Page 96 - 2024-2025 Travel Guide to California

BAKERSFIELD
At the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, you’ll find country music roots,
Basque culture, and the freshest farm produce
B Y L E N O R E G R E I N E R
BASQUES,
BREWS &
BUCKAROOS!
Visit Bakersfield
VisitBakersfield.com
BUCK OWENS’ CRYSTAL PALACE, above; Buena
Vista Museum of Natural History and Science,
below.
Only four hours from 90 percent of
California’s population, Bakersfield is
easy to visit, just east of Interstate 5
and at the crossroads of Highways 99 and 58.
The Bakersfield Sound
A twangy mix of guitars, drums, fiddle and
steel guitar, the Bakersfield Sound took
Nashville by storm in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Pioneered by Buck Owens and Merle Hag-
gard, this country music’s roots came from
the Okies’ migration to California in the 30s
and 40s as the children of those itinerant
dirt farmers influenced this genre. For a
deep dive, visit Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace,
a restaurant, museum and music venue
where today’s biggest country stars make a
stop during tours.
Basque Culture
Home to the largest Basque population out-
side the Pyrenees, local Basques directly
descend from Basque Country immigrants
who arrived during California’s Gold Rush
and then settled on Central Valley ranches
for shepherding.
With the largest collection of Basque
restaurants in the U.S., do not miss a Basque
meal experience—a multi-course feast
served family-style at long trestle tables.
You’ll start with the ‘set-up’: generous
portions of bread, soup, beans, salsa,
pickled tongue, vegetables, French fries and
spaghetti, followed by hearty entrées of
lamb, chicken or seafood. This spread is
downed with Picon punch, a potent blend
of brandy, maraschino syrup and liqueur.
Three Trails
On the Bakersfield Museum Trail, visit the
Bakersfield Museum of Art, Buena Vista
Museum of Natural History and Science,
California Living Museum and Kern County
Museum. Explore a turn-of-the-20th-century
16-acre village, the world’s largest collection
of Sharktooth Hill Miocene fossils and
scores of endangered animals and plants.
Along the Bakersfield Kern County
Brewery Trail, sample a curated collection
of several breweries and local brews on tap.
For vinifera flavors, explore the new Bakers-
field Kern County Wine Trail and get ready
to visit tasting rooms and wine bars from
award-winning wineries. Get your mobile
passport at VisitBakersfield.com.
In the world’s largest agricultural-
producing region, you can hand-pick incred-
ibly fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’
markets or at Murray Family Farms.
Come for the culture, stay for the fun!
Bakersfield, where you’ll find Basque, brews
and buckaroos!
94 2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
BUCK OWENS PRIVATE FOUNDATION; VISIT BAKERSFIELD