Many museums offer free admission on selected days, such as once a month, but what if visitors could get in free all the time? Such places exist in Northern California, and the list is diverse. Where else might you find cable cars, yo-yos, and air tankers listed in the same sentence? Mix in a Carnegie Library and a collection of ancient implements that are displayed in the Redwoods, and you have an assortment of possible stops from downtown San Francisco nearly all the way to the Oregon border. Here are five museums that have removed any cost barrier, so why not give them a look?
The wheels are turning inside the Washington-Mason Powerhouse on Nob Hill. The museum is a tribute to San Francisco's iconic cable cars, while giving viusitors a look into how the operation actually works, with cables in action. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and until 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Check out our feature story
They may look like donuts, but they're really classic Duncan Jeweled yo-yos. Housed in the back of the Bird In Hand toy store in downtown Chico, 164 miles north of San Francisco, is the world's largest public display of yo-yos. The headliner is Big-Yo, the 256-pound special version of the No-Jive 3-in-1. The store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on Sundays. Check out our feature story
The air tanker is just one of several models of planes displayed in the Chico Air Museum, the site of a former military hangar. The friendly volunteers are a big selling point of the museum and children enjoy being allowed to play in a cockpit. Displays include uniforms, flight logs and NASA artifacts. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Check out our feature story
The Trees of Mystery is an attraction devoted to the Redwoods, but the End of the Trail Collection also was dear to the late owner, Marylee Thompson Smith. The displays are a tribute to what she labeled the "ingenuity" of cultures that made practical use of implements. The collection is attached to the gift shop, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See the Trees of Mystery website
The biggest attraction is the building itself, as a classic Carnegie Library built in 1904 with a stained glass dome. Yet the museum curators also put a lot of work into rotating exhibits, such as this May 2022 tribute to Petulama's preservation efforts. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Visit the museum’s website
Have you ever been to any of these spots in Northern California before? Share with us your experience in the comments section!
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