During your visit to this Bakersfield, California attraction, explore exhibits that display and interpret native California animals, plants, fossils and artifacts. The California Living Museum Gift Store and Book Room carries science and nature related items.
Highlights of the California Living Museum
Education Center
Start your visit to the California Living Museum in the Education Center, housing the Museum’s indoor exhibits. In Lindsey Auditorium you will find rotating and travelling exhibits. Step into Shell Oil Companies Foundation Room and discover the Museum’s geology displays, a cross-section of California and the “rocks” that make it up, a mineral cave, plate tectonic maps and an earthquakes and faults map of California. Palaeontology exhibits in the Education Center features murals and fossils that show the variety of animals that lived in California millions of years ago. Examine items in a discovery box and look through the eyes of a raptor to search for prey in the Soroptimist Club of Bakersfield Room, a place for discoveries.
Trees of California Walk
Outside you can stroll along the Trees of California Walk, taking you west to east, from the coast to the valley and to the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Along the way, notice the difference in the trees; leaves or needles, each has adapted to live in its habitat with specific soils and rainfall.
Reptile House
Step inside the Reptile House, home to the snakes, lizards and turtles of California. Within you will see a lyre snake. In the Reptile House’s multi-species exhibit, animals use different parts of the vertical space, which minimizes competition and replicates the living areas of a natural rock outcrop. California’s largest non-venomous lizard can be found in the multi-species exhibit.
Raptor Exhibit
The Raptor Exhibit features windows with one-way glass inside the Eagle’s Nest display, allowing you to get a close-up look at bald eagles, red-shouldered hawks and barn and long-eared owls. Display cases within the exhibit explore the process of casting and the skeletal structure of a wing.
Mammal Round
Begin on your left in Mammal Round and follow the exhibit around to the right to learn about the mammals housed within. The bobcat is identified and named for its short “bobbed” tail. His spotted coat provides protective camouflage in a variety of habitats. In the Mammal Round’s multi-species exhibit, look for coatis and every species of fox that lives in California.
Coyote Exhibit
Learn about the coyotes who roam the desert throughout the night in the Coyote Exhibit. Native to California, coyote’s excellent sense of smell, hearing and eyesight allow them to easily adapt to California’s ever changing environment. They are considered the best survivor of any species of wild dog.
Desert Habitat
Explore the Museum’s Desert Habitat. Designed and landscaped to look like a desert wash, it’s a favorite spot of the tortoise and other desert animals. Throughout the habitat you will encounter tortoises, roadrunners, small burrowing owls, turkey vultures and desert cottontails.
Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden
The Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden is a native flower and perennial garden designed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Featured in the garden is the running brook that adds to the garden’s appeal. The garden serves as an example of how you can incorporate native plants into your home landscaping and provide habitat for butterflies and hummingbirds.
Shopping in the California Living Museum Gift Store and Book Room
Be sure to visit the California Living Museum Gift Store and Book Room, located in the Education Center. Science and nature related items including apparel, gifts and keepsakes, and home décor are available to purchase.
- The California Living Museum is ADA compliant. Complimentary wheelchairs are available for use.
- Snacks and drinks are available to purchase from vending machines throughout the Museum and in the gift store.