1800s

Sign reading "The Skeleton Key Odditorium"

The Skeleton Key Odditorium is Keeping Portland Weird

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Portland’s unofficial motto is “Keep Portland Weird” something stolen from Austin, Texas. And Portland certainly marches to the beat of its own drum. One place that is helping keep Portland weird is the Skeleton Key Odditorium, a 2,500 square foot museum filled with oddities, spooky treasures, and best of all, a spirit board collection. Visitors pass…

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Exterior of the Sacramento History Museum, a two story brick structure in a simple style.

Unearthing Early California History at the Sacramento History Museum

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Old Town Sacramento offers visitors a look into how California developed from a rough and tumble western town into the bustling capitol it is today. At one end of Old Town visitors can find the Sacramento History Museum. Inside is a range of artifacts from the area, along with the viral printing press area that…

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Railtown 1897: Hollywood’s Favorite Railroad Nestled in the Sierras

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Last month Patrick and I ventured back to our home state of Oregon for his sister’s wedding. We decided to drive, taking some of California’s lovely backroads through gold country, and stopped at Railtown 1897, a wonderful rail museum nestled in Jamestown. While central and northern California are well known for their gold, the area…

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Straight on view of the Victorian, a large, three story Victorian style building, painted a pale green with white trim, with bay windows and turrets on each side, a large square bay window above the door, and a small cupola at the top in the middle.

Risen From the Dead: The Victorian Mansion Frankenstein’ed from Bunker Hill Homes and a Catholic Poor House

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The other day Patrick and I were driving in an area of the Valley we don’t often find ourselves in, and we stumbled upon the most bizarre Victorian monstrosity. A quick turn around and we stood beneath a towering building simply dubbed The Victorian. My brain was boggled, because while elements certainly seemed genuine from…

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Myself, wearing a blue western wear shirt, cream cowboy hat with blue stars, leaning against a barrel bar.

A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

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Back in 2021 Patrick and I made our first visit to the Kern County Museum, an outstanding museum with over 50 buildings across 16 acres in Bakersfield. Our visit was amid COVID restrictions, and meant that few of the buildings were open, and between then and now, it has opened a Bakersfield Sound exhibit and…

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A mannequin family sits at a card table playing Monopoly. A stone fireplace is on the back wall, which is painted pink.

Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

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While Las Vegas may be the literal bright spot that everyone flocks to when visit Nevada, just a few miles to the southeast is something anyone who loves Nevada should visit, the Clark County Museum. The museum sprawls over 30 acres, and features relocated buildings, train cars, antique farm equipment, and more. The adobe-like building…

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The Long Room, pale green walls with tall windows, and a long dark wood table with spindly chairs. Various plates, cups, and bottles scatter the top of the table.

Fraunces Tavern: The Historic Restaurant Where George Washington Dined

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Patrick and I recently spent a week in New York City, and the number one place friends recommended to us was Fraunces Tavern, located at the southern tip of Manhattan. It is here that George Washington, among many others instrumental to the American Revolution not only dined, but made critical decisions to our young nation. What…

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