Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose (must see)

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM) is a fascinating destination dedicated to Ancient Egypt, located in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose. Operated and supported by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), the museum is part of Rosicrucian Park and continues to expand its educational and scientific programs with AMORC’s backing.

The museum’s origins date back to 1921, when AMORC’s founder, Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis, helped fund archaeological excavations at Tel el Amarna through the Egypt Explorations Society of Boston. In return, the Society donated Egyptian antiquities to AMORC. By 1928, these formed the basis of a public exhibit called "The Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum," housed in AMORC’s administration buildings.

Dr. Lewis’ trip to Egypt in 1929 led to a major expansion of the collection. With new donations and artifacts, the museum grew to over 2,000 exhibits. His son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis, later commissioned purpose-built museum facilities, which opened in November 1966. By then, REM had become the largest collection of Ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western United States.

The museum is notable not only for its vast collection but also for its unique setting—an Egyptian Revival-style park complete with a planetarium and a full-scale replica of a rock-cut tomb, modeled after tombs at Beni Hasan. Designed to provide visitors with an immersive experience, this replica is based on detailed sketches and photographs taken by Rosicrucian expeditions.

Today, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum continues to blend mysticism, history, and science in an environment that feels both educational and otherworldly.