Homaker Park - Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield boasts a rich agricultural and musical history, and what better place to learn about it than the Kern County History Museum? Located along the western border of Homaker Park, this museum displays exhibits intended to educate locals about their city's heritage. The Kern County History Museum operates seven days a week until 5:00 p.m., so stop by when you have free time to take in a bit of local history.

If you like jazz music, you will love the annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival held each spring on the California State University's campus. It may be a trek from Homaker Park, but the short drive will be worth it for the music enthusiast. Spanning two days, the festival hosts musicians from all over the globe for your listening pleasure and culminates in a fireworks show.

When it comes to dining, Homaker Park has various options nearby which will suit every palate. Open seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and conveniently located 10 blocks from Homaker Park's southern boundary of 34th Street, the 24th Street Cafe serves up unique breakfast and lunch offerings that will take a bite out of your hunger. Locals love the chile verde omelette, piled high with jack cheese and served with a choice of toast or biscuits with gravy and a side of hash browns or fried potatoes. The cozy atmosphere and friendly service makes 24th Street Cafe a favorite among both locals and travelers.

If you crave the flavors of India, Homaker Park will not disappoint. Kelly's Tandoori Grill serves up authentic Indian cuisine in an intimate, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, so if you want white cloth napkins and frills, you will need to look elsewhere. However, if a scrumptious chicken tikka masala lunch sounds like it would hit the spot, head over to Kelly's for a meal. Operating five days a week between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Kelly's Tandoori Grill serves up savory selections from South Asia to the local lunch crowd.

Looking to drink the night away in an Irish-themed tavern? Head over to McMurphy's Irish Pub, where you can chase down a lunch of corned beef and cabbage with a pint of Guinness or one of the 10 other beers on tap. Just a quick trip south down Union Avenue and a turn onto Monterey Street will find you in McMurphy's, where you'll feel like you landed in Ireland's County Kerry.

Getting around Homaker Park need not be a hassle, even if you don't drive a car. Golden Empire Transit buses service the area 365 days a year, though the buses stop running earlier on holidays and weekends. Two routes serve the Homaker Park area — Route 22 and Route 43 — and if you find yourself stranded after the bus stops running, you can always call for a taxi or Uber, which recently began offering service in the area. If you have a car, you'll be pleased to know that Homaker Park's location has easy access to area freeways.

Homaker Park, in spite of its name, has little in the way of neighborhood parks or nature preserves. However, recreation and leisure can be found a short jaunt away in neighboring parts of Bakersfield. Just a stone's throw away from the northwestern border of Homaker Park off of Chester Avenue you can find Kern River Upland Park, a nature preserve and hiking-and-biking trail designed to allow people to enjoy Bakersfield as it was before it became a metropolitan area. With extensive hiking and biking paths, Kern River Upland Park has thousands of acres of undisturbed local ecology for the nature enthusiast to enjoy and miles of trails for the fitness enthusiast, too.

If you are looking for a place to bring all members of the family, including the furry ones, head southwest to Kroll Dog Park at 7551 Kroll Way, where you can let your canine friend run free while you enjoy some fresh air. Waste bags are available free of charge, and all sizes and breeds are welcomed there. You can park there for free, and available spaces are ample. As the park used to be a reservoir pond which has since dried up and been sodded with grass, the bowl shape of the park might make for some muddy encounters after a rain, so try to visit when the weather is dry.

The cost of living in the Homaker Park neighborhood compares well with other parts of the city, and remains very low compared to the rest of California. Rentals will run you anywhere from $700 to $1,000 per month — very low compared with California as a whole, and even cheap for Bakersfield.

Although grocery options in the Homaker Park area leave you with a limited selection outside of chain stores, some mom-and-pop gems exist just beyond the borders of the neighborhood. For example, Luigi's and Lemucchi's Grocery on East 19th Street does double duty as a provider of imported groceries and a deli-wine bar, offering selections from Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean that you can pick up in-store or have delivered to your doorstep via post. For more than a century, Luigi's has served the Bakersfield area, and it opens its doors for business Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If thrift shopping is near and dear to your heart, head over to the aptly-named Rad Thrift Store at the intersection of 24th Street and Bernard Street, where you can dig through piles of junk and unearth hidden treasures. Rad Thrift Store has a variety of used goods, from clothing and footwear to furniture and household appliances and electronics. Don't be fooled by its rough edges — this store has something for everyone, provided you are willing to do a bit of searching.