The Autry to offer Father's Day fun

The Autry National Center invites all fathers and their families to visit the Autry Museum galleries, which feature the history and culture of the American West, and enjoy the all-day family activities set for Father’s Day.

Start the day in the Autry’s Trails West outdoor Western landscape exhibition where visitors can pan for gold and see just how much or how little the gold can buy at the General Store. Then break out your guitar, harmonica, violin, or vocal chords and join in the lively jam session with the Western Music Association. After building up an appetite, head over to the Golden Spur Cafe for a special Father’s Day BBQ, Bloody Mary Bar, and full drink bar sure to satisfy any hungry dad.

Children will also enjoy our ongoing Let’s Make History! program, where they can create their very own cowboy bookmark to take home. Finally, the Autry celebrates the 90th birthday of Al Shelton, “Cowboy Artist to the Stars.” Shelton is best known for his intricate, hand-tooled leather art and his fantastic bronze and silver buckle designs. A few of his best works will be on display in the Autry’s Imagination Gallery, where Jeffrey Richardson, Associate Curator of Film and Popular Culture, will be on hand to highlight Mr. Shelton’s work. Members of the leathercraft guild will be present to demonstrate their specialized work. In addition, Mr. Shelton’s artwork will be on display and available for purchase in the museum lobby.


Gold Rush!
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Eureka! Discover the myths and realities of the California Gold Rush and try your hand at panning for gold at an outdoor re-creation of a miner’s panning station.

Third Sunday Jam With the Western Music Association
Noon–3:00 p.m.
Join musicians and cowboy poets as they perform stories and songs of the romantic days of the Old West, contemporary music of the American West and songs of the open range and the American cowboy.

Golden Spur Cafe
Open: 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Bloody Mary Bar and Full Bar: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Outdoor BBQ: 11:00 a.m. –2:00 p.m.
The Golden Spur Cafe features an outdoor BBQ, Bloody Mary Bar, and full bar in addition to a wide selection of meals from buffalo burgers to garden burgers, and tostadas to salads, plus an array of sodas, tea, and Mexican hot chocolate.

Let’s Make History! Cowboy Bookmark
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Gallop on down to the Autry and make a cowboy bookmark inspired by the museum’s collection.

Al Shelton’s 90th Birthday Celebration
3:30 p.m.
Celebrate the career of “Cowboy Artist to the Stars” Al Shelton, best known for his intricate, hand-tooled leather art and his fantastic bronze and silver buckle designs, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Mr. Shelton will be here in person, and refreshments will be served.


About the Autry National Center
Oscar Chapuli of Cheers Catering’s Golden Spur Cafe prepares delicious BBQ for Father’s Day. Photo by Abel Gutierrez.The Autry National Center is an intercultural history center dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West. Located in Griffith Park, the Autry includes the collections of the Museum of the American West, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, and the Autry Institute’s two research libraries: the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library. Exhibitions, public programs, K–12 educational services, and publications are designed to examine critical issues of society, offering insights into solutions and the contemporary human condition through the Western historical experience.

Weekday hours of operation for the Autry National Center’s museum at its Griffith Park location are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Autry Store’s weekday hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Golden Spur Cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours for the museum and the Autry Store are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum, the Autry Store, and the cafe are closed on Mondays. The libraries are open to researchers by appointment.

Museum admission is $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors 60+, $3 for children 3–12, and free for Autry members, veterans, and children under age 3. Admission is free on the second Tuesday of every month.