Lake Havasu City · London Bridge Road · Local history museum
Lake Havasu Museum of History
Get the backstory on how a London bridge, a chainsaw maker and a desert lake built Lake Havasu City, in a small, donation-based museum near the bridge.
Opens the museum’s website. Admission is by donation, and the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm.
Details checked October 2026
Type
History museum
Local history, from the Chemehuevi to the bridge
Admission
By donation
Booked group tours are $2 per person
Hours
Tue–Sat 11 am–3 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
Time needed
45 min–1 hr
The museum’s own estimate for a visit
Parking
Shared retail lot
Habit Burger lot; no posted RV spaces
Open as a museum
Since 2005
Collecting began in the early 1970s
What you’ll see
How a bridge and a dream built a city
The museum is small, but it packs in the story of Lake Havasu City, from the Chemehuevi and the building of Parker Dam to the day the London Bridge arrived.
Photo: Charles O'Rear on Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Start here
The London Bridge story
The museum tells how founder Robert P. McCulloch bought the bridge at auction in 1968 for $2,460,000 and had its 10,276 numbered granite blocks shipped through the Panama Canal and trucked to Arizona. The collection includes McCulloch chainsaws, McCulloch Airlines cutlery and a vinyl record made to celebrate the bridge.
RV tip: it’s a short visit, so pair it with the bridge and English Village, and check the day first: the museum is closed Sundays and Mondays.
More to see
- McCulloch In The AirThe current featured exhibit includes the museum’s J-2 Gyroplane.
- Native American historyExhibits on the Chemehuevi people and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
- Dams, mines and steamboatsThe building of Parker Dam, which formed Lake Havasu, plus mining and the river’s steamboat days.
- Havasu RocksA shop run by the Lake Havasu Gem and Mineral Society, with crystals, geodes, fossils and jewelry.
Why go
The story behind Arizona’s most surprising city
Residents began saving the area’s history in the early 1970s, when boxes in garages and storage units grew into a historical society. It has been a functioning museum since 2005, and its story runs from the area’s earliest people and Hispanic settlers to miners, dam builders, developers and the winter and summer visitors who keep coming back.
The centerpiece is the London Bridge: how a city founded in 1963 by Robert P. McCulloch Sr. won an 1831 bridge at auction, rebuilt it on dry land in the desert and rededicated it on October 10, 1971, in front of about 25,000 people.
For RVers it is an easy add-on to a London Bridge day. Admission is by donation, the visit takes about an hour, and it sits on London Bridge Road, about 4 to 10 minutes from the RV parks below.
Photo: Charles O'Rear on Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Why it made our list
- Admission by donation
- The London Bridge story, start to finish
- McCulloch chainsaws, airline items and a gyroplane
- Native American, dam and mining history
- A rock and mineral shop inside
For RVers
Visiting the museum with an RV
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Park in the shared lot
The museum sits next to the Chamber of Commerce in the Habit Burger parking lot, a shared retail lot with no posted RV spaces. Leave the rig at camp and come in the tow vehicle, or fit the visit into a London Bridge day.
Check the days
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm and closed Sunday and Monday. Google’s listing also shows Wednesday as closed, so call (928) 302-2030 if you plan a midweek visit.
Bring the RV club
Groups of up to 20 can book a scheduled tour for $2 per person through the museum’s online form, and larger groups can ask about before- or after-hours private tours.
Plan around the heat
Summer highs average 103 to 108°F from June through August, so an indoor stop like this makes a good midday break. October through April is the most comfortable time to explore the bridge area outside.
What visitors say about Lake Havasu Museum of History
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 20, 2026.
A functioning museum since 2005.
Lake Havasu Museum of History · havasumuseum.com
What visitors often mention
Topics Google reviewers mention most
London Bridge historySmall museumFree admissionHelpful docents
Google’s review topics put London Bridge history (16 reviews) at the top, followed by the museum’s small size (7), free admission (7; the museum asks for a donation) and its informative docents (5). Checked October 20, 2026.
Minutes from camp
Typical drive times from Google Maps, checked October 20, 2026.
Good to know
AdmissionBy donation pay what fits
Group tours$2 per person, up to 20
Membership$25–$100 three levels
InsideHavasu Rocks shopMedia roomRotating exhibits
Admission, tour and membership details from the museum’s website, checked October 20, 2026. Saturday wire-wrap jewelry classes run $25 to $50 and are paid in advance.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Lake Havasu Museum of History
- Address320 London Bridge Rd., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
- HoursTue–Sat 11 am–3 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday - Phone(928) 302-2030
- AdmissionBy donation; book a group tour
- Getting thereThe museum is on London Bridge Road next to the Chamber of Commerce, a short drive north of the London Bridge.
- ParkingShared Habit Burger lot; no posted RV spaces, so bring the tow vehicle.
Hours can change for holidays and events. Call (928) 302-2030 or check the museum’s website before you go.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Lake Havasu Museum of History
These are the Lake Havasu City RV parks we have visited and written up. Lake Havasu State Park is just down London Bridge Road.
Lake Havasu State Park
Windsor Beach campground with 54 water-and-50-amp sites, three boat ramps, sandy beaches and lakeside cabins.
Havasu Falls RV Resort
Tidy full-hookup park on AZ-95 with level concrete pull-thrus, a heated pool and a busy rec hall.
Havasu RV Resort
Gated community of owner RV lots rented by the week, month or season, with two heated pools and a chip-and-putt.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Tue–Sat · 11 am–3 pm
Ready for the story behind the bridge?
Bring a donation, give yourself about an hour, then head to the bridge and see it with fresh eyes.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Charles O’Rear for the EPA’s Documerica project (1972 photos; public domain, from the U.S. National Archives), ProveIt (bridge rebuilding, 1971; CC BY-SA 3.0) and Marine 69-71 (dedication plaque; CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: Mohave Mortgage on YouTube (museum visit). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Lake Havasu Museum of History unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the museum’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the museum and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Lake Havasu Museum of History at havasumuseum.com or (928) 302-2030. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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