Tulare County Museum — Attraction in Visalia

As a local, I've been to the Tulare County Museum more times than I can count. So imagine my surprise at reading a review where someone tried to drag the place because their disabled pug in a backpack was tragically denied entry.

First of all: yes, the museum is in Mooney Grove Park, but no, it's not "literally in a dog park." The actual dog park is a small, fenced-in area across the way. (It's pretty nice, so definitely give it a visit!) And with both indoor and outdoor exhibits, so the whole "but it's hot!" argument doesn't really help your case.

Of course they allow service animals, it is required by law. Regular pets? Not so much. That's clearly posted right by the door. You'd have to try not to see it. And it's written in plain old English, though I guess reading signs isn't for everyone. The reason for this policy is not just to ensure the safety of the exhibits, but also the comfort and security of all visitors. Who wants to potentially get bit by a strange dog?

As for the "rude" staff, I've always found them friendly. They are committed to enforcing the clearly posted rules, ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all visitors. And honestly, as someone who has worked in customer service, they must be saints if they didn't fall on the floor laughing at having to explain that a dog is not in fact a baby. If this dedication comes across as flippant, perhaps the real issue isn't the staff.

The museum itself is a gem in our community. It features a restored caboose from the Visalia Electric Railroad, an Agriculture Museum, which highlights all the different cultures that have made Tulare County. The museum offers school tours and hosts free events during the winter and spring seasons. It's well-maintained and absolutely worth your time.

And best of all, it's mercifully protected from people who think rules don't apply to them or their accessory dog. If you want to rewrite public policy because it's hot and you brought your pug, maybe just stay home with AC, crushed ice, and a...

We had a couple of hours to spare and thought we would visit Mooney Grove Park. The park was ok but the museum is a real hidden gem. The Tulare County Museum in Mooney Grove Park in Visalia has a fantastic mixture of very interesting exhibits from the history of the local area. The museum has everything from Indian woven baskets, through agricultural machinery, toys, historical clothing, a stunning fire alarm central station indicator board, typewriters from the 1930s, equipment from a dentists surgery etc etc. There are even historical buildings which have been relocated to the museum grounds including a school house with a cabinet full of old classic literature books, an old log cabin, newspaper print office etc etc. There was no entrance fee for visiting this wonderful site and only donations are suggested. However, this place can obviously only be maintained and improved with more income so I suggest that everyone visits and makes a big donation to keep this fantastic historical resource open for future generations. Don't just drive past Visalia on your way to the local National Parks etc., instead visit this museum and spend a few hours enjoying a...

I loved coming here as a kid! Learning about our towns history is a tremendous thing all kids in our town should be learning about. Why not take them here when you get some free time to actually go out and enjoy the park! Monday is a great time to go cause the park doesn't charge you to come in and of course the museum is free "although they ask if you'd like to make a donation." You'd kinda seem like a d$"k if you don't because the staff is sitting right there lol. But I know alot of people in this town could care less about being like that towards other people lol. The one thing my wife had a comment about was why their wasn't any upkeep on some of the items in and out of the museum. People wanna come and see old artifacts but just because they're old don't mean they need to get that dirty. I loved just taking it all in and being able to see what this town was like back then. Will always come back to enjoy...