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APIA Historic Places to Visit

California



California (Northern)

  • Kwan Tai Temple Monks

  • Bok Kai Temple, Marysville: The Marysville Bok Kai temple is the oldest continuously operating Chinese temple in Northern California and features rare murals depicting traditional Chinese cultural scenes.

  • Bok Kai Festival

  • Town of Locke: The community of Locke was the only town in the United States built exclusively by the Chinese for the Chinese. Points of interest in Locke include the Joe Shoong Chinese School, Yuen Chong Market, Foon Hop, the Star Theatre building, and other historic structures.

  • Kwan Tai Temple, Mendocino

  • Hakone Gardens, Saratoga: Hakone Gardens is the oldest Japanese garden and estate in the Western hemisphere and features 18 acres of Japanese style gardens.

  • Chinese Historical Society of America, San Francisco

  • National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco

  • Angel Island Immigration Station, Angel Island State Park, San Francisco

  • International Hotel, San Francisco

  • Manilatown, San Francisco

  • Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

  • Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park, Weaverville

  • Gilroy Hot Springs, Henry W. Coe State Park, Morgan Hill: Gilroy Hot Springs was established as a resort in the 1870s as part of the blossoming of California's social and leisure life. The resort was purchased in 1938 by a successful Japanese American lettuce grower and catered to the region's Japanese American population. WWII provided an abrupt change of direction for the hot springs, setting the stage for its use in the post-war years as a unique haven for Japanese Americans returning from internment camps and struggling to understand their futures. Tours of the site are available by contacting Henry W. Coe State Park staff, or the Friends of the Gilroy Hot Springs.

  • San Francisco Chinatown

  • Little Manila, Stockton

  • Chinatown, Salinas

  • Tule Lake Internment Camp

 

California (Southern)

  • Cambodia Town, Long Beach

  • Chinatown Los Angeles

  • Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

  • HIstoric Filipinotown, Los Angeles

  • Koreatown, Los Angeles

  • Thai Town, Los Angeles

  • Chinese American Museum, Los Angeles

  • Manzanar National Historic Site, Independence

  • Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles

  • San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, San Diego

  • Harada House, Riverside

  • Little Saigon, Westminster

Pacific Islands & Western Region​

 

Arizona

  • Tucson Chinese Cultural Center

 

Guam

  • War in the Pacific National Park and Tourist Center

  • Historic Lujan House

  • Pagat

 

Hawai'i

  • Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i, Honolulu

  • Iolani Palace

 

Idaho

  • Minidoka National Historic Site, Jerome County

  • Minidoka Pilgrimage

 

Oregon

  • China Ditch, Myrtle Creek: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the China Ditch was constructed by Chinese laborers between 1891 and 1894 for use in hydraulic gold mining.

  • Kam Wah Chung Company Building, John Day: Built in 1866, the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Building housed a mercantile and traditional Chinese herbal physician's office. Now a museum, Kam Wah Chung provides a glimpse into the life and culture of the early Chinese community in Oregon.

  • Japanese American Historical Plaza, Portland

  • Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Portland

  • Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, Portland

 

Washington

  • Nihon Go Gakko, Tacoma

  • Chinatown/International District, Seattle

  • Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle

  • Panama Hotel, Seattle

Eastern & Southern Regions



Arkansas:

  • WWII Japanese American Internment Museum, McGehee

 

New York:

  • Museum of Chinese in America, New York

 

Pennsylvania:

  • Chinatown, Philadelphia

  • South Asian American Digital Archives, Philadelphia

 

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