Highest-rated specialty museums in California by visitors

In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, , the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in California on as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#30. Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum (MECM)

- Rating: 4.8/5 (219 reviews)
- City: Carlsbad
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#29. Oakland Museum of California

- Rating: 4.7/5 (761 reviews)
- City: Oakland
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#28. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace

- Rating: 4.3/5 (568 reviews)
- City: Bakersfield
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#27. Hollywood Bowl Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,397 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#26. USS Hornet Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (568 reviews)
- City: Alameda
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#25. Medieval Torture Museum

- Rating: 4.9/5 (156 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#24. Reagan Ranch Center

- Rating: 4.6/5 (268 reviews)
- City: Santa Barbara
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#23. Mission San Luis Rey

- Rating: 4.6/5 (642 reviews)
- City: Oceanside
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#22. The Marine Mammal Center

- Rating: 4.5/5 (343 reviews)
- City: Sausalito Marin County
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#21. GRAMMY Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (906 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#20. The Nethercutt Collection

- Rating: 4.8/5 (855 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#19. The Gamble House

- Rating: 4.7/5 (604 reviews)
- City: Pasadena
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#18. The Tech Interactive

- Rating: 4.2/5 (970 reviews)
- City: San Jose
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#17. The Hollywood Museum

- Rating: 4.2/5 (811 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#16. San Diego Air & Space Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (893 reviews)
- City: San Diego
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#15. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (938 reviews)
- City: San Jose
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#14. Charles M. Schulz Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,195 reviews)
- City: Santa Rosa Sonoma County
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#13. Musee Mecanique

- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,991 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
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#12. Trees of Mystery

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,290 reviews)
- City: Klamath
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#11. Madame Tussauds Hollywood

- Rating: 4.3/5 (3,390 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#10. Cable Car Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (3,791 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
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#9. Palm Springs Air Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,106 reviews)
- City: Palm Springs Greater Palm Springs
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#8. Mission San Juan Capistrano

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,627 reviews)
- City: San Juan Capistrano
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#7. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (3,193 reviews)
- City: Simi Valley
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#6. The Getty Villa

- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,592 reviews)
- City: Malibu
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#5. California State Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (2,833 reviews)
- City: Sacramento
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#4. Walt Disney Family Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,860 reviews)
- City: San Francisco
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#3. Petersen Automotive Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,541 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#2. The Getty Center

- Rating: 4.8/5 (14,842 reviews)
- City: Los Angeles
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#1. USS Midway Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (25,872 reviews)
- City: San Diego
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This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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