The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

What a strange place. A few mediocre exhibits in a run down funky smelling room. Two workers on the phone to someone completely ignored us. We stayed 10 minutes and left. Glad we didn’t have to pay an entrance fee!

In its new location since 12/2021 it is one mainly empty room. A couple of exhibits of one sign about some old residents. All the stuff from the prior location is gone. A couple of outside displays of a masonry Canoga Park house which collapsed in the earthquake and 2 metal dinosaur sculptures. If you wants to see a museum of the SFV go to the Valley Relics Museum.

Getting here is a challenge. The main entrance on Nordoff is closed. A tiny entrance on Wilbur was only partially open so I parked at the North Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce just to the south and took the path north to the museum building.

Definitely a hidden gem in the west valley! The small museum has a lot of potential. The volunteers are full of knowledge that they are eager to share with visitors. If you live in the San Fernando Valley, go and visit this small piece of history. Their hours are limited. It's free, but please leave a donation as they only run on donations. Plenty of parking is available.

It's been 2 years and they are still having really loud free but awful music concerts regularly.
Worst and noisiest place to have in the neighborhood. Now everyone else also thinks it's ok to play really really loud music 3 or 4 days of the week from 4 or 5 PM or earlier to 12 or 1 am.

Valley Glen and the San Fernando Valley area have long and interesting histories that you can learn about at the Museum of the San Fernando Valley.

Since 2005, the museum has been acquiring, preserving and displaying items of historical significance to the area for residents and visitors alike to enjoy. In the on-site exhibits, you’ll see many fascinating artefacts, documents and artworks.

Some of the past exhibits have included sculptor Henry Wolf, The Hollywood Shorties and WWII History.

Museum tours and historic walking tours are offered by the museum and a number of events, including lectures and presentations, that take place throughout the year.

An easy to get to Museum filled with This and Now photos of the Valley and special exhibits. There is plenty of parking and it has a nice quaint feel to it. Never crowded. The volunteers make you feel welcome and are very knowledgeable about the Valley. Karen one of the directors is very friendly and accomodating. It is free and keeps operating with donations so please continue you support to keep this unique and special part of history in California alive.

The first thing you should know about The Museum of The San Fernando Valley is that hey are only open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 1-5pm. The second thing you should know about The Museum of The San Fernando Valley is that there is nearly zero signage from the street. Trust the address and park anywhere in the (free) lot. There is only very missable sign that can only be seen if you catch it as you’re drink bing in the driveway. As you enter the commercial building filled with other businesses, go to the second floor (elevator is available for those who need it) and find your way to suite 204.

There you’ll find it! This museum is very small, but it has a big heart. The caretaker I spoke with was VERY enthusiastic, informative and appreciative that we were there. It wasn’t empty as there were at least three other parties. The docent did a great job of making sure everyone received attention. Maybe even a hint too much as I was happy to explore on my own. She was great though.

There is a room that had wonderful art that I believe is a lot sting exhibit. Then there are some other things to see. I especially liked the Vincent Price head cast! In the back there is an exhibit in mid century modern houses and they’re working on an exhibit about the dwarf sports teams that used to be a part of SFV culture. Maybe my favorite things were the “Now-and-then” photos and the menus of old defunct sfv restaurants.

I might have given this museum a lesser rating but I make it a rule to never give a free museum less than 4 stars. The people who work here are hard working volunteers who do their best to preserve history as best they can. I hope that we’ll see this grow. I wonder if there could be a collaboration with the much larger Valley Relics Museum. Where Valley Relics has an infinitely more impressive collection of artifacts, I wonder if The Museum of San Fernando Valley’s historical expertise could help tell the story of those artifacts.

At any rate... this is a free museum with free parking! Check it out! Maybe organize s trip to several small museums in the area on one day!

A real find packed with vintage posters, rare photography, fine art and more. The focus is all on the unique history and rich cultural diversity of the San Fernando Valley!