Best of 2001: Best Place To Sample Local Indian Culture

Barona Cultural Center and Museum
1095 Barona Road, Lakeside
619-443-7003, ext. 219

Opened in January 2000, it's the first tribal museum in the county and admission is free. The most impressive feature is the full-size reconstruction of a willow house, but also charming are push buttons throughout the museum that yield pronunciations of common 'Iipay words such as "water," "hunger," and "hello." Dioramas, maps, listening alcoves, and interactive science displays help to tell the story of the tribe. The more than 2000 artifacts (acquired from the estate of a San Diego policeman who collected Indian items early in the 1900s) includes ceramic bowls and grinding stones, arrows and spears, ancient tools, coiled baskets, and beads. A research library and archives accommodate serious historians.