In Boron, borax and aviation offer two distinct ways to explore the town’s history. The Borax Visitor Center is located on the edge of U.S. Borax’s active borax mine; the Twenty Mule Team Museum focuses on local history and borax mining in Death Valley and Boron. The Boron Aerospace Museum preserves the history of aerospace research conducted over Boron and the Antelope Valley. These topics can help you choose a focus: explore borax mining and community history, or delve into connections with aviation and aerospace.
Borax and Local History
The Borax Visitor Center was built in 1997 and tells the story of borax and the local community. The year refers to when the center was built; its subject is the history of borax and the community. Its location on the edge of the active mine is another connection to borax mining in Boron.
The Twenty Mule Team Museum connects local history with borax mining in Death Valley and Boron. An ore bucket on display illustrates a specific part of this history: it was used to transport borax ore or supplies to and from the Western Borax Mine northwest of Boron. The artifact thus represents two distinct transport tasks: moving ore and moving supplies.
A 1930s kitchen exhibit features original utensils from Pacific Coast Borax housing. It adds another perspective to the mining and local history, distinct from that of the ore bucket: the focus here is on kitchen utensils from the housing. The exhibits on display may change.
Aviation History and Collection
Since the 1940s, Boron has served as an approach corridor for experimental and military aircraft landing on the runways at Edwards Air Force Base. The Boron Aerospace Museum preserves the history of aerospace research conducted over Boron and the Antelope Valley. So, alongside the history of borax mining, aviation and research are distinct topics to explore during a visit.
The Boron Aerospace Museum’s collection includes aircraft, engines, spacesuits, and a simulator, among much more. The range of objects gives the collection technical breadth: it extends from aircraft and their engines to spacesuits and a simulator. The exhibits on display may change.
Plan Opening Hours and Directions
Weather permitting, the Borax Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on major holidays. The Twenty Mule Team Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check opening hours again before your drive, particularly for the Visitor Center, which is subject to weather conditions and holiday closures.
The schedules differ: on the days it is open, the Visitor Center has longer daily opening hours, while the museum is open seven days a week. If you plan to visit both places, their respective schedules provide a practical guide for planning your day, without implying anything about how long a visit takes.
To get to the Twenty Mule Team Museum, follow Boron Avenue for about a mile to Twenty Mule Team Road. This direction describes the stretch up to the road. Boron also hosts the annual 20 Mule Team Day; check the dates for the next event before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Taft, Lost Hills, Shafter, Bakersfield, Lebec, Inyokern, Delano, Buttonwillow.
For the broader travel overview: Kern.
