INDEX OF STORIES

» Welcome to Lodi
» City offers a world of charms, attractions
» When you think Lodi, think of wine
» For wine lovers, Lodi’s charms are many
» Wine tasting: Basic rules every beginner must know
» Lodi-area wineries
» Lodi’s gateways to adventure await
» Love to tour and eat? In Lodi, you can do both
» What to see, fly, do
» Lodi — a nice, clean place to stay
» A tourist’s eye view of Lodi
» Festivals, music events fill Lodi’s calendar
» Local museums offer something for everyone
» For the Lodi-bound tourist, there are some must-sees
» Lodi can satisfy everyone’s appetite
» Lodi: The place to breakout — outdoors that is
» Grab your clubs and come out swinging
» Looking high, low for that something very old

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel staff writer

There are few more historic regions in all of California than the Lodi area and much of that past is found in the numerous local museums which dot the landscape.

Among the museums are the San Joaquin County Historical Museum south of Lodi, Hill House in Lodi and the Rae House in Galt.

The Rae House Museum at 204 Oak Ave. in Galt offers visitors a peek at 150 years of the city’s history. (Jerry R. Tyson/News-Sentinel)

The county museum, operated by the San Joaquin County Historical Society, is located at Micke Grove Park, a 65-acre county park at Armstrong and Micke Grove roads. The park also includes the zoo, rose garden, Japanese garden, amusement park and picnic areas.

The 15-acre museum complex, which opened in 1968, includes five exhibit buildings totaling 32,000 square feet, four historic structures, tractors, an interpretive garden of native California plants and the Walled Garden of native plants.

A special feature is the Sunshine Trail, a garden designed especially for visitors with impaired vision. It re-creates a trip across California and includes bodies of water, bridges, native stone and native plants.

Capt. Weber’s Garden includes the Stockton founder’s first house, built in 1850.

Special programs include Pioneer School, a living history for elementary school students that utilizes an 1866 one-room schoolhouse; Valley Days, a one-day living history program that features the school, blacksmith shop, harness ship, farm and cookhouse; Grandmother’s Trunk and Suitcase, a school program utilizing museum artifacts; and library and research service.

The museum is open from 1O a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, or by appointment for tours.

Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for senior citizens and children 6 through 12, and free for children 6 and younger. Parking fees at Micke Grove Park are $2 on weekdays and $4 on weekends.

For more information, call (209) 331-2055 or the historical society’s Web site.

The Hill House Museum at 816 S. Church St. in Lodi is a restored Queen Anne Victorian home built in 1901. It is filled with family mementos from the family of Maurice Hill, who died in 1984. The house was built for George Washington Hill, a prominent Lodi jewler and watchmaker.

The museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information or to arrange a special tour of this unique house filled even more unique contents, call 369-6073.In Galt, the Rae House Museum offers visitors almost 150 years of Galt-area history in a restored Victorian home at 204 Oak Ave. The museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. the first and third Sunday of each month March through October. There is no admission charge, but donations to the Galt Area Historical Society are welcome. For more information, call (209) 744-1146 or read the society’s Web site.

In addition to the Hill House, Rae House and San Joaquin County Historical museums, several other attractions are available for people to learn the history of the northern San Joaquin Valley and Mother Lode area.

Museums include:

Great Valley Serpentarium Large and baby snakes, lizards, tortoises, frogs and salamanders may be viewed at 22379 Maggio Circle, Unit C, Lodi.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Free admission. Call 369-7737.

Children’s Museum of Stockton Hands-on learning for children and their families is the trademark for this museum.

It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is located at 402 W. Weber Ave., Stockton.

Admission is $4 per person. For groups of 10 or more, admission is $3 per person. Children under 2 are admitted free. Call 465-4386.

Haggin Museum The museum’s historical galleries include a pioneer room, American Indian gallery, California room, storefronts, vehicle gallery, Victorian hallway, Holt Gallery, an Asian room and three rooms for fine arts.

There are permanent and changing exhibits.

Hours are from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 1201 N. Pershing Ave., Stockton. Closed noon to 1 p.m. School tours may be scheduled during morning hours.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for senior citizens, youth under 18 and students with school identification. Children under 10 are free when accompanied by an adult. Admission is free for museum members. Free admission on first Tuesday of the month. Call 940-6300.

Angels Camp Museum Early mining equipment, wagons, minerals, artifacts and a carriage house with 28 horse-drawn carriages from the Gold Rush.

Located at 753 S. Main St., Angels Camp. For hours call 736-2963.

Admission is $2 for persons over 12 years of age and 50 cents for children 6 through 12. Under 6 is free.

California State Railroad Museum Features a three-story steel, brick and glass structure housing 21 restored locomotives and train cars.

It includes dioramas, pictures, murals and films documenting the history of the American railroad from 1860 to 1960.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at Second and I streets in Old Sacramento. Admission is $3 for adults; 16 and under are free if accompanied by an adult. Call (916) 323-9280.

Sutter’s Fort Relics of the Gold Rush and living history of live in Sacramento during the 1840s and ’50s.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 27th and L streets, Sacramento. Admission from Memorial Day through Labor Day is $1 for adults, free for children 16 and under. Call (916) 445-4422.

California State Indian Museum History of American Indians in California located next to Sutter’s Fort at 2618 K St., Sacramento. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Admission is $1 for adults and free for children 16 and under. Call (916) 445-4422.

California State Capitol Museum 10th and L streets, Sacramento, (916) 324-0333.

Guided tours, films, historic reenactments, family programs and changing exhibits.

Tours available on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Tours of Capitol park from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Admission is free.

Old-Timers Museum 470 Main St., Murphys, 728-1160.

Calaveras County Museum & Archives 30 N. Main St., San Andreas, 754-6513.

Tuolumne County Museum and History Center 158 W. Bradford Ave., Sonora, 532-0150. www.TChistory.org. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Columbia State Historic Park Main Street, Columbia, 532-4301. A living Gold Rush town on 275 acres. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. www.sierra.state.park.ca.us/

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Fifth Avenue and Reservoir Road, Jamestown, 984-3953.Seasonal steam train rides from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, April through November. Guided tours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. www.Railtown1897.org.

The Old Love House 1162 S. Main St., Angels Camp, 736-0325. Built by Alexander Love in 1851, the house offers old books, antiques, collectibles, country crafts, English tea pots and tea cups. And there is even a legendary ghost — a lady with gray hair and a long dress — that comes with the place. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday.