Bakersfield Tourist Information and Tourism

(Bakersfield, California - CA, USA)



Lying in southern California, next to the San Joaquin Valley and some two hours south of Los Angeles is the fairly sizeable Californian city of Bakersfield. The tourism scene here is fairly slow when compared to the bright and rather exciting lights of downtown LA, but that certainly doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of tourist attractions on offer for those planning a holiday in Bakersfield.

Since this area is within relatively close proximity to America's movie-making capital of Hollywood and manages to boast some spectacular surrounding countryside scenery, this attractive spot has been used as a filming location for a huge number of movies and television programs over the years. Rolling hills, tall mountains, grass meadows and even some sandy areas of desert can all be found within reach of Bakersfield, and some visitors even come with the sole intention of seeing these past film sets in real life, trying to find the exact scenery used in one of their favourite films.

When you first arrive in the city, you may like to pay a visit to the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which is the official source of tourist information and is to be found on Truxtun Avenue, close to the Beale Memorial Library and the Amtrak station. Just down the road from the Bakersfield tourist information office is the Rabobank Arena, which was built in the late 1990s at the cost of almost US$40 million and can seat more than 10,000 spectators.





Bakersfield Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights

For those looking for something to do during a weekend in Bakersfield, the city's very own speedway offers up an exciting Saturday night out, with motor racing around its renowned banked oval track. Evening entertainment is on offer at the very stylish Fox Theater, which features a distinctive Art Deco facade, complete with a clock tower. Also popular for a night out is the Buck Owens Crystal Palace, while the nearby Beach Park and Yokuts Park both have enviable waterside locations next to the Kern River.

Visiting families with children may enjoy checking out the rescued animals living at the California Living Museum zoological gardens, or perhaps taking a picnic to the recently revamped Central Park at Mill Creek, where a stream, covered bridge, playground area, lake with fountains and plentiful ducks, and regular farmers' markets (Tuesdays during the summer months) are the principal draws. There are also lots of recreational opportunities in the form of spreading parks and rough terrain dedicated to off-road vehicles. More information about Bakersfield Tourist Attractions.

The oldest, most important and most recognisable sights within the boundaries of Bakersfield are certainly varied, ranging from historic buildings to war memorials. On the campus of the California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) are a series of important architectural statements and functional buildings, including both the Dore Theater and the Walter W. Stiern Library.

Within the East Bakersfield district are numerous Art Deco and Mission Revival style buildings, although the devastating 1952 Kern County Earthquake did manage to destroy a number of notable buildings around downtown Bakersfield, which have since been replaced with more contemporary versions of their former incarnations. If you are a photographer in town, then do pay a visit to the imposing Beale Memorial Clock Tower, on the boundaries of the Sam Lynn Ball Park. The clock tower was one of those structures to be badly damaged by the earthquake, although it was relocated and rebuilt the following decade and remains a significant, much-photographed landmark in the city, particularly when the Californian sun is shining and the sky is a cloud-free blue. More information about Bakersfield Landmarks and Monuments.

Bakersfield has four principal museums of note, which together provide a broad spectrum of historical information, factual information, art appreciation and family fun. Located alongside the famous Beale Memorial Clock Tower is the Kern County Museum, which was founded in the early 1940s and comprises a rather unexpected 'Pioneer Village', where more than 50 historic buildings recreate life towards the end of the 19th century. Other exhibits concentrate on the oil industry of Kern Country (Black Gold), where you can dive under the sea in a simulation and learn all about the creation of oil. Situated within the grounds is the Lori Brock Children's Discovery Center, which opened here in the 1970s and provides hands-on enjoyment for all ages. Families will also enjoy spending time at the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History, within the city's Arts district, admiring the wealth of Miocene fossils collected from nearby Shark Tooth Hill and the stuffed African animals. At Mill Creek, the Bakersfield Museum of Art features four connected galleries and a very noteworthy collection of paintings, predominantly by Californian artists. More information about Bakersfield Museums.

If you are a tourist on vacation in Bakersfield, then it is likely that you have either driven here in your own car, or chosen to hire a car when you flew into the city's very own Meadows Field Airport. That being the case, it is well worth planning some day trips, using Bakersfield as a convenient base to reach nearby Californian destinations and attractions such as the Alta Sierra-Shirley Meadows, Lake Isabella and the small town of Wasco, where a yearly springtime Rose Festival is a huge draw. Other popular possible excursions include the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, the Kern River County Park and the famed Sequoia National Park, home to some of the biggest trees growing on the planet. More information about Bakersfield Attractions Nearby.

More Bakersfield Information / Fast Facts and Orientation