South Lawn, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and Air Force One are housed in Simi Valley.
Richard Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, Distance: 20 miles, 714 993-5075,
http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/
The Richard Nixon Library is housed here in Yorba Linda. In addition to exhibitions, the grounds include President Nixon's
helicopter and birthplace.
Visitors are also invited to see the special exhibit galleries, which show a variety of rotating exhibits related to our mission as a
national institution and local landmark.
Rubel Castle (Rubelia), 844 Live Oak Ave., Glendora, Distance: 11 miles. Call 626 963-0419 for a tour.
http://glendorahistoricalsociety.org/Castle.html also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubel_Castle
As seen on Huell Howser (Huell Howser Videolog: Rubel's Castle), this is a castle built with rock brought from the local
mountains and river along with discarded items. This castle, built by Mike Rubel and his pharm phriends, houses an eclectic
array of antique cars, gas pumps, canons, furniture and other donated items. It also has one of three 1911 Seth Thomas clock
towers in the world. The guest book reads like a who’s-who of people from all over the world who came to see Rubelia.
San Bernardino Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, Distance: 33 miles. 909 307-2669
http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/museum/exhibits/exhibits.htm
Situated in a small orange grove, this museum houses collections that feature artifacts and fossils from San Bernardino
County, a collection of mounted land birds from Southern California, water birds from the west coast and a diorama of
mammals. The museum’s mineral collection includes 55,000 specimens and 10,000 micromounts from locations in Southern
California, Arizona, and southern Nevada.
Twenty Mule Team Museum Free, 26962 Twenty Mule Team Road, Boron. Distance: 98 Miles
(760) 762-5810, http://www.20muleteammuseum.com
The Twenty Mule Team Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Special museum hours can be
arranged for groups of 10 or more. Directions from corner of Hwy 395 north and Hwy 58, travel west for 38 miles to the
Boron Avenue off ramp Exit the freeway and turn right onto Boron Avenue, follow Boron Avenue approximately one mile to
Twenty Mule Team Road The Twenty Mule Team Museum is located on the Southwest corner at the intersection of Boron
Avenue and Twenty Mule Team Road
In addition to the museums above which feature exhibits specifically in the fields of gemology and earth sciences, the
following may be of interest:
Arlington National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd, March Air Reserve Base, Riverside. Distance: 28 miles. (951) 6538417
California Missions:
San Buenaventura Mission, 211 E. Main St., Ventura. Distance: 97 miles. 805 643-4318
San Fernando Mission, 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills. Distance: 49 miles.
818 361-0186
San Gabriel Mission, 428 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel. Distance: 23 miles. 626 457-3048
San Juan Capistrano Mission, 26801 Oretega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano. Distance: 50 miles
949 234-1300
Disneyland, 1313 S Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, Distance: 25 miles. 714 781 4565, https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/
Griffith Park Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd., Los Angeles. Distance: 36 miles. 213 473-0800,
http://www.griffithobs.org/
Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, Distance: 50 miles. 310 440-7300, http://www.getty.edu/visit/
Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles. Distance 46 miles. 310 440-7300, http://www.getty.edu/visit/
Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Distance: 26 miles.
626 405-2100, http://www.huntington.org/
Irwindale Speedway, 500 Speedway Dr. Irwindale. Distance: 18 miles. 626 358-1100,
http://www.irwindalespeedway.com/index.php
Knotts Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. Distance 28 miles. 714 220-5200, https://www.knotts.com/
LEGOLAND. One Legoland Dr., Carlsbad. Distance: 84 miles. 760 918-5346, http://california.legoland.com/
Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Distance: 21 miles. 626 821-3222,
http://www.arboretum.org/
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Dr., Los Angeles. Distance 36 miles. 323 644-4200, http://www.lazoo.org/
Lyon Air Museum, 19300 Ike Jones Rd., Santa Ana. Distance: 34 miles. 714 210-4585, http://lyonairmuseum.org/
March Field Air Museum, 22550 VanBuren, Riverside. Distance: 39 miles. 951 902-5949, http://www.marchfield.org/
Netthercutt Collection and Museum, 15151 Bledsoe St., Sylmar. Distance: 50 miles. 818 364-6464,
http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/Museum.aspx (antique and collectable cars)
Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Distance: 27 miles. 626 449-6840, http://www.nortonsimon.org/
Old Olive Factory, 315 E. Fourth St., Ontario. Distance: 9 miles. 800 996-5483, http://www.graberolives.com/
Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach. Distance: 39 miles.
949 759-1122, http://www.ocma.net/index.html?page=index
Orange Empire Railway, 2201 South A St., Perris. Distance: 48 miles. 951 943-3020, http://www.oerm.org/
Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs. Distance: 83 miles. 760 778-6262,
http://palmspringsairmuseum.org/
Palm Springs Tramway, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs. Distance: 83 miles. 760 325-1391, http://www.pstramway.com/
Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach. Distance: 44 miles. 877 342-0738, http://www.queenmary.com/
Raging Waters, 111 Raging Waters Dr., San Dimas. Distance: 3 miles. 909 802-2200, http://www.ragingwaters.com/contactus
San Antonio Winery, 2802 S. Milliken Ave., Ontario. Distance: 18 miles. 909 947-3995, http://sanantoniowinery.com/winetasting-tour/ontario-wine-shop/
Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy., Valencia. Distance: 62 miles. 661 255-4100,
http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/index.aspx
Stewart Tormaline Mine, Pala. Distance: 81 miles. http://www.mmmgems.com/
The Adamson House, 23200 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu. Distance: 57 miles. 310 456-8432,
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=672
The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Pl., Pasadena. Distance: 28 miles. 626 793-3334, http://www.gamblehouse.org/
Pacific Battleship Center, USS Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd. Berth 87, San Pedro. Distance: 47 miles
877 446-9261, http://pacificbattleship.com/page/visitorinformation
USS Midway Museum, 910 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego. Distance: 115 miles. 619 544-9600, http://www.midway.org/
Universal Studios Hollywood, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. Distance: 38 miles.
800-UNIVERSAL, http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/
Wally Parks’ NHRA Museum, 1101 W McKinley Ave., Pomona. Distance: walking: other side of building 4 here at the
Fairplex, driving around 1 mile . 909 622-2133, http://www.museum.nhra.com/