The Blackhawk Museum: Best Eclectic Museum in the SF Bay Area

The Blackhawk Museum is, in our opinion, one of the best museums in the entire San Francisco Bay Area, and you’ve probably never even heard of it! Located in the posh Blackhawk neighborhood tucked away in the town of Danville, California, the museum caught our attention with the public opening of a new “Into China” exhibition. We decided to check it out and fell in love not only with this collection but the entire museum complex!

Into China

The “Into China” exhibition opened to the public on January 25, 2020, just in time to celebrate the Lunar New Year. We were curious about the exhibit but did not expect such an enormous collection. Our jaws practically dropped to the floor the second we stepped inside.

When you enter the gallery, on your left side there are these two awesome carvings (shown above), and to your right – a gorgeous installation of glass swans, standing between 5 and 7 feet tall. (Kudos to the workers who were responsible for handling those fragile sculptures!)

And upfront — a gigantic dragon clutching a pearl in its mouth!

Unlike in Western cultures, dragons are depicted as benevolent, wise creatures in Asian civilizations. This great dragon holds a pearl of potentiality in its mouth, the eternal Qi, the ancestor energy of all creation and enlightenment. Behind it, you can catch a glimpse of the “Nine Dragons” wall, referring to the Nine Chinese dragons, each with its own character, yielding unique powers. Guess what, this is just the beginning of the wonders here!

Dreamland

Our gaze followed the “Dreamland” installation, shimmering under blue lights in the darkness. You’ll be mesmerized by its sheer size and the mastery of carvers who have created it specifically for this “Into China” exhibition.

This breathtaking installation, based on the ancient fable “The Peach Blossom Spring” by Tao Yuanming, took over two decades in the making! The landscape represents a fantasy land where people enjoy a life full of peace and prosperity.

The carvers used the Chinese root carving technique on a special kind of fossil wood Tuchen that took 11 years to source from Burma and Laos.

And then it took another 10 years to make this sculptural wonder come to life!

You could hear people gasping “Wow!”, kids bombarding their parents with questions, phone cameras clicking away, as the crowds moved along the exhibit while stopping to chat with docents. Carefully scanning the intricate detail, it was hard to take our eyes off this particular piece of art, enjoying yet another scene of this enchanting “Dreamland” landscape.

More “Into China” Wonders

With every turn of the head we saw something new and intriguing, like the “56 Horses”, an enormous wooden carving representing the fifty-six nationalities of China. And of course, the enormous miniature panorama of the Forbidden City, commissioned for the Blackhawk Museum, is in the very center of the gallery.

In the Music Room the soundtrack of humming ceremonial bells was an immersive experience as well.

Fine porcelain and silk paintings… Authorized replicas of the Dragon Throne and the mysterious Terracotta Warriors…

We also appreciated educational placards throughout the exhibit, pointing out facts, history of Chinese civilization, and unique attributes of this gallery. The vision and creation of this exhibit is courtesy of Kenneth E. Behring, one of the founders and leaders of the Blackhawk museum complex and foundation.

“Many Worlds. One Museum.”

There are several galleries in the Blackhawk Museum complex, accommodating various interests. So, we ended up exploring them all and still wished we had more time to spend there!

Automotive Gallery

Vroom! Vroom! The Blackhawk Museum originally began as an Automobile Museum back in 1988, and now its Automobile Gallery hosts about 100 vehicles to gawk and awe at. And even if you are not a car enthusiast, this collection of cars will enamor you.

Every one of them is in perfect driving condition, including the grandmother of them all, a replica of the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, the world’s first gasoline-powdered automobile. Its top speed is 10 miles per hour, with 0.75 horsepower. Isn’t that less than a horse? 😊

Look at these modern beauties!

Fast and furious.

This limited edition 2017 Lamborghini Centenario is one of only 40 made. 770 Horsepower, going from 0 to 125 miles per hour in just 8.6 seconds, first Lamborghini rear wheel steering. We were told that the current mileage of this piece of art is zero. Like 0, it’s never been driven before.

Finally, our personal favorite (sigh 😊).

Here is another view of it:

Art of Africa

The “Art of Africa” gallery celebrates the cultures of sub-Saharan Africa! We were oohing and aahing at the display of elaborately carved masks from various regions, each distinct in technique and materials.

Here is a close up of one. Isn’t it hauntingly beautiful?

These unique musical instruments were really captivating as well:

Spirit of the Old West

The second floor of the Blackhawk Museum complex is devoted to the exhibition “Spirit of the Old West” — a journey weaving through the heritage of Native Americans and American Settlers in the West, sprinkled with Natural History exhibits.

A huge diorama with thousands of miniatures was originally built by Jerry Flick. It covers most of the back wall, showing how life may have looked in the Wild West. It was so fun to explore it scene by scene.

From a life size buffalo, wagon trains, period clothes, weapons and tools, this was a favorite for kids and Western history buffs.

When we wandered through this fascinating floor, it was hard not to think about the “Night at the Museum” movies, wondering if these displays come to life after the lights go out! 😊

Preview of the upcoming Nature Exhibit

This is going to be huge! From the sneak peak that we got, it promises to be an exciting exhibition for all ages! You’ll walk into the immersive underwater scene and descend down the stairs to the Animal Kingdom world.

We wonder if the exhibition will be arranged by the natural habitat areas (e.g. tropics, deserts, mountains) or continents of origin. We will definitely be returning once this exhibit opens, and sharing it with you!

Practicalities

The Blackhawk Museum is located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville, California. The Blackhawk Shopping Plaza provides plenty of free parking.

Museum’s Hours of Operation: Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are docent tours available as well and run every two hours. Admission for adults is $15.00. For more information check their website.

The Blackhawk Plaza has over 10 restaurants but we opted-out to visit Blue Line Pizza in the dreamy downtown of Danville. Blue Line Pizza is one of the places recommended by our friend, who happens to be a local resident there. It’s been voted “Best Pizza in Silicon Valley”, by the way, and well-deserved!

We went for individual orders, so we could mix & match — Chicago Chop and Cheese Pizza with Pepperoni and Fresh Basil. Yum!!! We were also pleased to discover that this small chain has a few locations throughout the Bay Area. They even have one close to where we live. We know that this article is about the museum, but we liked Blue Line so much that we reserved a portion of it just to tell you about their pizza. 😊 That was a perfect early dinner after visiting the Blackhawk Museum.

Hope you enjoyed this article! And for more California adventures, please see other posts under our Local Discoveries category, that include such stories as touring the USS Hornet, our visit to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Winchester Mystery House, and recommendations on Fun Things to do on Pacific Coast Highway near the SF Bay Area, to name a few.

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