Things To Do
Bakersfield Museum of Art
1930 R Street, Bakersfield, Ca 93301
661- 323-7219
Features a permanent collection of California regional art and traveling exhibits, situated in Central Park. Call to reserve guided group tours.
California Living Museum (CALM )
10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy. Bakersfield, CA 93306
661- 872-2256
Offers a wide array of fascinating exhibits pertaining to California plant and animal life.
Live exhibits focus on native California wildlife.
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History
2018 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield 93301
661- 324-6350
Collection of fossils from Kern County, educational collection of area gems and minerals and Native American artifacts from local Yokuts group.
Minter Field Air Museum
401 Vultee, Shafter 93263
Lerdo Hwy & Freeway 99
661- 393-0291
Open Saturdays from 10AM - 2PM
Museum admission and Parking is Free! Donations are accepted.
The Museum is housed in the original fire station built at Minter Field in 1941 . The base was a major basic training facility where 11,261 pilots received basic training in BT-13's (Vultee Valiant), UC-78's (Cessna Bamboo Bomber), and other aircraft.
Minter Field is a center for aircraft restoration, with several shops that specialize in WWII aircraft
12 Miles North of Bakersfield on Highway 99, exit Lerdo Highway, then one mile West.
Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
2800 Buck Owens Blvd., Bakersfield, CA 93308
661- 328-7560
Admission charged.
The Crystal Palace is an all-in-one restaurant, museum, country store and theater focusing on the rich history and sounds of country music.
Golden West Casino
1001 S. Union Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93307
661- 324- 6936
Card Club Casino. Play poker or California games. Restaurant and lounge and weekend entertainment. Open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Edwards Air Force Base
15 E. Mojave Blvd.
Edwards, CA 93524
Base Operator: 661- 277-1110
Due to the attacks of Sept. 11, and in accordance with established security procedures, Edwards Air Force Base is suspending all public tours until further notice. While it is important for the public to come and see their Air Force firsthand, it is paramount Edwards Air Force Base takes the necessary steps to support our primary mission of flight test and national defense objectives.
Located on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles.
Air Force Flight Test Center Tours
E dwards Air Force Base – home of the Air Force Flight Test Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory – offers visitors a flight line bus tour, a flight test center museum and, once a year, an Open House and Air Show.
Tours are available for both the Edwards Air Force Base flight line and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
Bakersfield Recreational Profile
The Bakersfield area is diverse in its sports offerings. If you are
adventurous, take a thrilling white water rafting trip down the Kern River or
soar high above the San Joaquin Valley in a hot air balloon.
If you just want to relax you might enjoy going back in time at the Kern
County Museum, recapturing a little of the area's historical past. If golfing is your
passion, spend the day on one of Bakersfield's many scenic golf courses.
Whatever your pleasure, you'll be able to wind up the day dining at one of the
many fine restaurants.
Sports
Public Golf Courses
Admission charged.
Sycamore Canyon Golf Course, 661- 854-3163
North Kern, 661- 399-0347
Kern River, 661- 872-5128
Buena Vista, 661- 398-9720
Peppertree, 661- 832-2259
Wasco Valley Rose, 661- 758-8301
No. 1 Golf Driving Range, 661- 393-9071
Bakersfield Days Inn & Golf, 661- 324-5555
Jose's Golf Range 661- 398-5650
The Links at Riverlakes Ranch, 661- 587-5465
Tour Shots Driving Range, 661- 861-9308
Tennis
Bakersfield Racquet Club, 661- 325-8652
Village Premier Rio Bravo Resort Includes 4 clay courts, 661- 872-5000
Laurel Glen Tennis Club, (661) 833-3740
Water Sports
Bakersfield attracts thousands of visitors each year because of the great climate for water recreation. White water rafting, water skiing, jet skiing, windsurfing and sailing are just some of the activities available.
White Water Rafting
Mountain & River Adventures 760-376-6553
Kern River Tours 800-844-7238
Experience the thrill and challenge of white water rafting. Take an adventurous ride down the Kern River and view the river as you've never seen it before.
Racing
Mesa Marin
11000 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, CA 93306
661- 366-5711
Admission charged.
One of California's finest racing facilities with a half-mile, high banked paved oval track and test track. NASCAR California 600, late model Stock Cars, Modified Stock Cars, Grand American Modified, Craftsman Trucks, and NASCAR Winston West Series 200 races are held at the raceway.
Famoso Raceway
33559 Famoso Road, McFarland, CA 93250
661- 399-2210
Admission charged.
12 miles north of Bakersfield, CA.
Quarter mile drag strip featuring the Good Guys Nostalgia March Meet, NHRA FM series in April, and the NHRA CHRR IX in October.
Willow Springs International Raceway
3500 75th St. West, Rosamond, CA 93560
661- 256-2471
Races every weekend, 5 circuits available. Car, motorcycle, kart driving & racing schools.
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
24551 Lerdo Hwy. Buttonwillow, CA 93206
661- 764-5333
Admission charged.
Three-mile road racing track.
Bakersfield Blaze Baseball - Sam Lynn Baseball Park
4009 Chester Avenue.
661- 322-1363
Admission charged.
