PLACES TO GO

Restaurants Car collections Museums Places of Interest


 Restaurants
Babe's Bar-B-Que Grill & Brewhouse
71800 Hwy 111
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 346-8738
BBQ at its best. Voted by Palm Springs Life readers as the Best of the Best in 2006 and 2007.
6-25-09
Bubba's Bar
123 S. Main St.
Hickville, CA 99999
(714) 555-1212
Redneck hangout. Drive a pickup truck if you go there. If you want to avoid a fight don't drink anything but beer and make sure it's from a bottle.
They don't have a web site (duh)
Corvette Diner
2965 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA
(619) 542-1476
They moved from their old location in June 2009. Larger dining area and more accessible parking. Rumor has it that the waitresses don't throw straws and bubble gum at you any more. Too bad. Part of the fun.
Corvette Diner web site
Clearman's North Woods Inn
San Gabriel
Covina
La Mirada
The restaurants with the snow on the roof. Sorry, the icicles are long gone. Three locations, but the San Gabriel restaurant is surrounded by interesting shops. Great ambiance (peanut shells on the floor, log walls, stained glass, Tiffany lamps), good food (though the menu is limited), lumberjack-sized portions.
North Woods Inn web site
Peggy Sue's 50's Diner
35654 Yermo Rd.
Yermo, CA 92398
(760) 254-3370
An original roadside diner, built in 1954. They have expanded since then and it now contains an extensive collection of TV and movie morabilia. Be sure to visit the gift shop and the "Dinersaur" park.
Peggy Sue's web site
7-5-09
Texas Loosey's Torrance
22252 Palos Verdes Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 540-9799
"Texas Tested Tried and Trusted Since 1982". Chili parlor and saloon. Award winning chili, hamburgers, steaks and Mexican food. Great variety of menu items, all excellent. Interesting outfits. The original location.
Texas Loosey's Torrance web site
Texas Loosey's main web site
Texas Loosey's Temecula
27483 Ynez Rd.
Temecula, CA 92591
(951) 694-8119
Same great food. Another location.
Texas Loosey's Temecula web site
Texas Loosey's main web site
Texas Lil's Mesquite Grill
28495 Old Town Front St.
Temecula, CA 92590
(951) 699-5457
Sister restaurant to Texas Loosey's. Some of the same menu items, some added specials, different ambiance.
Texas Lil's web site


 Car Collections
Blackhawk Museum
15151 Bledsoe St.
Danville, CA 94506
(925) 736-2277
The Classic Car Collection at the Blackhawk Museum features an array of priceless and one-of-a-kind automobiles—from luxury performance vehicles to historically significant vehicles from around the world. Blackhawk Museum web site
Nethercutt Collection
15151 Bledsoe St.
Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 364-6464
One of the most amazing collection of cars (and other things) on the planet. All the cars are licensed and driveable. They have a Christmas concert series on one of the largest pipe organs in the world. One part of the collection is open to the public. Reservations must be made in advance for the private tours of the other part.
Nethercuttt Collection web site
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 930-2277
A permanent collection of interesting cars. They also have car and automotive related displays that vary. Check the web site to see what is currently on display and what is scheduled for the future.
Petersen Museum web site
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
1101 W. McKinley Ave. Bldg 3A
Pomona, CA 91768
(909) 622-2133
They have sold the collection to the Petersen Automotive Museum and it will be moved there some time in the future.
NHRA Museum web site


 Museums
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
2040 N. Santa Fe Ave.
Vista, CA 92083
(800) 587-2286
Large collection of mechanical history. Many interesting ingenious devices. The tractor races are fun, where the slowest tractor wins. Check their web site for the dates of special events.
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum web site
The Huntington
Library, Art Collection & Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Rd.
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
The library contains some of the oldest and rarest books in the world, including a Gutenberg Bible. The art collection includes both Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" and Lawrence's "Pinky". The botanical gardens have rare plants from all over the world and authentic themed gardens, including the Desert Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose Garden and Chinese Garden.
Huntington Library web site
J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-7300
The Getty Center with modern architecture and gardens showcases "European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts, and European and American photographs. A selection from the special collections of the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute".
Getty Museum web site
J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 440-7300
The Getty Villa in Malibu with Roman-inspired architecture and gardens contains antiquities from "ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria arranged by themes including Gods and Goddesses, Dionysos and the Theater and Stories of the Trojan War".
Getty Museum web site
Nixon Presidential Library & Museum
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
(714) 983-9120
"Nixon's pre and post Presidential materials, as well as the museum, Birthplace, and helicopter".
Nixon Library web site
Ronald Reagan
Presidential Foundation & Library
40 Presidential Dr.
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(800) 410-8354
Displays document Reagan's public life. Part of the tour includes a replica of the Oval Office. One of the Air Force One airplanes is open for tours.
Reagan Library web site
USS Hornet - Sea, Air and Space Museum
707 W Hornet Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 521-8448
Aircraft carrier that participated in WWII & the Apollo 11 & 12 recovery missions, now a museum with tours.
USS Hornet web site


 Places of Interest
Bates Nut Farm
304 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(760) 749-3333
"Nuts from all over the world meet here". Interesting place to go for a picnic.
Bates Nut Farm web site
Bradbury Building
15954 Woods Valley Rd.
Valley Center, CA 92082
(213) 626-1893
Still splendid more than 100 years after its 1893 opening, its magical light-filled Victorian court, open cage elevators, marble stairs, and ornate iron railings make this one of downtown's most photographed icons. It has been featured prominently as a setting in many films and television shows, most notably in Blade Runner (1982). It also appeared in Double Indemnity (1944), D.O.A. (1950), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Wolf (1994), and The Outer Limits episode "Demon with a Glass Hand" (1964), among many others.
Bradbury Building web site
Calico Ghost Town
Yermo, CA
(760) 254-2122
Built during the silver mining boom of the late 1800s. When the silver ran out the town died. Now resurrected as a tourist destination. Many original buildings still stand. Tour Maggie's mine, the Mystery Shack, pan for gold, ride the narrow gauge railway and visit the shops.
Calico Ghost Town web site
Julian, CA
 
 
 
Historic gold rush town. Famous for apple pies, gold mine tours and bed and breakfast inns. Lots to do here.
Julian Chamber of Commerce web site
Oak Glen, CA
 
 
 
Visit apple orchards, interesting shops and restaurants. Known for apples, apple cider and apple pies.
Oak Glen Apple Grower's Association web site


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The Webmaster is Walt Jenkins Updated Mar 08, 2023