Billing itself as the best-preserved ghost town in California and perhaps the United States, Bodie thrived with 10,000 gold seekers in 1880. Today, you'll find everything from bank vault ruins to well-preserved houses rising from the surrounding plains. Many of the structures have been restored with interior fittings to show what life was like back in the Old West. You won't be able to enter any buildings but you can peek through the windows of a saloon, general store and hotel, among others.
Los Angeles once boasted the best public transportation system in the United States when it hosted the big red trolley cars of the Pacific Electric. Working remnants of this system still grace the tracks of the museum, which also features trams from around the world as well as steam and diesel engines. Though some of the trains run on the weekends, the best time to visit is during a major holiday weekend like Memorial Day, when several examples from the collection run continuously.
Orange Empire Railway Museum
2201 S. "A" St.
Perris, California 92570
(951) 657-2605
www.oerm.org
Hidden in the middle of the Santa Ana Arts District, this jewel box of a museum presents artifacts from the world of theater like posters, drawings and stage curtains. Its star attractions, however, are the miniature sets, some designed by founder Joseph Musil, and others dating back from the Victorian era as children's toys. Special presentations and shows happen once a month.
American Museum of Theatrical Design
207 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, California 92701
(714) 667-6959
cinemasightlines.com/showmanship_theatremuseum.php
If you really want to get away from the urban bustle of Southern California, you can ride an authorized boat to one of the five isles of the Channel Islands National Park. You'll encounter California as it once was, totally devoid of civilization. The isolation from the mainland has produced plant and animal species found nowhere else, such as the cat-sized island fox. You'll need a fair bit of planning to experience these environmental preserves but you can start at the easily accessible visitor centers, which are located in Ventura and Santa Barbara.
From early March through early May, the Flower Fields at Carlsbad are ablaze with the reds, pinks, oranges and yellows of the ranunculus flowers spread across 50 acres. If the beautiful patterns don't strike your fancy, visit the miniature rose garden, a poinsettia display and a sluice mine. You can buy flower samples from the nursery but if you want to take them across state lines, check your state government to see if that's allowed.
Flower Fields
5704 Paseo del Norte
Carlsbad, California 92008
(760) 431-0352
www.theflowerfields.com
