Pippi L.
Yelp
Yeah, this is a great Northern California museum. I am shocked Sacramento doesn't have a counterpart to compete, but there you are. A reason to visit Stockton if you never thought to do it before!
Mummy. Neat "nature art". A room of art that features catholicism and muslim muses. The best: the reconstructed "town" of Stockton on the basement floor. This is awesome. There's a Chinese herbalist, a western apothecary, a school house, a barbershop, a general store, a saloon...there are some reconstructed rooms from a genteel Victorian farmhouse in Linden, CA (complete with the creepy and uncomfortable Victorian furniture) and a really nice Native American section that actually covers tribes all over the US, but has a nice interspersed focus on the California tribes.
The art collection is really strong; both local and international names, and some famous folks like Renoir, Rodin and Gaugin are all featured 123--punch~! in the main room.
It's like families from Stockton nearby just handed over family heirlooms they didn't want to cart around, so there is a beautiful case full of Art Pottery from early 1900s. There are buggies. There are Holt Caterpillar tractors (and it walks you through their evolution).
One of the best things are the docents, and especially the ones down in the basement in the gift store, which is jampacked with great kids gifts. Really great books, old paperdoll kits, and really great little knick knacks for the parentals.
FYI, Huell is covering it on Road Trip with Huell Howser tonight!
Also, every 1st Saturday is free admission, regular admission is only $5 (a steal!) and the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month are late dates; in otherwords, the Museum is open on those Thursdays until 9 PM. Great news for folks who want to zip over there after work!