The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the
Exploratorium with Kids
With hundreds of interactive exhibits available to it’s visitors, kids and parents can easily spend hours tinkering around at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Here is everything you absolutely need to know to make your family visit to the Exploratorium great!
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Exploratorium: Where touching the exhibits is highly encouraged.
Not very many museums actually encourage its guests to touch all the exhibits, so the fact that most of the things at the Exploratorium is hand-on and interactive makes this place a big favorite among San Francisco visitors and locals alike.
Kids can practically touch everything here!
In this post, we’ll first dive into some must know facts and frequently asked questions to make planning your visit to the Exploratorium easier, which will in turn help you make the most out of your family visit to the Exploratorium of San Francisco.
Then we’ll get into the really fun stuff. We’ll explore some must-see, family-friendly exhibits at the museum that will fascinate your kids with unforgettable science lessons.
What is
The Exploratorium?
The Exploratorium is a great museum that’s centered around science, art, and technology. It’s perfect for science-loving families who enjoy learning through hands-on tinkering.
The Exploratorium has been a big local favorite for years. And it’s no wonder. With 600+ fun and captivating activities, this special place leaves all visitors with fond memories and new knowledge about science.
To help you better imagine what it’s like to visit the Exploratorium, in the past people have described it as “a mad scientist’s penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one.”
This description is 100% accurate.
Where is The Exploratorium?
Exploratorium is located right along the beautiful San Francisco Bay at Pier 15.
This is a poplar part of San Francisco that is well-loved by both visiting tourists and city locals.
What else can I do nearby the Exploratorium?
The Exploratorium is close to many tourist attractions like Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Ferry Building, so you can easily incorporate a trip the the Exploratorium, when visiting these destinations.
Click below for some of cheap and fun things to do with your kids at San Francisco’s popular attraction: PIER 39. Exploring San Francisco doesn’t
have to break the bank!
How much are tickets to the Exploratorium?
| Adults (ages 18–64) | $39.95 |
| Youth (ages 4–17) | $29.95 |
| Seniors (ages 65+) | $29.95 |
| Children (ages 3 & under) | FREE |
CLICK HERE to get your family’s tickets to the EXPLORATORIUM
FREE ADMISSION IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS:
California Public School Teachers (with application process)
GO CITY PASS
Admission to the Exploratorium is also accessible through the Go City pass.
The Go City pass is a great way to save a lot money on admission to the top attractions and must-see sights in San Francisco.
With this pass you can see your choice of several San Francisco bucket-list destination with just one discounted rate. It’s a great option for families looking to visit multiple San Francisco attractions over the course of their vacation.
CLICK HERE to get your All-inclusive San Francisco Go City Pass
Exploratorium: Frequently Asked Questions
When’s the best time to visit the Exploratorium?
Weekends, holidays, and school breaks tend to be the busiest time at the Exploratorium.
If possible, avoid going during these times and aim to go during the week.
What time is the Exploratorium open?
Sunday: Noon–5:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed
Tuesday–Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Sunday (Daytime members and Donors only): 10:00 a.m.–Noon
Can I buy food at the Exploratorium?
There are two cafes located inside the Exploratorium: The Sea Glass Restaurant and the Seismic Joint Cafe.
What’s the parking situation like at the Exploratorium?
There is plenty of parking available near the Exploratorium. The surrounding area offers metered street parking which max out at 2 hours. There are also a couple of paid parking lots right across the street from the Exploratorium, along with another paid lot down the street at Pier 19.
What age is the Exploratorium for?
Also, some of the activities revolve around more complex ideas such as atoms, sounds waves, optical illusions that may not fully align with a toddlers interests.
What exhibits are best for toddlers at the Exploratorium?
- Soap film painting
- Shadow room
- Rainbow shadows.
- Fog bridge
- Balancing ball
- Cloud rings
- Colored circles
- Illuminated fog
How much time do I need at the Exploratorium?
With literally hundreds of hands-on exhibits at the Exploratorium, you will want to set aside a good amount of time for your visit here.
While it is possible to hit up the most popular exhibits in 2 hours, in order to really take your time and soak in each activity, expect to spend 3-4 hours at the Exploratorium.
What are the best exhibits at the Exploratorium of San Francsico?
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into the good stuff: the exhibits.
With so many exhibits, its understandable that anyone might feel overwhelmed with determining where to start.
