CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — U.S. history from the Mayflower through the American Revolution is on display in Carlsbad.
The Green Dragon Tavern and Museum, off Interstate 5 at Palomar Airport Road, offers a full-service restaurant and a chance to look at original documents from the country's Colonial Period.
"Not a lot of families have the money or time or resources to be able to travel back east and experience these things first hand," says Green Dragon General Manager John Lek. "A lot of our guests say they feel like they're in Boston or New England without having to leave San Diego."
The museum's artifacts are all part of a private collection owned by a local man, who asked not to be identified. He wanted to share his collection with the rest of San Diego, and put them on display at the restaurant.
Among the items are documents signed by 14 of America's founding fathers. That gives visitors a chance to see the signatures of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and more.
Lek says just seeing these items can give people a deeper link to their past.
"There is something authentic and something that really settles in when you have a direct connection with our forefathers," says Lek.
The museum has been open for five years. Right now, everything fits within a single room. But there are plans for expansion.
Lek says the museum will open a second room with more interactive and hands-on technology, as well as more artifacts from America's past.
Admission to the museum is free, and it's open anytime the restaurant is open. The building also includes a private event space that is available for parties.
For more information about the Green Dragon Tavern in Carlsbad, click here.
