Smaller Facilities Exude Warmth and Intimacy

All museums are alike in one way. They collect, preserve and display their collections, hoping to beguile and instruct visitors as they lead their imagination down new paths. Each museum, however, is different. They’ve chosen different areas of emphasis and different ways of displaying their wares.

The following are small museums. They possess a warmth and intimacy that is often lacking in the larger establishments. They are seldom crowded and, usually, there are enthusiastic volunteers to answer your questions. Each offers the visitor an experience that is unobtainable elsewhere.

Whittier Museum, 6755 S. Newlin Ave., Whittier, (213) 945-3871. A visit here is a delightful surprise. As you enter you suddenly find yourself on the main street of a small town during the early days of the century. A “Feed and Fuel” sign is to your left, and the brightly painted Whittier Register newspaper is located just down the way.

The door to the Queen Anne cottage is open, and you can walk right in to admire the old harmonium and oak Hoosier kitchen cabinet. Children enjoy the cozy barn with its tools and saddles. There’s also a handsome rooster, a fine testimonial to the art of taxidermy. While alive, this rooster was a longtime Whittier resident.

Glass cases hold a wealth of Whittier memorabilia, and you’ll see the desk former President Nixon used in his first law office, also the wooden shaving case President Lincoln used while traveling. Open Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $1 for adults, 50 cents for seniors and 25 cents for those under 18. Free parking lot.

Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 E. De la Guerra St. Santa Barbara, (805) 966-1601. A classic gas lamp stands just outside the museum’s entrance. Inside are treasures from the past to tell the story of Santa Barbara’s colorful history. There are documents, paintings, showy costumes and mementos from four eras: Indian, Spanish, Mexican and American. The courtyard of the museum is surely one of the most beautiful in the city. Free guided tours on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (The Research Library is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Free admission and parking.

Los Angeles Maritime Museum, foot of 6th Street, Berth 84, San Pedro, (213) 548-7618. Housed in what was formerly the Municipal Ferry Building, this unusual museum is crammed with nautical artifacts. The number of models of ships, including Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet,” is staggering. There’s an exact replica of the Titanic. It’s 18 feet long and features the only known cutaway view of the ship.

Try your hand at the knot board. Samples of the Gordian monkey fist and Portuguese sennit are displayed, along with rope for duplicating them, but it’s not easy. There are many fine examples of scrimshaw, also ships in bottles and an authentic Thai fishing boat. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations accepted. Free street parking. Wheelchair accessible.

Riverside Municipal Museum, 3720 Orange St., Riverside, (714) 782-5273. Riverside believes in recycling historic buildings. This was once the Riverside Post Office. Built in 1912, it’s a splendid edifice. The museum maintains collections in local history, natural history and anthropology. Exhibits depict the city’s rich heritage from the DeAnza expeditions of 1774-76 into the 20th Century.

This is a good museum for children. They cluster around the mounted specimens, such as a barn owl with babies, a skunk and a squirrel. Low to the floor in a glass case, visible to even the youngest visitor, is the skeleton of a fierce saber-toothed cat. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Free admission and parking.

Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, (818) 449-2742. Grace Nicholson, a distinguished Pasadena collector and art dealer, built this magnificent Chinese palace during the 1920s. Everything is exquisite, whether it be porcelain, jade or lacquer.

The central courtyard is lovely with flowers, weathered sculptures and exceedingly friendly koi. The Students Gallery is especially appealing to children, and there are four outstanding gift shops. Open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1.50 for students and seniors, free for children under 12 and museum members. Lot parking $2.

Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum, 3596 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez, (805) 688-7889. There’s a personal feeling here, because all of the exhibits have been donated by valley residents and the docents, who obviously, enjoy their work.

The museum is divided into specialty rooms. Learn about branding irons and barbed wire in the West Room. Admire turn-of-the-century fans, beaded bags and wedding gowns in the Jeannette Lyons Room. Kids will revel in the Valley Room, where two models of the Ballard one-room school, antique toys and stereopticons with many slides are waiting. The Indian Room features rare Chumash baskets. The Pioneer Room shows the interior of a turn-of-the-century homestead. And in the Farm Machinery Annex you’ll see old tractors and other farming equipment, including a walnut hauler.

The Carriage House is well stocked with more than 30 carriages, wagons and carts. (One of the stagecoaches was held up a number of times.) Everybody’s favorite, however, is the captivating animated village complete with gas station, barber shop, Chinese laundry and church. Press the button and everything comes alive. The barber shaves a customer, a lady fans herself, and a squirrel runs out of a log when a man hits the log with an ax.

The museum is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. The Parks-Janeway Carriage House is open Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Free admission and parking.

The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society also runs the Elverhoy Museum, 1624 Elverhoy Way in nearby Solvang, (805) 686-1211. Open about a year, this museum includes an art gallery and items from the early Danish history of Solvang. Open Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

International Museum of Graphic Communication, 8469 Kass Drive, Buena Park, (714) 523-2080. George Bernard Shaw once wrote: “Well-printed books are just as scarce as well-written onces,” but you’ll see many of them at this new museum. Five centuries of printing growth are chronicled.

Most of these antique machines work. Watch your own souvenir being printed on the Washington hand-lever press; it will be handed to you with the ink still damp. Almost 1,000 different items that are related to printing are displayed, and there’s a realistic replica of a turn-of-the-century printing office, complete with roll-top desk and shallow cases for type. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, $2 for children 12 and under. Free parking.

Anaheim Museum, 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 778-3301. This building was designed by John C. Austin, the architect who was also responsible for the Los Angeles City Hall, Griffith Observatory and Shrine Auditorium. It is the last surviving Carnegie Library in Orange County.

The museum is devoted to exploring, exhibiting and explaining the history of Anaheim, the county’s largest and oldest city. All kinds of paraphernalia from the citrus industry are featured, such as pickers’ bags, a smudge pot and papers used for wrapping the exotic fruit. Agricultural Anaheim was changed forever when the Magic Kingdom opened in 1955. A model of Disneyland commemorates that momentous event. Open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays and holiday weekends. Free admission and parking.

Hollywood Bowl Museum, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 850-2058. Start your visit by viewing the 20-minute video that depicts the Bowl’s 70-year history. Memorable performances range from “Carmen” to the Beatles. A new major exhibit, “Rhythms and Roots: Five Musical Families,” spotlights five families of varying ethnic backgrounds. Each family has a fascinating history and a wide range of musical styles, including folk, popular, ritual, sacred and secular. There are more than 70 authentic items, such as Vietnamese opera costumes and Indian beadwork. Afterward, sample the music in one of the listening rooms. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30-4:30. Free admission. Free parking when no concert is scheduled.

El Monte Historical Society Museum, 3150 N. Tyler Ave., El Monte, (818) 444-3813. El Monte was once the end of the Santa Fe Trail, and this museum is lavishly stocked with the treasures of these early settlers. Stylish bonnets are on display at the hat shop, and the dress shop is supplied with chic costumes from 1870 to 1890.

There’s even a general store featuring everything from cigars (made in El Monte) to calico. A visit to this eclectic museum with its countless intriguing artifacts is a journey into the past. Open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations welcome. Free parking.