Bakersfield Isn’t California’s Forgotten City — It’s Its Most Underrated One

The California City Everyone Overlooks (And Why That’s a Huge Mistake)

Let’s be honest: Bakersfield doesn’t usually make the shortlist. While travel blogs are busy arguing over the best winery in Napa or the perfect Carmel beach walk, this Central Valley city quietly goes about its business — feeding the country, shaping American music, and sitting on one of the most geologically and culturally rich corners of the state. The crowds never showed up. The prices never spiked. And the story never stopped being fascinating.

If you’re genuinely curious about things to do in Bakersfield, California, buckle up. This place rewards the traveler who shows up with their eyes open.

A Sound That Changed American Music Forever

Start with the music, because Bakersfield earned its place in history before most people were paying attention. In the 1950s and ’60s, while Nashville was polishing its sound to a high-gloss sheen, a scrappy countercultural movement was taking root in the honky-tonk bars along Buck Owens Boulevard. Artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard stripped country music back down to its bones — raw guitars, working-class grit, and no strings attached (literally).

The Bakersfield Sound wasn’t just a regional quirk. It influenced the Beatles, sparked an entire anti-Nashville movement, and set the template for what we now call “Americana.” You can still feel it in the air at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, a honky-tonk museum and live music venue that remains one of the most authentic musical destinations in the entire state.

This is exactly the kind of layered, location-specific story that the Wayfarer Journey Bakersfield audio tour brings to life as you move through the city — putting you on the corner where history happened and letting the story unfold around you.

The Oil Boom Nobody Talks About

Here’s something most visitors don’t know: Bakersfield sits above one of the most productive oil fields in American history. The discovery of oil in Kern County in the 1890s turned a quiet agricultural town into a boomtown practically overnight. The architecture, the wealth, the diversity of people who came chasing fortune — all of it left fingerprints on the city that are still visible if you know where to look.

Wander through the downtown historic district and you’ll see the bones of that era in buildings that outlasted the booms and busts. The Kern County Museum and its sprawling Pioneer Village — a collection of over 50 historic structures on 16 acres — is one of the most underappreciated open-air history experiences in California. It’s the kind of place you stumble into expecting to spend 45 minutes and end up staying for three hours.

The Food Scene That Deserves Its Own Road Trip

Bakersfield’s food culture is a direct reflection of the people who built it — farmworkers, oil workers, immigrants, and families who’ve been here for generations. That means Basque cuisine served family-style at long communal tables (a tradition brought by Basque shepherds in the 1800s), incredible Mexican food rooted in the Central Valley’s deep agricultural ties, and barbecue pits that don’t need to advertise because the regulars keep coming back.

• Wool Growers Restaurant — One of the last true Basque family-style restaurants in California. No menu. You eat what they cook. It’s magnificent.
• Dewar’s Candy Shop — A Bakersfield institution since 1909, famous for its chews and ice cream. Yes, it’s a dessert stop. No, it’s not optional.
• Noriega’s Hotel — Another legendary Basque outpost, equally no-frills and equally unforgettable.

This is a food city that hasn’t been discovered by the food media yet. Savor that while it lasts.

Getting Around With More Context Than a Map Can Give You

Bakersfield is a driving city by nature, but its history is embedded in specific streets, corners, and neighborhoods that reward slow exploration. The Wayfarer Journey GPS audio tour was built for exactly this — guiding you through the city’s distinct districts while delivering the backstory that turns a drive past a nondescript building into a genuine “wait, seriously?” moment.

From the music history concentrated along Buck Owens Boulevard to the agricultural legacy visible in the surrounding landscape, the tour connects dots that aren’t obvious from a windshield alone. It’s a local’s knowledge delivered at exactly the moment it becomes relevant to where you’re standing.

Why Smart Travelers Are Choosing the Road Less Posted

There’s a certain satisfaction in visiting a place before everyone else figures it out. Bakersfield is still very much in that window. The history is deep, the food is real, the music is legendary, and the traffic situation is — let’s just say it’s a far cry from Highway 1 in July.

Things to do in Bakersfield, California aren’t thin on the ground. They’re just waiting for travelers who are willing to look past the reputation and actually show up.

California’s most underrated city is ready when you are.