The National Archives and Records Administration is divided into numerous regional subdivisions—one of which is the Pacific Region. This region has three locations, all within the state of California—San Bruno, Laguna Niguel, and Perris. The San Bruno and Perris locations are open for public research.

The San Francisco/San Bruno location holds federal records from California, with the exception of the Southern portion of the state; Nevada, with the exception of Clark County; Hawaii; American Samoa; and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Topics with strong representative materials include environmental issues, Naval history, Native American history, and Asian-Pacific Immigration. Available records include photos, architectural drawings, and maps dating from the 1850s through the 1980s. The location offers occasional public programs.

The Perris/Riverside location holds federal and court records from Arizona; Clark County, Nevada; and southern California. Topics with strong representative materials include Naval history, Native American history, westward migration, civil rights, and Asian immigration. Materials date from approximately 1850 through the 1980s. This location also offers public programs.

Visitors are asked to call ahead, have an ID ready, and be willing to leave personal belongings in a locker.

Students are encouraged to visit to apply for internships, learn to find and use primary sources, and/or discover National History Day contests.

Educators may visit to learn of FREE educational resources, curriculum-specific primary sources, and/or National History Day.

Finally, if you teach grade four, five, seven, eight, eleven, or twelve in California, there's a fantastic resource available to you online. Teaching History in California selects state standards from each of these years, and provides related background information; primary sources; transcriptions; worksheets; PowerPoint presentations; additional documents, such as maps, timelines, and vocabulary lists; and/or teaching activities. Also, consider taking a moment to engage your students in an introductory activity on primary sources.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia, according to the website, is "the first institution built by a major United States city to house and interpret the life and work of African Americans." It highlights African American art and history in four galleries.

The museum offers exhibits, including its core exhibit, "Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876"; family fun days; workshops; two programs for mentoring high-school-age youth; guided tours for school groups; outreach presentations for schools; professional development for educators; and other educational and recreational events.

The Air Zoo invites visitors to explore the history of aviation through interactive presentations and exhibits.

The museum offers exhibits, programs for homeschoolers, 3-D film presentations, rides and flight simulators, programs and self-guided and guided tours for school groups, outreach presentations, professional development for educators, history boxes for loan, and camps.

The St. Clement's Island Museum, located at the site of Maryland's first colonial landing, guides visitors through the events that led up to that moment in 1634 and examines the industries that sprang up in Maryland as it was colonized.

The museum offers exhibits and guided tours for school groups.

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is America's premier institution of Western history, art, and culture, collecting, preserving, and exhibiting a collection of Western art and artifacts.

The Museum offers educational programs suitable for grades K-6, focusing on the American Cowboy or American Indian. Students spend time in a classroom setting participating in hands-on activities with Museum artifacts then take a guided tour of art and historical galleries with special exhibits supporting the chosen theme. Programs meet select Oklahoma PASS skills for Art and Social Studies.

Guided tours are provided for grades 7-12 and can be tailored to specific themes. Traveling Trunks also are available for two week periods and focus on American Indian or American Cowboy lifestyle or Oklahoma history.

The Shaker Museum interprets Shaker life and culture and exhibits artifacts from Shaker history, including Shaker furniture, oval boxes, textiles, craft machinery, art, tools, and agricultural machinery. The Shaker Library holds archival materials including books and historic pictures.

The museum offers exhibits; the research library offers library access, by appointment only.

NOTE: The museum and library are currently closed while the institution relocates to a new site at historic Mount Lebanon.