• Calistoga History Comes Alive…

    Visit the award-winning Napa Valley, California museum.

    PLAN YOUR VISIT

  • Call for Artifacts: Places of Worship Upcoming Exhibit

    Our Special Exhibit team welcomes your help to curate this show.

    LEARN MORE

  • Win 60 Premium Napa Valley Wines!

    Saturday, August 23, 2025

    Join us for the Instant Wine Cellar fundraiser, featuring a grand prize raffle of five mixed cases of premium Napa Valley wines. Enjoy live and silent auctions, wine tasting, and small bites—all Calistoga-style.

    Learn More & Get Tickets

Current

Upcoming

ALL EXHIBITS
Dioramas
Permanent Exhibit
Dioramas
Permanent Exhibit

Whimsical and intricately crafted dioramas offer a bird’s-eye view of Calistoga’s rich past—view Sam Brannan’s 1860s Hot Springs Resort, watch a model train wind past early 1900s Chinatown, and trace the historic electric railroad that once linked Calistoga to the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Permanent Exhibit

Highlights

Visiting with Kids?

Visiting with Kids?

Discover history designed with small explorers in mind!

Don’t miss the Sharpsteen Museum Scavenger Hunt!

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

Ben Sharpsteen

Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen founded our museum after retiring from his legendary career to preserve the rich history of Calistoga and the Upper Napa Valley. His passion for storytelling and education drives our mission to share the tales of local pioneers and California's first millionaire, Sam Brannan.

SUPPORT

Become a Member

Preserve Calistoga's heritage with unlimited museum access, member discounts, early entry to the Instant Wine Cellar event, and more. Businesses: Support local heritage—become a Sharpsteen Museum sponsor. Learn more.

What People are Saying…

  • “If you like understanding a bit of history about the place you are visiting, and/or like artfully crafted miniature scenes, this museum is for you! The scenes are so impressively done (understandable since they are by a Disney animator) and the history is dramatic:… There’s a lot that has happened in Calistoga in the past couple hundred years! I also was glad to learn more about the Native American history in the region too.”

    MeganS366 , Carmel Valley, CA | Jan 14, 2024

  • “Another must-stop: the Sharpsteen Museum in Calistoga, which is a treasure chest of Napa Valley history from its prehistory to post–World War I. Its stories are told through elaborate dioramas by Ben Sharpsteen, an Academy Award–winning animator, producer, and Walt Disney Studios director.”

    Visit California: Napa Valley Arts & Culture

1927 Whippet Car.jpg
Historical - Eropean Hotel.jpg
Historical - Palm Row.jpg
Early car race, Calistoga.JPG