Los Altos History Museum, History museum in Los Altos, United States.

The Los Altos History Museum is a museum in Los Altos, California, opened in 2001 on grounds that include one of the last apricot orchards in the San Francisco Bay area. Its permanent exhibit, "Making Connections: Stories from the Land," is an interactive multimedia presentation covering the Ohlone people, Spanish and Mexican land grantees, early settlers, apricot orchardists and today's Silicon Valley residents. A diorama of Los Altos as it appeared in 1932 includes a working O-scale model train on the Southern Pacific line that ran through town from 1907 to 1963.

The museum opened in 2001, presenting the history of Los Altos and the surrounding area. Across the courtyard stands the J. Gilbert Smith House, built in 1905 and designated a local Historical Landmark and a California State Point of Historical Interest in 1987. In 2023 the museum became steward of the Los Altos Heritage Orchard, one of the last apricot orchards in the community.

The permanent exhibit "Making Connections: Stories from the Land" traces the land through the Ohlone people, Spanish and Mexican land grantees, early settlers and apricot orchardists. A 1932 diorama with a working O-scale train recalls the Southern Pacific line that ran through town from 1907 to 1963. The Changing Exhibits Gallery mounts two to four original shows a year.

The museum sits beside the J. Gilbert Smith House across a courtyard, with the agricultural exhibit and Heritage Orchard on the grounds; admission is free. Researchers can book an appointment to consult the collection of over 20,000 documents, photographs and objects. The museum and oak-studded gardens can be rented for private gatherings.

The museum complex includes the J. Gilbert Smith House, a historic home furnished with period-accurate pieces that show how people lived in earlier times. Walking through this house gives you a feel for domestic life from an earlier era.