We came to Bakersfield over Memorial Day weekend and spent 4 days in town. A year earlier, in the spring of 2023, we went to Nashville to listen to some country music, and this year, we wanted to learn more about the Bakersfield Sound. While Bakersfield doesn’t compare to Nashville when it comes to the music scene, we still enjoyed our visit. Here are my recommendations for 6 fun things to do in and around Bakersfield, California
6 Fun things to do in and around Bakersfield
Explore downtown Bakersfield
We stayed at an Airbnb a few blocks away from the city center in a pleasant, well-established neighborhood. We enjoyed taking a walk each morning, grabbing a coffee and exploring the streets of downtown Bakersfield. There are several theaters advertising shows and concerts on a regular basis. There are also many restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and city and county buildings around downtown.
Visit Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace
Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace is definitely worth a visit. You can see the exhibits, eat dinner, and listen to some country music all at the same time. There are several statues of country music stars such as Buck Owen, Meryl Haggard, and Johnny Cash. The bar features a white Cadillac and There are also lots of pictures, outfits and other memorabilia belonging to Buck Owen . Make sure to make a reservation especially on the weekend as the place fills in. There is no cover charge if you spend more than$ 15 per person on food, which is not hard to do. It was fun to listen to music and see so many people dancing. We even joined in for a few songs.
Explore Kern County Museum
We went to the museum hoping to learn more about the Dust Bowl migration to Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley as well as country music. However, there weren’t too many exhibits on those topics with the exception of Merle Haggard’s childhood house. Instead, we learned a bit more about the agriculture and the oil production in the region. There is also a nice replica of what Bakersfield community looks like with many original buildings dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Listen to country music in a honky tonk
One of the fun things to do in Bakersfield is to listen to some country music. There are several bars that have live music regularly, so make sure to go in and enjoy the bands.
Drive to Cezar Chávez National Monument
I highly recommend visiting Cezar Chavez National Monument. In fact, it was one of the more educational and fun things to do in and around Bakersfield. The monument is located 30 miles southeast of Bakersfield, which makes for an easy outing. The monument was created by President Obama in 2012, so it’s one of the more recent addition to the National Park System. It commemorates the life and work of Cezar Chavez and the farm workers movement. The museum is very informative. You’ll learn a lot about the plight of farm workers and their struggle to unionize and improve their living conditions. The memorial garden where Chavez is buried is absolutely lovely.
Visit a fruit tree farm
I love local fruit and San Joaquin Valley is where so much of the fruit we eat grows. So, not surprisingly, I wanted to visit a local farm and sample some of the great fruit grown around Bakersfield. We visited Murray Family Farms, bought some amazing oranges, and dates, and tasted many other samples available in the store.
Visit Carrizo Plain National Monument
About 70 miles to the west of Bakersfield is another national monument I recommend visiting. Carizzo Plain National Monument is a grassland area with white alkaline wetlands, and the San Andreas Fault running through it. We enjoyed exploring the area by the visitor center, looking at Soda Lake, and most of all hiking along the San Andreas Fault. It’s a remote park, so it doesn’t get a lot of visitors. You can enjoy it without the crowds.
Hike among sequoias
Closer to Fresno than Bakersfield but still only 2 hours away is the amazing Sequoia National Park. If you’ve never seen the trees, you absolutely should! They are the largest trees on earth and it’s an amazing feeling to be standing next to them. There are many wonderful hikes in the park but even if you just drive though and make a few quick stops, you’ll be in awe. You can read about my visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon here.
