room and extensive files are available for visitors to view and research. Exhibits include the reconstruction of a settler’s cabin, a replica Chumash hut, and the depiction of a 1930s-era fueling station. Hours are seasonal: Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm in the summer, closing at 4 pm in winter.
dedicated to Native Americans, whose descendants still live here. Additional exhibits include real gold from the valley’s gold mining days, cowboy brands and blacksmithing tools. A video library features the invasion of Hollywood, celebrating the many famous early movies westerns that filmed in the region. The museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
KEENE
LAKE ISABELLA
The National Chavez Center
Nuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center
29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road Phone: 661-823-6134; Web Site: www.nationalchavezcenter.org The National Chavez Center was established in 2004 as the official memorial dedicated to the legacy of activist Cesar Chavez. The visitor center is built around the renovated building where Chavez worked from 1971 to 1993 and showcases his office just as he left it. A theater screens films detailing Chavez’s life and his struggle to improve the conditions of farm workers. The exhibits on the 187-acre site are designed to educate people about Chavez’s methods of nonviolent conflict reconciliation and his call for social change. Its 17,000-square foot Villa La Paz Conference Center is a sprawling world class facility among the restored mission-style structures that can accommodate up to 400 guests, and lodging is available. The National Chavez Center is open from 10 am to 4 pm daily with the exception of major holidays.
2600 State Route 155 Phone: 760-549-0800; Web Site: www.nuuicunni.org The Nuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center is an intertribal center representing artifacts from the Paiute, Anasazi and Navajo people. The center, run by the Paiute Shoshone tribe, displays a collection of local artifacts including drums, beadwork and rotating exhibits. All visitors are welcome to make their own souvenirs during craft days, Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Dream catchers, beading, oil painting and gourd decorating are just a few of the authentic crafts created during these sessions. Tuesday evenings the center hosts the Pakanapul Language Class from 4 to 5 pm and Cultural Night from 5 to 7 pm. The Nuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm until April, and remains open until 4 pm in the late spring and summer.
KERNVILLE
LAMONT
Kern Valley Museum
Weedpatch Camp
49 Big Blue Road Phone: 760-376-6683; Web Site: www.kernvalley.com/kernvalleymuseum The history and legends of the Old West are remembered in the Kern River Valley, which retained its western authenticity long after most of California moved into the new millennium. The Kern Valley Museum offers docent-led special and educational tours. It also features displays
8701 Sunset Boulevard Phone: 661-832-1299; Web Site: www.weedpatchcamp.com Weedpatch Camp still exists beyond the history books, the family lore, and John Steinbeck’s classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. Woodframe buildings have replaced the camp’s original tin structures and tents that housed Dust Bowl survivors seeking a better life in California. This camp still houses migrant workers from April to September, but
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