Page 26 - SLO Visitors Guide Summer 2024

26 SUMMER 2024 slovisitorsguide.com
San Luis Obispo
Convenient and affordable transportation
to the best of SLO.
For route and schedule information,
please visit slotransit.org, download the
SLO Transit app or call 805-541-2877.
Thank you!
Remembering and honoring
local veterans' history
Take a step back into history
at the Central Coast Veterans
Memorial Museum and learn from
experienced docents about the
amazing objects located inside.
Visitors can expect to view artifacts
from times of combat dating back
to World War I and walk away with
a greater understanding of military
history.
“We are a free, all-volunteer mu-
seum that honors and remembers
our veterans, with a special empha-
The Central Coast
Veterans Memorial
Museum is open
to all
only tells our veterans' stories, but
we bring in authors and historians
for our speaker series, we conduct
outreach throughout the Central
Coast, and we are partners with
the Library of Congress as the only
Central Coast representative con-
ducting the Veterans History Project
recording and preserving veterans
stories,” president and director Bart
Topham said.
For over 20 years, the Central
Coast Veterans Memorial Museum
has collected artifacts from the local
and national community that are
on display, including uniforms from
World War II, recruitment signs, a
military communications unit, and
more. One special item is a piece
from the U.S.S. Arizona, which was
destroyed during the attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Make sure to stop by the armory,
which displays over 100 weapons
from the Vietnam War, World War
II, and more. There are multiple op-
portunities to interact with history
through videos and kiosks. Displays
are changed twice a year so there is
always something new to discover
with each visit. Group tours are
available and guests can approach
any friendly docent with questions
about the exhibits.
“As a result of our school systems
teaching less and less about our
conflict history, our military, and
our veterans and their contributions,
it has become even more essential
for the Central Coast community
to visit and support their veterans’
museum. It’s important to bring our
young people to learn more about
what has been done on their behalf,
and what it means to be an Ameri-
can,” Topham said.
The Veterans History Project is
an important part of the museum’s
mission, with the website noting that
they “believe every veteran’s story
of service is worthy of preservation,
whether they served during peace-
time or wartime, regardless of what
job they performed. Their service
and sacrifices will not be forgotten.”
Over 500 stories have been recorded
so far.
“We rely on the Central Coast
community for support, donations,
and input. We are your Central
Coast Veterans Museum,” Topham
said.
The Central Coast Veterans
Memorial Museum is located at 801
Grand Avenue STE 102 in San Luis
Obispo. Open Wednesday through Sat-
urday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more
information visit vetmuseum.org, or
call (805) 543-1763.
— Sadie Mae Mace
sis on Central Coast veterans. We
are an educational facility that not