Big Bear Valley Historical Museum — Attraction in California

The museum, which is operated by the Big Bear Valley Historical Society contains a wealth of different artifacts, buildings, paperwork, clothing, farm and mining tools and much more that are all tied to back to life in the early days around Big Bear Lake. It was opened in 1982 and now has nine buildings containing historical items and displays. You will also find a stamp mill, an old schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a gold panning station and even a gift shop. The staff here were very welcoming, friendly and willing to answer any questions you might have. This is a must place to visit when passing or staying for awhile in...

Great local museum. Of note this museum consists of several out buildings that you have to walk between. This makes for a very hot experience on a warm summer day. Thank goodness they sold cold bottled root beer for $2 which helped keep moral high.

The grounds are loose gravel and sand. You can see all the exhibits in about an hour. The kid's favorite was panning for gold. You can purchase a small vial in the gift shop for 50 cents to bring some "gold" aka fool's Gold, home with you. All of the volunteers at the museum were incredible! Such a wealth of knowledge and interesting facts they really made...

What a hidden gem! We didn’t know about this place until our most recent trip to Big Bear. It’s close to the Village, within 10 min by car. The docents are warm and accommodating and clearly have a love of the history of Big Bear. We got to see historic items that we’ve never seen anywhere else. It was like walking back in time. I am so glad we visited and plan to return. It’s only $5 admission for adults and free for younger kids. Panning for gold was a neat surprise for the kids. Be sure to buy a bottle of cold Root Beer or Sarsaparilla in the last building,...