History Center and Museum of San Luis Obispo County

History Center and Museum of San Luis Obispo County

History Center and Museum of San Luis Obispo County
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located in the former Carnegie Library, this museum traces the history of San Luis Obispo County from the era of the Chumash and Salinan Indians to present day.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
72 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
34
Average
10
Poor
1
Terrible
1

Jim B
Grapeview, WA1,377 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
The best part of this museum is the beautiful old Carnegie Library it is housed in. There are a few interesting exhibits inside, and it is free, so it is worth a visit.

My favorite was a large panorama photo of San Luis Obispo with many recognizable buildings that are still in existence.
Written 16 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SharonSdG
Los Angeles, CA47 contributions
Jul 2022
What a lucky find! We were walking past and decided to stop in, and what a gem of a museum! The docent who greeted us was friendly and informative, and there were several interesting displays that were very educational about the SLO area. We will definitely return!
Written 28 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

micchio
Sacramento, CA275 contributions
Dec 2021
We've been to a lot of local history museums, and unfortunately this one was one of the weakest. Very few exhibits, none on Cal Poly or the Mission. OK as a quick pop-in along with SLOMA and Mission.
Written 4 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

traveldan21
Culver City, CA729 contributions
Jul 2021
Popped in for a quick visit. Lots of interesting photographs and info on SLO history. Had a nice chat with the docent who was there on his first day!
Written 6 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Waterloonie
Santa Barbara, CA1,604 contributions
Feb 2020
The pretty venue is the former "Free Library" from the early 20th century. It's worth a half hour visit to learn a bit about local history.
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wagmel
USA77 contributions
Feb 2020
The building is small, but the exhibits are interesting. If one is not from the area, the exhibits give a good overview of the history of the area. The docent on duty when we were there was particularly lively and interesting, and we spent most of our time there talking to her. She was very knowledgeable about the Carnegie libraries around the country as well as the history of San Luis Obispo.
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CADreamers28
San Diego, CA153 contributions
Jan 2020
It's a pretty small library building that was part of the Carnegie endowment, but it contains some very interesting artifacts and local historical information. If you're not from the central coast area you will probably enjoy the short video on the history of the area, including the original inhabitants. To me, the history of the native people is extremely interesting and they have done a reasonable job of representing the Chumash culture, as well as Californio culture.
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cynthia C
135 contributions
Sep 2019 • Solo
Just a step away from Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Beautiful architecture and friendly staff.
You can watch video about the history
Written 17 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Droopydrawrs52
Peterborough, UK1,603 contributions
Sep 2019 • Couples
Last time we came here 8 years ago this was closed and we were thrilled it was open today

I learnt so very much from the exhibition but also the movie

It helped us understand the history very well
Written 6 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KCJ44
california384 contributions
Jul 2019
My husband and I stopped here while visiting San Luis Obispo. It is in a building that was once a Free Library that Andrew Carnegie donated money towards. We were a little disappointed that there wasn't much history to read about. There were 3 rooms but one room was under construction (putting in a new exhibit) and the other 2 had a little information. There is a Resource Room downstairs that is free to use. They had videos you could watch about the history of San Luis Obispo, a room with a little information about the free library.
Written 16 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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