 | Fort Tejon, Lebec |
| Los Angeles, CA Print Leave a comment |
Description
Fort Tejon was an army outpost built in the 1850s to protect the settlers of the San Joaquin Valley from attacks by Native American tribes. It is located in a beautiful mountain pass with acres of open grassy land, dotted with tall old trees. The mountain views here are gorgeous. You can walk through the restored barracks and commanding officer's quarters, which are set up as a museum with furnished rooms and display cases of guns and uniforms. The best time to come is during living history days when volunteers play out civil war times. Men dressed in civil war uniforms perform military drills while women in old-fashioned dresses tend the open hearth or flirt with officers. Little boys of around eight years old were the happiest visitors here, excited by the cannons, guns, swords, and flags.
Fort Tejon makes for an easy stop if you're driving Highway 5 and need a break. It's right by the freeway so it doesn't add miles to your trip. All the open land feels wonderful after being couped up in the car.
It you're hungry, there's only a few unappetizing fast food places in the very small towns nearby. Plan ahead so you don't end up with hungry, grumpy kids! Santa Clarita is an hour south and Bakersfield is 45 minutes north.
Photo Gallery
Click on photo to see large versionShed and tents, set up like civil war days. |
Little boys love these swords! |
Volunteers dressed up as civil war soldiers perform military drills outside the barracks. |
Cannons are also a blast for little boys. |
Cannon, flag, and mountains. |
All the open land feels great after being couped up in the car on a long drive. |
Cute couple! |
The kitchen in the commanding officer's quarters. |
The bedroom in the commanding officer's quarters. |
Cooking by the open hearth. |
Living history days are fun at Fort Tejon. |
Military drill during a living history day. |
Amazing tree. |
Directions
Fort Tejon is located at 4201 Fort Tejon Rd, Lebec. Exit Highway 5 at Fort Tejon. The fort is on the west side of the freeway. Park along the road. If coming from Los Angeles, after you get on Highway 5 it'll be 57 miles to Fort Tejon.
Call (661) 248-6692 to find out the dates of the living history days. You can also check the events calendar on the website of the Fort Tejon Historical Association.
Museum buildings are open daily 8-4. Closed on Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25.
Admission fee is $3 for adults. Kids 15 and under are free. During living history days, admission is $5 for adults, $3 for kids aged 6-12, and free for children 5 and under.
This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.
Visitor Ratings
Overall Visitor Rating: Unrated.
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