April through September
Directions: From State Route 99 exit California Ave. Go east on California, turn left (north) on Chester Ave. to 4009 Chester Ave.
Home of the Bakersfield Blaze, a co-op Single A farm team, affiliated with the California League.
Bakersfield Condors Professional Ice Hockey
1001 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, 93301
661- 324-7825
Admission charged.
October – April
Home games are played at Bakersfield's new Centennial Garden Arena.
Kern River Parkway Bike Path
The parkway is located along the Kern River from Lake Ming in the northeast to California State University, Bakersfield in the southwest and offers many miles of scenic bike path for bicyclers, joggers and roller blading.
818 Real Road, Bakersfield, CA 93309
661- 325-6428
Admission charged.
405 Galaxy Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308
Many activities are organized throughout the year including football, dance classes, fishing derbies and more.
Bakersfield, California
The name Bakersfield brings to mind its association with country music, and in particular with the "Bakersfield sound." Former Oildale resident and retired Sonoma State University professor Gerald Haslam's book Workin' Man Blues proposes that this Bakersfield Sound grew out of several different styles of music and that performers picked and chose the styles they liked and thus created their own brand of music found nowhere else in the country.
The Bakersfield Sound was marked by the sharp, loud, high-end sound of the electric and steel guitars, fiddles, and lead and harmony vocals influenced by rock and roll and rockabilly as well as traditional country music.
It was a reaction to the early ('50s and) '60s sweetening of country music as characterized by the Nashville Sound. Bakersfield music was, by comparison, rawer, twangier and more in line with rock music.
Performers such as Cousin Herb Henson, Bill Woods, Billy Mize, Oscar Whittington, Eugene Moles, Jelly Sanders, Johnny Cuevelo, and others played to appreciative crowds within the smoke-filled honky tonks in and around Bakersfield. The Blackboard Café, Bob's Lucky Spot, the Rainbow Gardens, the Pumpkin Center Barn Dance, the Beardsley Ballroom, the Clover Club, Tex's Barrel House, Trout's, and a number of other establishments offered music seven nights a week.
This rich musical heritage, along with o il and agricultural production, is what put Bakersfield on the map as a California travel destination. The local music scene has produced popular performers such as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and the alternative band, Korn. Buck Owens still makes his home in Bakersfield and performs regularly at the Buck Owens' Crystal Palace Steakhouse. The Crystal Palace features veterans of country western music alongside some of the hottest up-and-coming young artists.
The downtown theater district offers visitors an opportunity to view live performances while dining in intimate surroundings. Vintage movies appear on the big screen and national touring theatrical companies perform. For more than 70 years, the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra has made beautiful music.
Visitors can catch some of the greatest touring performances at the Bakersfield Centennial Garden. The Garden converts into one of the most competitive sporting arenas in the San Joaquin Valley and has hosted basketball's L.A. Lakers, hockey's L.A. Kings, Fight Night at the Garden, and WWF Smackdown.
When spring arrives, thoughts turn to rafting, and the Kern River offers some of the best white water rafting available. If fast action is not your attraction, make sure to enjoy the many hiking trails, natural sites, and the famous Spring Kern Wildflower Tours. Beauty abounds as the wildflowers bloom and blanket the hillsides with color. Make sure to bring your camera for those perfect shots.
The city's downtown area invites you to enjoy a day of shopping and experience the award-winning streetscape. Downtown offers time for relaxation as you can take in the architecture of the past; dine at many of the downtown eateries and browse through antique and specialty stores. Corner benches allow visitors to rest and enjoy the beauty of the flowers planted in the street medians.
If the visual arts appeal to you, tour the remodeled Bakersfield Museum of Art, located in downtown Bakersfield, where the architecture promotes a feeling of grace and elegance. Find outstanding displays of artwork in three different galleries featuring local artists and world-renowned traveling exhibits. In addition to the arts, evening concerts in the park, ballet, original plays and multi-cultural displays engage all ages and interest levels.
P rofessional sporting events and entertainers are featured at the City's Centennial Garden & Arena. For those who enjoy exercising and having "cool fun", check out Bakersfield Ice Sports Center located behind Centennial Gardens. The Bakersfield Ice Sports Center offers public skating, figure skating, and more. In addition, the Ice Sports Center is the official practice facility for the Bakersfield Condors Hockey Team. Most weekends bring topnotch auto racing at Bakersfield Speedway and streetracing is an ongoing and very popular attraction.
For water enthusiasts, the completion of the McMurtrey Aquatics Center offers additional fun to those visiting during the hot summer months. The multi-purpose swim facility is located next to the Ice Sports Center of Bakersfield. The Center has an 8,551 square foot recreation pool and a 50-meter competition pool as well as a double water slide, interactive wet play equipment, and a water volley ball area.
Those who enjoy the great outdoors may want to bring along a bicycle, roller blades, or running shoes and experience first hand the beautiful scenery of the Kern River Parkway. The Kern River Parkway extends nearly 20 miles along the banks of the Kern River, starting at the California Living Museum northeast of town and ending near Cal State Bakersfield.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit Bakersfield soon for a fantastic country experience, and help keep the Bakersfield sound alive!
