Modesto sits in the heart of California's Central Valley, surrounded by some of the most productive farmland in the world. Almonds, peaches, wine grapes, and dairy all come from this region, and the city's fortunes have long been tied to the harvest. It is a working city — not a postcard — but that honesty is part of what makes it worth a stop.
The city is probably best known outside California as the birthplace of George Lucas, and the cruising culture he captured in American Graffiti (1973) was a real part of Modesto's mid-century life. The famous neon Modesto Arch over 10th and I Streets, installed in 1912 with the slogan "Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health," still stands. It is a good piece of civic self-promotion that has aged better than most.
For sightseeing, the McHenry Mansion and the McHenry Museum — both free — are the main draws. The mansion is a well-preserved Victorian house from 1883; the museum, housed in a Carnegie library building, covers the history of the San Joaquin Valley from indigenous settlement through the agricultural boom. The Great Valley Museum of Natural History rounds out the picture with a focus on the ecosystems that still exist around and between the farms. The Gallo Center for the Arts and the restored Art Deco State Theatre keep downtown alive in the evenings.