• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

California Through My Lens

California Travel, Food, Hiking & Road Trips

  • Start Here
  • Explore
    • Beaches
    • Bizarre
    • Caves
    • Food
    • Hikes
    • Historical Structures
    • Natural Wonders
    • Waterfalls
  • Drive
    • El Camino Real
    • Highway 395
    • LA to Las Vegas
    • Pacific Coast Highway
    • Route 66
  • National Parks
    • Channel Islands
    • Death Valley
    • Joshua Tree
    • Lassen Volcanic
    • Pinnacles
    • Redwoods
    • Sequoia & Kings Canyon
    • Yosemite
  • Cities
    • Los Angeles
    • Palm Springs
    • Sacramento
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • Resources
    • Day Trip Ideas
    • Road Trip eBooks
    • Hotels
    • My Favorite Travel Products
    • Travel Videos
  • Browse By …
    • Map Of Locations
    • Cities
    • Counties
    • National Parks
    • State Parks

California Mission’s Museum & Cline Cellars in Sonoma

Last Modified: May 2, 2020

12shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

I have always been interested in the unique state history of the California missions, so I recently set out to visit all 21 of them over a week. You can read more about that here. After visiting the last mission in Sonoma, I headed over to Cline Cellars to visit the unofficial California Missions Museum located right on the back property. I felt like it would be a fitting way to end my time on El Camino Real; here is all the information about the museum.

mission museum and cline-2

Details

  • Cost: Free
  • Location: 24737 CA-121, Sonoma, CA 95476
  • Read about all 21 of the California Missions here
  • This information is from my visit in 2016

History

mission museum and cline-1

See a brief history below, taken from the official site here:

In 1939, the California Mission Models made their debut at the World’s Fair at Treasure Island. Their construction was based upon two years of research and was completed by a team of German cabinetmakers under the direction of Italian artist Leon Bayard de Volo. All were designed to scale, are faithful representations of the original missions, and are finely detailed down to the shrubbery and the figures utilized. In 1998, the Cline Family saved the models from being auctioned off individually, and in 2005 created the museum as a fitting showcase for these historical treasures.

The Museum

mission museum and cline-3

After pulling into Cline Cellars on a busy Saturday afternoon, I was told where to park and how to see the museum that was housed on the property.

mission museum and cline-8

The mission is located behind the winery in a large brown building, and there were a half dozen or so people in the museum with me when I went.

mission museum and cline-5

The museum is one large main room with 21 replicas of each of the missions housed in glass cases.

mission museum and cline-7

I thought the replicas would be like the ones I saw in a few of the other missions, which were not that detailed, but I was blown away by how beautiful these were. Each of these replicas had been meticulously created to scale and were stunning. I loved being able to relive some of my favorites from this vantage point, as I had just visited most of them over the last week.

mission museum and cline-6

They also had a replica of Father Serra there as well, which was right next to the entrance.

mission museum and cline-10

Lastly, they had two stained glass windows that were taken from one of the missions that was damaged in an earthquake and housed here.

mission museum and cline-9

It was incredible to see this collection, which functions as a nonprofit and is even staffed. I was thankful for the Cline family and the fact that they bought all of these beautiful pieces of history and provided a way for the general public to see them.

mission museum and cline-13

I would be remiss if I did not also tell you to visit the winery itself. The tastings were complimentary when I was there, and they had quite a few varietals that were from old-growth vines of over 100 years old.

mission museum and cline-12

This is an excellent stop if you are into California history or the missions themselves. I appreciated seeing the beautiful replicas and talking to the people working there who loved the history the missions provided. Check out my entire time on the California missions here and let me know what you think in the comments.

Filed Under: Missions, Museums, Northern California, Wineries Tagged With: Sonoma, Sonoma County

Interested in supporting this blog?

This blog is simply a hobby and labor of love for me. If you have enjoyed the posts consider sharing it with your friends. I want as many people as possible to explore this state and you can help by letting them know about all of the great spots!

Join the Newsletter

Subscribe for the four day welcome series and to get the latest content every month.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    About JoshMc

    Thanks for checking out the blog, I am happy to be sharing my adventures with you! You can get to know me by reading my about me, which includes a video and additional information on the site, myself and my full disclosure. Also, follow along on Twitter here or read all of my posts on this blog here.

    Primary Sidebar

    About

    Josh from California Through My Lens I'm a travel junkie strapped down to one state, focused on seeing as much of it as I can and encouraging others to do the same. More about me.

    Popular Posts

    The Big List of Strange, Fun & Unique Attractions in Southern California
    Pacific Coast Highway: Where to Stop on Your Road Trip
    Top Hiking Trails in Southern California
    Fun Stops on the Drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
    24 Things to do in Downtown LA
    17 Things to do in Lake Tahoe
    Donner Pass, Summit Tunnel Hike: Old Abandoned Railroad

    Categories

    Other Resources


    Footer

    Search the site

    Additional Information

    Privacy Policy

    About Us

    Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Coronavirus January 2021 Update: Please note that some information in the posts may have changed and some places may be closed.