Desert Discovery Center — Attraction in Barstow

This is a small nature and learning center, but it is free of charge and the meteorite and other attractions there make it worth a visit. The staff is extremely friendly, and this is a good place to buy drinks and snacks as they have good prices and the purchases help support the center. The outdoor pond and trail around the building are nice for observing wildlife. The location is a bit hard to spot in a passing vehicle since it is up on a hill, but it is very close to major roads and makes it possible to have a quick 15-20 min stop here when traveling through the area. I would consider this a top 5 to visit on the route between LA...

This place is open till 4:00. I showed up at 3:51 to pick up some up to date maps of the Mojave Desert and the doors were locked! Unbelievable!

Thankfully, the two people inside, both packed to leave, let me in, albeit hesitantly. Thank you Desert Discovery Center for keeping me and my family from dying in the Mojave Desert! I'm glad I wasn't any later because the two employees (or one employee and her boyfriend 🤷‍♂️) followed me out the door a full 5 minutes before they were scheduled to close. I would give zero stars if I could, very...

There's not terribly much to see here in this small desert center. We came from out of town so in my opinion it wasn't quite worth the drive. However, they did have tortoises inside and an outside enclosure along with The Old Woman Meteorite. Kids would probably enjoy this place as there are many activities created to teach them about desert life. There is extremely good information about the history of the region. Also there is a small gift...