Simonian Farms Market

  A little museum, antique collection and farm market all in one spot.  Baghdasar Simonian, an Armenian immigrant, founded the farm in 1901 and it remains in the Simonian family today. The farm produces over 150 crops of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Not much is in season now so the main products are citrus fruit, dried fruit, nuts and wine.

 The main museum building isn’t opened for the season yet but old tractors and equipment are on display outside. A wooden tower built from material scavenged from a Japanese interment camp stands as a memorial to the Japanese farmers who helped Baghdasar Simonian when he arrived California and started his farm. The store has antique bicycles hanging from the ceiling.

  Everything is accessible.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV.  Market
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Tachi Palace Casino

  Follow the signs for truck and RV parking. The lots are flat and large so there’s room for everyone. We parked in the lot closer to the highway to avoid truck traffic and noise.

  To get to the casino entrance follow the fencing towards the building and you’ll come to a sidewalk. It’s a bit of a hike but flat and smooth.

The chairs are easy to move and most of the money and card slots are easy to reach. The aisles are a little narrow so maneuvering is tight when the casino is busy.  Casino
36.23906, -119.7641

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

  Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park honors Colonel Allensworth, who was born into slavery in 1842, served in the Union Army, worked as a teacher and preacher, and eventually won an appointment as a chaplain in the US Army. After serving for twenty years he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was one of four men who worked to establish the town of Allensworth.

  The park is the site of  the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. When it was founded, in 1908, the hope was that it would be a "Tuskegee of the West" but declining water tables, loss of a railroad stop and the death of Colonel Allensworth led to the it’s demise. 

  Twenty one buildings have been rebuilt or restored. Interpretive signs are posted in front of each building but the buildings are only opened for touring during special events. It’s possible to peek into some of the windows to view the interiors. The visitor center (unmanned) and campground are opened Thursday-Sunday. The campground has paved parking pads, tables with shade ramadas, fire rings, showers, restrooms and a dump station.
         
   Most of the buildings have ramps which are only useful when the buildings are opened for tours. Access to windows where the interiors may be viewed is mostly from the front porches which have steps only. The visitor center is accessible. The campground has two spaces that have been widened but no other provisions have been made for accessibility. The toilets do not have grab bars but the shower room has grab bars, a fold-up seat and a low shower head.
  Small animals and birds are abundant. Watch for rattle snakes. The only one we saw was this one - death from overeating!

 
  Park
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Kern County Museum

  About 40 buildings from Kern County have been relocated and arranged to form a complete turn of the century town. Many of the buildings have been altered from their original purposes to portray small town businesses. Two of the more elaborate houses are only opened for guided tours. The interiors of the rest of the buildings can be viewed but not entered due to glass partitions. Glare from the glass makes viewing difficult at times. Also located on the grounds are train cars, oil equipment and a nicely done oil museum.
           
       
  Most of the buildings are not accessible due to steps and a lack of ramps.The interpretive signs along the street at each building are easy to view. The streets are paved and in good condition.The oil museum is accessible but a few of the interactive displays are not. The chamber that simulates a journey underground to oil bearing rock is accessible. It's not for the claustrophobic but there is an emergency button to open the doors.
 
The parking lot is large enough for any RV.  Museum
35.75512, -118.4269

Fort Tejon State Historic Park

  Fort Tejon was established in 1854 in Grapevine Canyon along Tejon Pass which was the main route between southern California and the central valley. It’s mission was to protect and keep peace between the Native American tribes, the newly arrived settlers and the established settlers who were of Spanish descent. The fort was abandoned in 1864.

  This is one of the prettiest settings for a fort that we’ve visited. Tree covered hills surround the fort area which is shaded by huge 400 year old oak trees. The barracks and officer’s quarters have been reconstructed and have displays. There’s also a small, one room visitor center.

  The fort is partly accessible. Unfortunately the first obstacle is a step down from the parking lot sidewalk to a short bridge across Grapevine Creek. The visitor center is accessible. A path of hard packed sandy dirt leads to all of the buildings. Backtracking is necessary because it does not make a complete loop. Most wheelchair users will need to have help because of an uphill slope. The barracks have steps without a ramp. The officer’s house has a ramp so it’s possible to peek into the rooms on the ground floor.
           
   RVs can fit in the lot by parking lengthwise across the spaces. Fort
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Civic Musical Road

  This looks like an ordinary stretch of highway but as your tires hit the specially spaced grooves a poor rendition of part of the William Tell Overture ( also known as the theme from the Lone Ranger :-D ) can be heard. Stay in the far left lane and go 55 mph. We had to drive on it twice just for the fun of it.  Road
34.73328, -118.18432

California Route 66 Museum

  A fun little museum! The museum is packed with Route 66 memorabilia. Visitors may also climb into a VW hippy van or an “Okie” truck for a cute photo opportunity.

  The museum is accessible. The truck and van do not have ramps.

  A large parking lot is located on the south side of the museum building but there isn’t an entrance on the main street. The only options are to hop the curb or try to maneuver through the alley and under low hanging wires. It was difficult for us so it would not work with a larger RV. On street parking of RVs is not permitted in Victorville but there is a large public parking lot across the street from the museum where RVs be can parked.  Museum
34.53728, -117.2945

Mojave River Valley Museum

  This little museum is filled with donated articles including Native American artifacts, minerals, fossils, gold mining tools and antique furniture.

The museum is accessible but some of the cases are too high for easy viewing of the items inside.

The parking lot is small so large RVs will fit better on the street or at the park located on the opposite side of the street.  Museum
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Bottle Tree Ranch

   Elmer Long’s interest in bottle collecting started when he was a boy, taking road trips with his father and exploring old dumps along the way. Eventually he had a large collection of bottles and other junk. The bottle farm was born when he inherited his father’s bottle collection and wanted a way to display everything.

  Don’t forget to look up to see all of the stuff at the top of each of the trees!
          
          
  The ground is sandy but it’s possible to maneuver a wheelchair through most of the bottle forest.

There’s enough room on the side of the road for RV parking but go slowly because it has a hump.   Ranch
34.69029, -117.33932

Route 66 Museum & Western Railroad Museum

  Although Amtrak still stops at Barstow, the depot, which was bustling with activity in the early 1900s when passengers rushed off of the train to eat at the Harvey House restaurant, is now quiet and almost empty. The building houses the Chamber of Commerce, a few city offices, Route 66 Museum and the Western Railroad Museum.

  Both museums are full of artifacts but small so it doesn’t take long to see them. They’re opened Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. The railroad museum has very little information about any of the items which makes it hard to figure out how they were all used. Engines, cabooses, and service vehicles are on display outside.
        
        
  Both museums are accessible. The Route 66 Museum is located in the lower level of the building and has a ramp inside at the entrance. It’s fine when entering but hard when exiting because there isn’t a landing.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Large RVs can park across the spaces by the train cars. The museums are on opposite ends of the depot.  Route 66    Train Museum
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