Museums & Historic Sites
Our coastline has a rich maritime history dating back to the 1500's. Step back in time as you visit our musuems and historic sites.
| The MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY is a fun, educational, and interactive experience designed for people of all ages. Explore, discover, and learn about the natural habitats of the area and impacts of natural and human forces through hands-on displays, activities, and events. This destination museum is located in the heart of Morro Bay State Park with panoramic views of the bay, sand dunes, and Morro Rock. |
| Location: |
20 State Park Road, Morro Bay, CA |
| Phone: |
805-772-2694 |
| CCMMA, now doing business as the Morro Bay Maritime Museum, has established itself as a positive force in contributing to Morro Bay’s economy and maritime village sense-of-place. We invite you to come see the Historic tug Alma and learn about an event that brought WWII to our shores. Or walk around the DSRV Avalon, one of only two cold-war era rescue submarines developed by the US Navy and featured in the 1990 film Hunt for Red October and the 2018 film Hunter Killer. You can also see a USCG Surf Rescue Boat that was stationed at the small boat station and serviced the sometimes impassable Morro Bay harbor entrance. But wherever your interest lay, please come and visit Morro Bay and stay awhile. And while you’re here, visit the Morro Bay Maritime Museum at 1210 Embarcadero across from the south T-Pier, on the Morro Bay waterfront. Stop by and say hello and soak up history at the edge of the continent! |
| Location: |
1210 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA |
| Toll Free: |
888-502-5115 |
| Hearst Castle’s history begins in 1865, when George Hearst purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland. After his mother’s death in 1919, William Randolph Hearst inherited thousands of acres around San Simeon, and over time, he purchased more. The spread eventually encompassed about 250,000 acres. With architect Julia Morgan, Hearst conceived a retreat he called La Cuesta Encantada—Spanish for “Enchanted Hill.” By 1947, when Hearst had to leave the remote location because of his fragile health, the estate was still unfinished even though it comprised 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways—all built to Hearst’s specifications and showcasing a legendary art collection. |
| Location: |
750 Hearst Castle Rd, San Simeon, CA |
| Welcome to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. For more than two centuries, Mission San Luis Obispo has greeted travelers, pilgrims and guests with open doors and a place to rest. At the crossroads of the Central California coast, the Mission lends heart and spirit to its vibrant surrounding community. We hope you will visit us. We are open year-round. |
| Location: |
751 Palm St, San Luis Obispo, CA |
| The History Center Museum opened to the public in 1956 in San Luis Obispo’s historic Carnegie Library. The museum features changing exhibitions, a permanent display about county history, and a bookstore. |
| Location: |
696 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Phone: |
805-543-0638 |
| The Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers welcomes you to join our docent-led interpretive tours to experience a rich history of the beautifully restored Lighthouse, the Hornhouse, and other structures. Our tours will give you a glimpse into the lives of Lighthouse Keepers and their families, while helping keep our jewel of the Central Coast preserved and protected. Point San Luis is part of the Port San Luis Harbor District.
Our mission is to restore, preserve, maintain, and operate the Point San Luis Lighthouse Station, circa 1890, as an historical, educational, and recreational site, for the use and enjoyment of the public through tours, events, and educational programs. Point San Luis is part of the Harbor District’s vision of maintaining a sustainable harbor that preserves our marine heritage and character. |
| Location: |
1 Lighthouse Rd, Avila Beach, CA |
| In the decades since the Museum organization has existed, it has been our goal to create a regional museum serving the nearly 300,000 residents and eight million tourists who visit San Luis Obispo County each year. We welcome those who have an interest in local railroad history, artifacts, modeling, art and archives. Visitors include local residents and families, tourists, visiting and local groups, teachers and children, railfans and those who worked on any of the railroads that serve(d) our region: the Pacific Coast Railway, Southern Pacific Railroad, Santa Maria Valley Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad, and Amtrak.
The SLO Railroad Museum is open every Saturday from 10am to 4pm. |
| Location: |
1940 Santa Barbara Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA |
| The mission of the Morro Bay Skateboard Museum Mission is to interpret and preserve the history of skateboarding and its cultural impact to local, national, and international audiences. The Morro Bay Skateboard Museum Mission aims to contribute to the social and economic vitality of Morro Bay, serving as a unique place of encounter, education, and tourism. |
| Location: |
699 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA |
| Phone: |
805-610-3565 |
| Nitt Witt Ridge, a California Registered Historical Landmark #939, is a house on 2 1/2 acres in Cambria. Reclusive artist Arthur “Art” Harold Beal bought his hillside lot in 1928 and spent most of the next 50 years carving out the terraces with only a pick and shovel and creating his own “castle on a hill.” Some parts of the dwelling are remnants from Hearst Castle, where he reportedly worked for a time. Other common building materials include beer cans, abalone shells, concrete, washer drums, car rims, tile, car parts, and old stoves. This blend of native materials and contemporary elements, impressive in its sheer mass and meticulous placement, is a revealing memorial to Art’s unique cosmic humor and zest for life. The suggested donation is $10 per person for a 40-minute tour. |
| Location: |
881 Hillcrest Dr, Cambria, CA |
| Phone: |
805-927-2690 |
| Sharing Cambria`s heritage is an important mission of the Cambria Historical Society. Beginning with our purchase and restoration of the Guthrie-Bianchini House as a place of discovery. The house is now a museum – a heritage destination for visitors – and since opening in December 2008, has hosted over 20,000 visitors. |
| Location: |
2251 Center St, Cambria |
| Phone: |
805-927-2891 |
