Los Altos History Museum

The Los Altos History Museum is a museum in Los Altos, California. Opened in 2001, the museum showcases the history of Los Altos and surrounding areas, including the transformation of the agricultural paradise once known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" into the high-tech Silicon Valley. The Los Altos History Museum is situated in one of the few remaining apricot orchards in the San Francisco Bay area. Admission is free.

The museum features both a permanent exhibit as well as changing exhibits. Its permanent/flagship exhibit, titled "Making Connections: Stories from the Land," delivers an immersive, interactive multimedia experience of the events that transformed the landscape and the people who shaped this area, from the Ohlone people, to Spanish and Mexican land grantees, early settlers, apricot orchardists, and today's Silicon Valley residents. One highlight is a diorama of Los Altos as it appeared in 1932 with an operational O-scale model train representing the Southern Pacific rail line through the town that ran from 1907 through 1963 and ceased operating in 1964 to be replaced by Foothill Expressway.

The museum's Changing Exhibits Gallery features two to four original exhibits a year on diverse topics. Social issues and land use are covered in detail, as are the lives of local residents.