Sightseeing in Los Banos, California

Although I have lived in Los Banos almost my entire life, I find myself at a loss to tell a visitor where to go for some sightseeing fun. It's a small town and many people love it, but I've always been in the other group of Los Banos residents: the ones who either grow up here and swear they won't stay (but somehow never extricate themselves), or those who end up here through work, family, or just life. But there are a few interesting spots I know to visit, and probably a few more of which I'm unaware.

Let's begin with its' wildlife area, which makes for great bird watching due to the varied number of birds. The Los Banos wildlife area supports many forms of protected marsh and grass lands. It is also a popular environment for hunting in season.

My favorite site to visit is only about a mile from my home, the "D-dam". This is part of the landscape of foothills that all Los Banos residents can see against an uncluttered sky. You can set up a picnic, get a boat in the water to go fishing, or just enjoy the scenery, where you are usually alone in the quiet.

There is also a Milliken Museum dedicated to the history of Los Banos, which unfortunately I have never visited. And they have a couple of restaurants that have stood the test of time, such as Espana's and Woolgrowers.

For good ideas on how to spend your time here, there is this site: http://www.ourlosbanos.com.
Los Banos is also conveniently located about 1 hour-2 hours away from many interesting or useful locations, such as Fresno, Modesto, San Jose, Yosemite, and San Francisco.

However, to be completely honest, if I were to show a friend around Los Banos, the real sightseeing spots would be from my past: my old high school and the benches where I used to wait after school, the Walmart and Kmart that used to bookend the town, the old Rexall drug store where my sister used to eat her tuna fish sandwiches at the bar. Then there is the house my family lived in for awhile, next to the abattoir with the enormous cow statue on top of it.

It seems that Los Banos acquires more value in my eyes with time and nostalgia, although I'm still a card-carrying member of that second group. I've had to admit though, it is not such a bad place to be, and maybe there is something I have missed - or maybe it's like being raised Catholic - you may lapse but it still always remains, for better or worse, an intrinsic part of you.