Railroad history, historic homes, and ceramics offer several ways to explore Pomona during a cultural stay. The city also has museums with different focuses and a monthly Art Walk. When planning, it is worth distinguishing the regular visiting hours of individual attractions from recurring event dates.
Railroad History and Historic Homes
The RailGiants Train Museum’s collection includes two of the four surviving three-cylinder steam locomotives: SP #5021 and UP #9000. The museum offers a historical journey back to the heyday of American railroads. Important for planning your visit: It is open to the public for free on the second weekend of each month, except in May, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since this schedule does not apply every weekend, check the event calendar before visiting.
The historic homes also offer their own points of interest. Phillips Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. At the site of the Adobe de Palomares Museum, Ygnacio and Concepción Palomares built a thirteen-room home between 1850 and 1854. Casa Primera was the first home of its kind built in the valley. Together, these details offer different insights into Pomona’s architectural and local history.
If you plan to take a tour, note the differences in duration and start time: Tours of Phillips Mansion last 45 minutes and begin on the hour. Tours at Casa Primera last 30 minutes and start on the half hour. Check the current visiting arrangements in advance, as schedules and procedures may change.
Ceramics, Museums, and Other Topics
The American Museum of Ceramic Art features changing exhibitions that may include ceramics from different countries. The specific exhibition content can change, so the current program is what matters when planning your visit. This offers a way to explore ceramics as a distinct part of Pomona’s cultural history, separate from its historic homes and railroad collection.
The NHRA Museum lists its opening hours as Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since opening hours may change, check the information before your visit. Another historical landmark is the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, founded in 1925. The Arabian horse breeding program began at Kellogg’s winter home in Pomona. These details mark different aspects of this history: the founding of the center and the start of the breeding program.
AGRIscapes also brings together several distinct topics. The Farm Store at Kellogg Ranch sells produce grown on campus as well as other food products. School classes visit the Children's Garden and Petting Farm every year on field trips. If you would like to include these places in your plans, check visiting options in advance; the trips mentioned are visits by school classes.
Art Walk and Night Market
The Art Walk in Downtown Pomona, in the Pomona Arts Colony, takes place on the second Saturday of every month. Each Art Walk also features a night market at Shaun Diamond Plaza, at the intersection of W. 2nd St and Thomas St. Offerings include live music, crafts, jewelry, clothing, and food vendors; individual vendors may vary. If a particular date matters for your stay, check the event dates in advance.
Pomona offers several different ways to plan your activities around timing: a monthly event day, a museum open on the second weekend, and tours with set start intervals. You can shape your stay around the focus that interests you most and check the relevant visiting times.
Discover more destinations: Torrance, Monrovia, Vernon, Marina Del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Bell, Santa Fe Springs, Avalon.
For the broader travel overview: Los Angeles.
