https://www.midway.org/blog/the-uss-midway-museum-at-twenty
California has a ton of historical places for locals and tourists to visit. Such places include…
The USS Midway, https://www.midway.org/, located in San Diego, California. The USS Midway is an American aircraft carrier that was built during the last few months of World War II. The place is famous for being one of the few warships to have a service life of more than 20 years! Many ships after World War II were either decommissioned or scrapped because they were not good for service anymore, but many ships had certain parts from them put onto new warships for the upcoming Cold War (1947–1991).
Courtesy of the USS Midway Museum (midway.org)
The Midway served in two major wars during the 20th century—the first being the Vietnam War (1955–1975), and the second in the First Gulf War, more commonly known as Operation Desert Storm (1990–1991).
Now, after the little history lesson, if you love naval history, you will love the Midway. The main deck of the Midway, https://www.midway.org/visit/our-exhibits/flight-deck-exhibits, showcases many planes from World War II all the way to the late Cold War era of aircraft. The same goes for the middle deck. It also has a couple of aircraft from WWII in the hangar on display to show what aircraft were used during wartime: https://www.midway.org/visit/our-exhibits/hangar-deck-exhibits.
There is also a display in the hangar of a model of the USS Langley and the USS Gerald R. Ford next to each other, showing a comparison of how the first-ever American aircraft carrier looked compared to the newer American carrier.
Overall, the USS Midway is a great place to visit with family and friends!
https://www.goldengate.org/
The Golden Gate Bridge
If you’re interested in architecture, you will love the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which is one of the three major cities in California. Here’s a short history lesson about the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge started being built in San Francisco Bay on January 5th, 1933, and was completed on May 27th, 1937.
Many tourists skip over the Golden Gate Bridge because they think it is not that interesting, but it is worth driving or walking over the bridge! You will get an amazing view of San Francisco Bay!
The Huntington Beach Historical Society
This organization brings history back to life with their historical war reenactments. They reenact two of the most important wars in American history: the American Civil War (1861–1865), https://www.hbhistory.org/civilwar, and the American Revolution (1775–1783), https://www.hbhistory.org/revolution. This place is amazing for anyone who loves history and old military equipment.
Courtesy of Huntington Beach Historical Society (hbhistory.org)
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Located in Simi Valley, California, the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum is a great place to visit if you want to learn and discover more about one of the former U.S. Presidents, Ronald Reagan. There are many things to look at here, such as in the backyard of the library having a piece of the Berlin Wall after they took it down on November 9th, 1989. There are pieces of artwork from both East and West Berliners that were graffitied on the wall.
One of the main reasons why the Berlin Wall is on display is to show how one wall divided families in East and West Germany for over 28 years!
There is a massive hangar located on the right side of the property. This hangar stores a historical aircraft: “The Flying White House,” or as it’s regularly called, “Air Force One,” which flew U.S. Presidents across the nation and to other countries from 1973–2001. (Source for the years goes to the Ronald Reagan Library [.gov])
Overall, the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum is a great place to visit if you want to learn about historical politics or if you just want to learn about Ronald Reagan himself.
https://www.californiarailroad.museum/
The California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is located in Sacramento, California, which is the state capital. The first floor of the museum is full of historical trains from many famous railway companies. One such train from the past is the Santa Fe’s diesel locomotive “Super Chief,” and many others!
Courtesy of the California State Railroad Museum (californiarailroad.museum)
Besides the first floor, the second floor of the museum has toy trains running on display and models of some of the very first model trains, going all the way back to the 1920s! With the model trains, there is a small play place for children to play at while you take a break upstairs or are just going to stay on the second floor for a long period of time.
But that’s not it. Outside the museum, there is a shed that stores old trains such as an old Amtrak diesel locomotive and two large steam trains. Right next to the shed is a train station. This station is part of the museum. The trains that are in the shed are used to travel the 6-mile journey next to the Sacramento River. You don’t just see the river—you also pass two railroad crossings that are in the city, giving you the chance to wave to the cars.
Overall, the California State Railroad Museum is a great place to visit if you want some old American and Californian railroad history.
https://www.californiarailroad.museum/visit/exhibits