Museums Science California
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Sacramento Children's Museum
Rancho Cordova, California

Children's, Science, Specialized

We are a non-profit children's museum with all hands-on exhibits for children 0-8 years old. Our goal is to create a community that values and instills in children independence, confidence, and the love for learning in a hands-on environment where childhood is respected, nurtured, and celebrated. We want to help children understand and enjoy the world around them in which they live.

San Bernardino County Victor Valley Museum
Apple Valley, California

Anthropology, Archaeology, Children's, Culture, History, Historical Society, Natural History, Nature Centers, Science

The Victor Valley Museum is a branch of the San Bernardino County Museum and maintains and develops unique cultural and natural science collections related to the High Desert.

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
Escondido, California

Art, Children's, History, Science

The mission of the San Diego Children's Discovery Museum is to inspire children to learn about our world through exploration, imagination, and experimentation.

San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Newark, California

Science

San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newark, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
Santa Monica, California

Aquarium, Science, Specialized

The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium offers school groups, families and visitors a unique view into the ocean world just outside its doors and is home to dozens of species of marine animals and plants. Aquaria exhibits include interactive displays, touch tanks filled with animals found in tide pools and several large habitat tanks featuring animals and habitats found in the Santa Monica Bay.

Sea Glass Gallery & Museum
Fort Bragg, California

History, Nature Centers, Science

Capt. Cass' sea glass collection, numbering about 150,000 pieces and still growing, is probably the world's most extensive collection and the sea glass museum displays his finest pieces, including rare stoppers, handle pieces, rounds and marbles.

Sierra County Historical Society
Sierra City, California

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Natural History, Park, Science, Specialized

Today, the stamp mills are silent except two times each day when the Kentucky Mine stamp mill is once again brought to life to give folks on the twice daily tours of the mine and stamp mill a close up encounter with an operating stamp mill. Tour members are cautioned to cover their ears if sudden loud noises bother them because when the stamp drops, nearly everyone jumps! This is a chance to see and hear the sounds of a working gold mine is just the dramatic ending of the hour-plus tour that takes visitors through the incredible day-to-day experience of hard rock mining in the Sierra City mining region during the later part of the 19th century.

Stockton Historical Maritime Museum
Stockton, California

History, Military, Science, Specialized

The Stockton Historical Maritime Museum is established to preserve the rich history of the maritime industry of Stockton, California which began in the 19th century. This industry started with freight shipping and passenger transportation from the San Francisco Bay to a departure point into the Gold Rush county of the Mother Lode. Stockton prospered providing a maritime way point for points south, east and north.

Salk Institute
La Jolla, California

Science

Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

San Diego Air and Space Musuem
San Diego, California

General, History, Library, Military, Science, Specialized

The San Diego Aerospace Museum was the first aviation museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums and is considered one of the top five aviation and space museums in the nation.
Its mission - celebrate, educate, and inspire - guides the Museum in its goal to encourage involvement in aerospace by discovering the history of achievements in this field. The Museum's 100+ aircraft and spacecraft, thousands of artifacts, world-class archives, and nationaly-acclaimed education programs

San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Milpitas, California

Science

San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory in Alviso, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

Santa Monica Museum - Wonders of the World
Santa Monica, California

Natural History, Science

Interactive Science Museum & Gift Center. Free walk in experience where you can hold real dinosaur fossils, space rocks, and gems from around the world. We are located near the beach in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade. Available by afternoon arrangements to visit and experience. Call or text 213-300-2500 to schedule an appointment.

Sea Center
Santa Barbara, California

Science

Sea Center in Santa Barbara, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Santa Cruz, California

Aquarium, Science, University

In 2000, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center opened at UC Santa Cruz's Long Marine Lab, providing a permanent home for expanding science education programs. Unlike the polished look of most museums and aquariums, the Seymour Center portrays the labs where scientists spend their days. Exhibits highlight Monterey Bay and help visitors understand the types of questions scientists ask, and show why research is important in understanding and protecting the world's oceans. Our unique location at a university marine laboratory enables us to work closely with the scientists, bringing their work directly to our visitors.

The Seymour Center houses exhibit halls, aquarium, teaching labs, conference hall, and spectacular views of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

STAR ECO Station
Culver City, California

Anthropology, Archaeology, Botanical Garden, Culture, History, Library, Nature Centers, Park, Science, Specialized

An Environmental Science Museum and Exotic Wildlife Rescue Facility.

Stout Paleontology Laboratory
Borrego Springs, California

Science

Stout Paleontology Laboratory in Borrego Springs, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

Wednesday, February 5 - Friday, February 7, 2025

Ina Dillard Russell Library Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Hosted by: Georgia Association of Museums

The Whole Story Is The Meanin

“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Pros

Join us in Milledgeville, Georgia, for the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference as we explore the profound wisdom of Milledgeville author Flannery O'Connor’s words. In a world where narratives intersect and perspectives diverge, this theme invites proposals that delve into the essence of storytelling within museums and cultural institutions. Our work in the museum field requires us to look at stories from as many angles and perspectives as possible so that we might do our best to tell the “whole story.

Through thought-provoking discussions, interactive workshops, and engaging presentations, we will uncover the layers of meaning embedded within every artifact, exhibition, and historical account. Just as O’Connor masterfully crafted narratives that resonate with universal truths, museums hold the power to illuminate the whole story behind many objects, artworks, and cultural phenomena

We will examine how museums can embrace inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in their storytelling practices. By acknowledging multiple perspectives and amplifying marginalized voices, we can enrich our understanding of the past and present, fostering empathy and connection within our communities.

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email programs@calmuseums.org.

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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