Gilman Ranch Museum

While I enjoy the history of Gilman Ranch, I was sorely disappointed in the Earth Day Blues Festival on April 22, 2023. I expected a beautiful day in the sun (80 degrees that day) with people sitting outside, maybe some booths and great music as my previous experiences elsewhere. What I got was not being able to park in a handicapped spot because they allowed everyone to park in that area, including the Taco Truck which took up the specified handicapped spots. Then we entered a hangar type building with hard wooden seats, no beautiful breeze, no sun, just cold concrete. Unfortunately it was so uncomfortable we weren't able to stay for the music. I also would warn that if anyone attempts to contact [email protected], you'll never get a response. I would hope with their recent 6 million grant they take handicapped people into consideration a bit more, maybe to include better seating, and to make sure the grounds are safe to walk around on without the holes that you find. I will always go back to Gilman because it is rich in history, but I'll pass on the festivals.

This little gem has been here for years and we had the pleasure of packing a picnic and checking it out today. At only $2 per adult and $1 per child it is definately in the right price range. A county park ranger showed us the grounds and went into quite a bit of detail on all of the blacksmith and ranch tools. A volunteer then took us around the inside of the house and told us all about the Gilman family and how life was "back in those days"The wagon museum and shop was closed for renovations at the time of our visit, but I believe they said it would be open again in just another month or so. Lots of shade, tables, and green grass for picnicers. So if the day doesn't look like a hot one I would definately head over here and enjoy some history.