Top 10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Fresno, California (CA)

This museum was once the home of a Civil War-era surgeon.

The Zoo is now open. Please pre-purchase timed entry tickets on our website before you arrive. See all of our health and safety updates before planning your visit.

Take a tour off Highway 99 and visit Fresno's best kept secret. *A hand-built network of underground rooms, courtyards and passageways reminiscent of the ancient catacombs. *Unique fruit producing trees, shrubs, and vines growing underground - some over 90 years old! *Ancient Roman architecture - arches, vaults and stone-built walls. *Underground micro-climates - temperature variations of 10 to 30 degrees! *Underground home of Sicilian visionary and self-taught artist/builder Baldassare Forestiere.

To support our community in the effort to slow the speed of the COVID-19 virus, the Fresno Art Museum is temporarily closed to the public. The Fresno Art Museum’s focus is on contemporary and modern art, photography, ethnographic, and cultural exhibitions that reflect and celebrate the diverse population of California's San Joaquin Valley. Most exhibitions change twice yearly and are curated in-house by Museum staff. The artists exhibited range from emerging and established local artists to artists from around the globe. Since 1988 FAM‘s Council of 100 annually recognizes a late-career, internationally-known woman artist with a Distinguished Woman Artist award and exhibition. FAM has a collection of Pre-Columbian artworks from Mexico and the Andes on permanent display and holds a permanent collection of over 3,500 works. PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR HOURS. We close for exhibition change-over every January and late June/early July, and occasionally close for special events.

Bring your family and friends to the Kearney Historic Site for a guided tour that provides a glimpse of the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural beginnings through the life and times of M. Theo Kearney - a California ag pioneer who came to be known as the Raisin King. Tour the turn-of-the-century ranch manager's residence (known as the Superintendent's Lodge) that was part of the ranch headquarters of Kearney's Fruit Vale Estate. The hour-long tour of the Superintendent's Lodge includes a visit to the Museum Store. Public Tour Hours: Saturday and Sunday 1:00, 2:00 or 3:00 pm. Adults $6 Seniors (60 & up) $5 Students (13-17 or with ID) $5 Children (3-12) $4 Free for Historical Society members and children under the age of 3. Please note: Fresno County charges a $5.00 Per vehicle fee for entrance into Kearney Park

The Shinzen Friendship Garden is a traditional northwestern American Japanese Garden. The Garden was constructed to honor Fresno’s Sister City, Kochi, Japan, celebrating the spirit of understanding and promoting educational and cultural awareness. The beauty, grace and serenity of Japanese design is present in the use of varied plant material, rocks and stones, and water throughout the five acre garden. The garden is designed around the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; granite markers identify each section. In the Fall of 2015 we were proud to be chosen to house and display the world-class Clark Bonsai Collection, which is now on permanent display in the garden, offering a seasonal rotation of some of the finest Bonsai in the United States.

Our mission is to ignite curiosity and imagination in Central Valley youth by providing hands-on STEAM experiences. We are a small science center located on 5.5 acres. Kids love to run around and play in our meadow, dino dig, and playground. Everyone enjoys the Deutsch Cactus Garden, Garden of the Sun, turtle/koi pond, hands-on exhibits, and great activities facilitated by our friendly staff.