09-05-2026 Saturday, Rosie the Riveter National Museum, Richmond, California

- September 05, 2026

Up early to get ready for the day. Barry drove me to the Red Oak Victory Ship at the Port of Richmond. It was only 20 minutes from our RV park. He was dropping me off to meet Lisa. Today was our first day of exploring Bay Area National Parks. I was very excited to be doing this with Lisa. She and I have planned this for a few months. She even purchased a Passport Book. Another convert!

She was waiting for us at the ship. Unfortunately, the ship was closed even though their website stated they are open Saturday and Sunday. I'm so disappointed. My Grandpa came home from WWII on a Victory Ship and I really wanted to see it.

We headed over to the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park. I've wanted to visit this site for a long time. The first thing was to get our cancellation stamps and stickers for our Passport Books.

Afterward, we went downstairs to watch the movie The War at Home. Very informative, leading up to the time we entered the war. We stayed and watched two more movies, Home Front Heroes and Blossoms and Thorns. Home Front Heroes was about the Rosies and the discrimination against women and blacks during WWII.

Seems appropriate for this time, with all the awful things going on with the current admisistration; no lessons learned by them. The last movie, Blossoms and Thorns, was about the internment of Japanese U.S. citizens during WWII. Same thing the current administration is doing to our immigrant population now. Makes my stomach hurt. I don't understand how this administration continues to treat our immigrant population as was done in the past. Again, they have not learned any lessons.

The displays are educational and at times troubling. The fact that I found very disheartening is that after the war, many women who were Rosies lost their jobs and went back to being housewives as if nothing happened. I'm so glad this museum brings their plight to the foreground for anyone to see and understand. I highly recommend this NP.

At Rosie, we received a 40% off coupon for your entire purchase at the Columbia Employee Store at the end of the parking lot. Off we went shopping, and we were both successful in finding items.

From here, we headed over to the Rosie the Riveter Memorial in the Rosie the Riveter WWII/Home Front National Historical Park, which we could see from the museum. This area of Richmond is beautiful and hard to believe, given that it was once shipyard facilities. The memorial in the park is again very informative. They have a display of ship parts so you can see how big they are. There is also a walkway you follow down to the water. The walkway has concrete tablets embedded with dates and quotes from the WWII period. The beginning of the memorial has photos of Rosie's and the history of the shipyards. We followed the walkway to the water, and you can see a few photos I took of the tablets below. The walkway is supposed to be as long as a Victory Ship.

One fun thing was seeing a family down by the water playing on the beach. The kids were burying each other in the sand and making moats for the water to flow into. They were having so much fun. I didn't mention, but we had great weather today. It was gorgeous.

By this time, we were starving, so we drove to a place the salesperson at Columbia recommended, Golden Gate Bistro. It was only a few minutes up the road. Lisa ordered BBQ Pork Tacos, and I ordered a chicken Caesar Salad. We sat outside under the big awnings they have and enjoyed the weather. Our food was very tasty, and I would recommend this place. There are lots of plants outside, and it's very clean. Check it out if you get a chance.

Lisa drove me back to our RV park and stayed for a few minutes to visit with Barry. Then off she went for home. After she left, I was on my phone, and a Facebook notice came up saying the Red Oak Victory ship was closed today for a special event. WHAT!!! I called Lisa and asked if she wanted to go see the ship tomorrow. Today was her second time trying to see the ship. She was up for it, so Barry will drop me off again tomorrow. Hopefully this time we get to board the ship.

PHOTOS FROM THE MUSEUM

This is my favorite sculpture.

I love the story these 3 banners told.

Lisa and I wanted to see this NP, but when I called to make
reservations, they informed me it's closed. The base is a
working one, and since we are technically at war,
it's closed to the public.