Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad

The Joe Martin  museum for exceptional craftsmanship is located in Carlsbad, near Palomar Airport Road and Melrose.  Joe Martin opened the museum in Vista in 2011, and it moved to the Carlsbad location last year.  This is a real find, and I'm surprised more people don't know about it.  It's something everyone in the area should check out, and after you do, you'll want to show it off to your out of town guests.

It's a non profit organization, so there is no charge for admission.  Everything in the museum has been donated by some of the finest craftsman in the country.  Planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, and ships are all represented.  The replicas are all miniatures, and all have working parts.  The museum is really geared for adults or teens, and especially of  interest to those who enjoy building model cars or ships or working with engines.

The docents come from all walks of life, but all are enthusiastic about the museum and have a wealth of knowledge.  There are no organized tours, but there are always several docents who will take you around and give you your own private tour.  At 10, 12, and 2 each day the machine shop holds about a 30 demonstration.  They will explain a lot about engines and gears, which I found very interesting.  That's something I knew little about, and since my visit to the Craftsmanship Museum I now know a little bit more.

Shop, which used to be a class all boys, and a few girls took in high school, has disappeared.  Sadly the only way people learn about engines and machine shop stuff is by taking a trade school class after high school, or apprenticing with a master.  The men (yes, all the projects in the museum were done by men) whose crafts are displayed in the museum come from all walks of life.  They all share a common passion for working with their hands and making replicas of trucks, cars, planes and the like.  They don't care how long it takes.  They have patience and skill, and their beautiful crafts are the final product.