It contains several of the city's major theaters, sports complex, museums, and historical landmarks.

Notable attractions in Downtown Bakersfield include the Rabobank Arena, the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, the Bakersfield Museum of Art, the historic Fox Theater, the Padre Hotel, and a nightlife district centered on 19th Street and Wall Street Alley.

Major government buildings include Bakersfield City Hall, County of Kern Administrative Building, Kern County Hall of Records, Superior Court, and Municipal Court.

Another structure is the Amtrak station, which is Bakersfield's rail link to the San Joaquin Valley.

[9] Buck Owens Boulevard runs north/south, parallel to Highway 99, between Rosedale Highway/24th Street in Bakersfield, and Airport Drive in Oildale.

Buck Owens Boulevard is located near Beach Park and is the heart of Bakersfield's Country Music scene.

[9] The main attractions in the area are the original Bakersfield Sign (formerly located at the intersection of California and Union Avenues) and the Buck Owens Crystal Palace.

[11] Main points of interest include the Kern County Museum (with the Beale Memorial Clock Tower), and Sam Lynn Ballpark.

[12] It contains Lowell Park, Beale Park, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Lowell Place Senior Community, Bakersfield High School, Vista P. Continuation High School, Rafer Johnson Community School, Emerson Junior High School, Roosevelt Elementary, McKinley Elementary, William Penn Elementary, the Lowell Neighborhood Community Center, the Ebony Counseling Center, and the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce.

State Route 99 runs approximately a half-mile west of downtown and provides a north-south connection to the rest of the city.

[18] Amtrak provides rail connections to the San Joaquin Valley north of Bakersfield and several bus routes to points west, south, and east of the city.