About the San Bernardino County Museum
The San Bernardino County Museum was founded in 1952 by the San Bernardino County Museum Foundation, opened to the public in 1957, and was donated to San Bernardino County in 1961. In 1974 the museum moved from its original home in Bloomington to its present building at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands, a milestone it marked in 2024 with the exhibit "Holding History: 50 Years in Redlands." Today it operates as part of the county's Recreation and Culture programs, alongside the regional parks and county library system, serving the more than two million residents of America's largest county by area.
A Regional Museum Network
Beyond the Redlands museum, the institution oversees six additional branch and historic sites across the county: the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, the María Merced Williams and John Rains House in Rancho Cucamonga, the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery in Colton, the Oro Grande Cemetery in Oro Grande, and the Yorba and Slaughter Families Adobe and Yucaipa Adobe. The main museum also serves as an active curation facility, preserving collections that document the region's cultural and natural heritage.
Exhibits interpret the history, anthropology, and natural science of the Inland Empire and the deserts and mountains beyond, with rotating shows such as "Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs" and contemporary installations like "Evidence of Us." The museum sits on the ancestral lands of the Maara'yam, commonly known as the Serrano people, whose deep connection to the region it acknowledges in its interpretation. Educational programs and curator-led content serve students, families, and researchers from across Southern California.
Planning Your Visit
The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands and is generally open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For current hours, admission, exhibits, and branch-site information, please visit the official website at museum.sbcounty.gov.
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