910 North 10th Street
Taft, CA 93268
661.765.7371 www.taftfort.org
The Fort is a replica of Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, CA
built in 1940 of adobe bricks by the government as a depression
era project. The well landscaped grounds are used for weddings
and civic events. The building housed federal, state, and
county offices and was once used as a birthing center. It
was designated a historical landmark by Kern County in 1980.
The complex consists of an auditorium, gazebo, and the McKittrick
jail which was moved to the Fort in 1988. More
Info
The Fox Theatre is the gem of downtown. Currently under
remodel and restoration, the Fox entertains
the West Side with movies and community events. The Fox Theater
often holds concerts and theatrical plays. The Fox Theater
was presented with an historic preservation award, presented
by the Humanities Council of Kern County, in recognition of
their successful restoration efforts.
The West Kern Oil Museum is a treasure chest of local history.
Exhibits range from the ancient Native Americans to cutting
edge trends in the oil industry, plus everything in between.
The landmark wooden derrick that sits on the museum grounds
can't be missed. The museum offers group tours, has a knowledgeable
volunteer staff, and has an active membership tht consists
of community residents. People from all over the globe have
visited the West Kern Oil Museum. More Info
Taft School of Skydive has been around since the early 1960’s.
In 1996 Skydive Taft was reopened at the county airport in
Taft, where some of the first records in skydiving were set.
Dave Chrouch, the new owner, has over 9,000 skydives and 15
years in the sport, wining a gold medal for his camera flying
at the World Freestyle Meet and a silver at the Perris Challenge
Cup.
Skydive Taft is located in the beautiful San Joaquin Valley
at the Taft Airport, within walking distance of food and lodging.
Taft has some of the best weather for skydiving in the country.
We also have a large air-conditioned and heated building with
a covered patio and barbecue area complete with misters to
keep you cool in the hot summer months.
Skydive Taft will supply you with the latest state-of-the-art
equipment ram-air (square steerable), main and reserve parachutes,
equipped with automatic openers, and the best maintained aircraft
in the country, including the sturdy Cessna King Air.
Carrizo Plain National Monument
The Goodwin Education Center / BLM
P.O. Box 3087
California Valley, California 93453
805.475.2131 / 661.391.6000
Lying adjacent to the southwest edge of the San Joaquin Valley
in eastern San Luis Obispo County, the Carrizo Plain is the
largest remaining tract of the San Joaquin Valley biogeographic
province with only limited evidence of human alteration. The
250,000 acre area is a diverse complex of habitats similar
to those in the San Joaquin Valley that have become fragmented
or destroyed. It includes the largest remaining contiguous
habitats for many endangered, threatened and rare species
of animals such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the blunt-nosed
leopard lizard, the San Joaquin antelope squirrel and the
giant kangaroo rat, and also provides habitat for many listed
plant species including the California jewelflower, Hoover´s
wooly-star and San Joaquin woolythreads. The Carrizo Plain
has been a focal point identified in U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service recovery plans for land acquisition and management
of these species.
More Info
Painted Rock
Bureau of Land Management
3801 Pegasus Dr.
Bakersfield, CA 93308
The area is also rich with evidence of its prehistoric and
historic past. Painted Rock, a sacred, ceremonial site of
the Chumash People, rises majestically from the grassland
while remnants of homesteads, farms and mining operations
dot the remainder of the Plain.
San Andreas Fault
Bureau of Land Management
3801 Pegasus Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93308
The plain is home to diverse communities of wildlife and
plant species, is an area culturally important to Native Americans,
and is traversed by the San Andreas fault, which has created
and moved mountain ranges, carved valleys and is marked by
a subtle alignment of ridges, ravines and pools. The Bureau
of Land Management office has a book of auto tours of the
fault and other landmarks. More
Info
Tule Elk State Reserve
The reserve is north of Gorman, south of Buttonwillow, west
of I-5 via Stockdale Highway.
661.764.6881
661.-248.6692
Tule Elk State Reserve protects a herd of tule elk, once
in danger of extinction.
Cattleman Henry Miller began a 50-year effort to save them
in 1874. At that time, few elk remained. In 1932, the herd
was given permanent protection in a 950-acre property, now
known as Tule Elk State Reserve.
The elk are most active from late summer through early autumn.
Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars for better viewing.
The park has picnic areas and interpretive exhibits. More
Info
Kern County Parks and Recreation Department
1110 Golden State Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
661.868.7000
The Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area was developed in
1973. Water first flowed into the lakes in April of 1973,
and it took approximately 43 days to fill both lakes. Available
activities include,
Boating
Waterskiing
Watercycles
Fishing
Swimming
Bike Path
Camping Facilities
Picnic Areas
RV Dump Station
Concession Buildings
Reservations are required for picnic areas, please call ahead
to make your reservation. More
Info
