Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids

Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in Big Bear Lake

Oak Glen School Museum

Oak Glen School Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Historical Glass Museum

Historical Glass Museum

Collection of American-made glass items. Museum & gift shop in a century-old Victorian home displaying American-made glass items & art.

Lincoln Memorial Shrine

Lincoln Memorial Shrine

Historic presidential monument & museum. This 1930s structure commemorates the life of Abraham Lincoln with artwork & exhibits.

Kimberly Crest House & Gardens

Kimberly Crest House & Gardens

1897 mansion & renaissance-style gardens. 1897 home & sprawling renaissance-style Italian gardens, with tours available several times weekly.

Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum

Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Bernardino County Museum

San Bernardino County Museum

Cultural & natural-science exhibits. Educational exhibits on local culture & natural science, plus cactus gardens & a live-animal center.

Norton Air Force Base Museum

Norton Air Force Base Museum

Air Force photos, uniforms & memorabilia. Small military museum with tours & a collection of Air Force photos, uniforms & memorabilia.

INLAND EMPIRE MILITARY MUSEUM

INLAND EMPIRE MILITARY MUSEUM

Small army memorabilia museum. Small army museum with a collection of military artifacts & uniforms from the civil war, WWI & WWII.

First Original McDonald's Museum

First Original McDonald's Museum

Historia & memorabilia of McDonald's. Compact museum with exhibits about the iconic hamburger chain, at the site of the first location.

Cabazon Dinosaurs - World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Cabazon Dinosaurs - World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Outdoor display of prehistoric animals. Vintage attraction featuring enormous replicas including Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex & more.

Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)

Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)

Ceramics & ancient Egyptian artifacts. Diverse mix of ancient & contemporary art, with a special focus on ceramics & Egyptian relics.

San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum

San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum

Exhibits on trains & local history. Set in an 1918 train depot, this museum showcases artifacts dedicated to railroad & local history.

Fiesta Village Family Fun Park

Fiesta Village Family Fun Park

Amusement center with varied attractions. Family amusement center featuring go-karts, laser tag, carnival rides & arcade games.

Colton Area Museum

Colton Area Museum

Local artifacts in a historic library. Local-history collection in a neoclassical former library featuring artifacts, programs & a shop.

Hi-Desert Nature Museum

Hi-Desert Nature Museum

Educational museum of desert ecosystems. Interactive museum detailing the flora, fauna & geological nature of the surrounding desert.

Hunter Hobby Park

Hunter Hobby Park

City park with mini steam-train rides. Green space with softball fields, picnic tables, grills & free mini steam-train rides twice a month.

UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

Forty green acres open to tours. University's garden offers 40 leafy acres of 3,500+ plant species & 200+ bird types. Open daily.

Riverside Art Museum

Riverside Art Museum

Museum with art shows, classes & talks. Exhibition space that features art classes, workshops, lectures & a museum store selling local art.

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Museum of Riverside

Museum of Riverside

Regional history, culture & nature. Museum dedicated to the history, culture & nature of the region, including 2 landmark homes.

March Field Air Museum

March Field Air Museum

Exhibiting 70+ historic aircrafts. Museum with more than 70 historic military aircrafts on display including rare operational jets.

Hemet Maze Stone

Hemet Maze Stone

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum

Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hemet Museum

Hemet Museum

Quaint option for American history. Modest locale with an eclectic collection of early American, railway & Native American artifacts.

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center

Nature-based activities for families. Nature-focused activities include an earth science museum & hands-on learning with rocks & fossils.

World Famous Crochet Museum

World Famous Crochet Museum

Unique collection of crocheted items. An eclectic assortment of crocheted animals & other creations in a converted drive-thru photo stand.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Palm Springs Art Museum

Desert's iconic museum & cultural center. Desert art museum with European & Native American works, plus a theater, outdoor space & cafe.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Found art in a rustic desert landscape. This open-air desert museum features an offbeat collection of found folk-art assemblages.

Noah Purifoy Foundation

Noah Purifoy Foundation

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

Exhibits & Native American culture. Smithsonian-affiliated museum showcasing Cahuilla Indian history with exhibits, lectures & classes.

Riverside Heritage House

Riverside Heritage House

Furnished 19th-century house & gardens. Museum in a grand Victorian residence with period furnishings & decor, plus landscaped gardens.

Palm Springs Air Museum

Palm Springs Air Museum

Combat aircraft & aviation art. Museum dedicated to combat aircrafts from WWII to present years, plus art, a gift shop & a cafe.

Western Science Center

Western Science Center

Dinosaurs, fossils & science exhibits. Kid-friendly science museum with dinosaurs, fossils & history, plus hands-on science activities.

Motte Historical Car Museum

Motte Historical Car Museum

Antique vehicles shown in a rustic venue. Vintage automobiles displayed in a salvaged-wood barn with a gift shop & old-school theater.

Southern California Railway Museum

Southern California Railway Museum

Historic train cars & weekend rides. Sprawling educational museum with historic railway cars & locomotives, plus weekend rides.

World Museum of Natural History

World Museum of Natural History

University natural history museum. Natural history museum on a university campus with animal, plant & mineral exhibits.

John Rains House - A San Bernardino County Museum Historic Site

John Rains House - A San Bernardino County Museum Historic Site

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Museum of Ancient Wonders

Museum of Ancient Wonders

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tolerance Education Center

Tolerance Education Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Hands-on exhibits & toddler spaces. Sizable children's museum featuring 50-plus interactive exhibits, a giant loom & areas for toddlers.

Cooper Regional History Museum

Cooper Regional History Museum

Local history in an old fruit exchange. Regional & cultural history museum in a converted 1930's Art Moderne fruit exchange building.

Chaffey Community Museum of Art

Chaffey Community Museum of Art

Contemporary community art gallery. Community art gallery started in 1941 displaying contemporary pieces by regional artists.

Ontario Museum of History & Art

Ontario Museum of History & Art

Art museum with events & workshops. Museum in a historic building with exhibits on art & history, plus workshops & events.

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