Chiriaco Summit, California: General Patton Memorial Museum

Tank yard, statue and museum tell the story of career warrior General George "blood and guts" Patton. He trained in this desert landscape with his troops as he prepared to invade north Africa in WWII.

The museum exhibits its beautiful military uniform collection, tanks the kids can climb on, and educational videos. Cool air and clean bathrooms.

I visited in December 2011 -- very friendly people work there. I spent about 3 hours, since they had so much history inside and outside of the museum.

This small museum and tank collection is well worth stopping to see. Located near the original site of Camp Young, Patton's WWII tank training area. $4 adults, discount for seniors, kids under 16 free. Open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Many sites list hours as 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. - The hours are now 9:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

There is a huge relief map of southern California that, to me, was worth the price of admission to view -- a great discovery for desert rats like me. The map is so large that Mt. San Jacinto is almost a foot high.