Inside on the Eastside: Top Ten Things to Do When You Can’t Be Outside

With well over 300 sunny days a year, you won’t get too many chances to pull out this list, but when you need it you need it! An inside day in Bishop need not mean a day stuck in your hotel room desperately looking for something to watch on the telly – we’ve got ten things to go do right here:

Bookstore

Bishop is fortunate to be home to an independent bookstore, locally owned and operated. Spellbinder Books first opened its doors in March of 1970  and is truly a Bishop institution. Located at 124 South Main Street and is open every single day (yep, you read that right!). For hours, special events, and more visit their Facebook page.

Galleries

Inyo Council for the Arts has a small gallery and theater featuring local artists. 137 South Main Street. Open Monday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm. Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center is located at 2300 West Line Street and is open Tues – Sat 10 am – 5 pm. Independent Project Press is located at 186A Willow Street and hosts The Project Room with ongoing exhibitions of painting, photography, installations and letterpress. Open Saturday 10-3 and weekdays by appointment.

Museums

Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center. Experience the unique and beautiful cultural heritage of the indigenous people of the Owens Valley. The Cultural Center Museum reflects the history, culture, and living history of the Nuumu (Paiute) and Newe (Shoshone) People.  Included are cultural displays, a Memorial Hall paying tribute to Native American Veterans and their families, environmental displays, collections of artifacts, historical archives and media. There is also a wonderful Native Garden and a Walking Trail through the tribe’s COSA (Conservation Open Space Area). The Museum Gift Shop offers visitors the opportunity to purchase arts and crafts as keepsakes made by local tribal artisans as well as publications that pertain to native culture. Laws Railroad Museum has a lot of outside exhibits but on a rainy day you may prefer to see the many authentic buildings, relocated here from their original sites throughout the Owens Valley, and filled with objects of antiquity.  Visitors can see the actual tools used by dentists, physicians, newspaper publishers, gold miners, and blacksmiths, all displayed in historic buildings throughout the museum grounds. Open every day but Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just a few miles south, in Independence, is the Eastern California Museum; a gem founded in 1928, and operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake. Open daily and on weekends (except holidays); check the website for more information. Not to be missed if you are making a day of museums is the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine. Explore the museum’s extensive collection of real movie costumes, movie cars, props, posters, and other memorabilia. This collection tells the story of filming in the area in and around Lone Pine from the early days of Round-Up to the modern blockbusters of today such as Iron Man.

Coffee Tour

Wittle away a rainy day experiencing Bishop’s coffee culture. Each coffee shop has its own devoted clientele, specialties, and charm. From the south end of Main Street: Great Basin Bakery, Pupfish Cafe, Black Sheep Coffee Roasters, Looney Bean Bishop, Indy Coffee Roasters, Erick Schat’s Bakkery, and Starbucks. We love ’em all!

Library

Inyo County Library is located one block off Main Street, at the corner of Warren and Academy Streets. The Inyo County Free Library was formed in 1913, serves a population of about 18,000, and has six branches. Open Tues – Saturday, check website for times.
Back Alley Bowling Fun for the whole family – there’s nothing like a good bowling date! Rent shoes at the Alley, select your bowling ball and perfect your slide. Open every day – check the website for times and more information, including the dynamite menu at the Grill.

Art Supplies

Bishop Art Supply is on Main Street, Bishop, and offers a wide range of supplies for your creative endeavors.

Fishing

It just so happens that often the best fishing is during the worst weather, so outfit yourself and get out there! Locals will help you with gear and tackle, and clue you in on where to fish and how to catch the big one (or just enjoy being out on the water). We’ve got many fishing resources on our fishing page, including where to fish, where to get your gear, and links to a couple of great blog posts on fishing locally.

Theater:

We’ve got a movie theater in town, and we have live theater too! The Bishop Twin offers movies every day of the week, with matinees on the weekend. Watch for special events as well! Playhouse 395 is our local theater group and if you are in town for one of their performances, well, count yourself lucky!

There’s even more to do during a rainy day…  send us your favorite rainy-day activity in or around Bishop!