While there’s no wrong way to explore the Exploratorium, here are just a small handful of favorites you’ll definitely want to put on your Exploratorium bucket list.
Recollections
There is no doubt that all Exploratorium guests will get a kick out of the Recollections exhibit.
With this exhibit, you and your family will walk into a dark room that has a huge screen of colorful, moving projections on it. As you walk and move throughout this space, you’ll notice that the projections on the screen actually mimic your every movement. YOU create the beautiful art on the wall.
According to the Exploratorium’s website,
“participants are able to explore animated effects such as how sequences of images create movement. By displaying sequences simultaneously, movement forms are created.”
Recommended age groups for this exhibit
- toddlers
- elementary/middle/high school age kids
- adults
- seniors
Museum of the Moon
This exhibit will absolutely blow your mind, especially if you’ve ever just sat, started up, and marveled at the moon.
The Museum of the Moon consists of a NASA image of the moon that’s wrapped around a huge sphere which appears to be floating in mid-air.
The image shows every bump, crater, and cliff on our stunning moon at a scale of about 1:700,000. That would mean that every centimeter on this giant sphere would equal to 7 kilometers on the actual moon!
Recommended age groups for this exhibit
- middle/high school age kids
- adults
- seniors
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Monochromatic Room
This confusing, colorless room will leave you feeling like you can’t trust your eye sight.
With only yellowish light, all objects in the room appear yellow or orange. In this room there’s no red, no blue, no green, and no purple…
…that is until you shine a white light on the room. Then and only then will you discover the true colors in the monochromatic space.
Your kids will have so much fun shining the provided flashlights on objects around the room to reveal their vibrant colors.
Recommended age groups for this exhibit
- toddlers
- elementary/middle/high school age kids
- adults
- seniors
Sensitive Plants
This particular Exploratorium exhibit let’s your family engage with plants that are sensitive to touch.
With this activity, kids are encouraged to gently touch the leaves on the plants and then observe them for a few seconds.
If the plants aren’t overstimulated, upon touch, the leaves will close up as if they are shying away from you. It’s really fun so see!
In the wild, these plants will close up during heavy rains or when they are touched by animals passing by.
Recommended age group for this exhibit
- elementary/middle/high school aged kids
- adults
- seniors
Indoor Tornado
This wonderful, interactive work of art doubles as a great science lesson and is an instant favorite among kids of all ages.
The fans on the floor of this exhibits blow air in a swirling motion to mimic the airflow in a thunderstorm. Fog is also thrown into the mix to make the air pattern visible, which will appear like a small indoor tornado.
Kids will get a real kick out of disturbing the tornado by walking through it or waving their hand across it. Then, they can watch it form again.
Recommended age group for this exhibit
- toddlers
- elementary/middle/high school aged kids
- adults
- seniors
Shadow Box
The Shadow Box exhibit at the Exploratorium is another big favorite among all kids.
The Shadow Box is a room that’s lined with really special phosphorescent material. “What’s so special about it,” you ask?
It’s special because it has the ability to capture moments and freeze your shadow on the wall.
You and the family will have a blast striking silly poses against the wall to make awesome shadows that you can step away from and admire from a distance.
Recommended age group for this exhibit
- toddlers
- elementary/middle/high school aged kids
- adults
- se
Cow Eye Dissection
Another activity that non-squeamish kids would learn a lot from at the Exploratorium is the cow eye dissection demonstration.
The the Exploratorium schedules cow eye dissections several times every day for visitors to watch. While this might sound gross, it actually is a really engaging way for kids to learn about the eye’s anatomy in order to understand how their own eyes allow them to see.
Recommended age group for this exhibit
- elementary/middle/high school aged kids
- adults
- seniors
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Tips and Tricks for a Great Exploratorium Day
- Most galleries at the Exploratorium are very dimly lit which might make it hard to keep track of tiny tots. This is especially so on busy days. Consider putting little glow bracelets on toddlers to make them easier to find in case they wander off in a dark, crowded gallery.
- While strollers are allow, consider going without one on busy days. It can get crowded.
- Don’t forget to enjoy the view of the San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge just outside the Exploratorium.
- Don’t miss out on the outdoor exhibits!
- If you are sensitive to strobing lights, just know that some exhibits a made up of flashing lights.
- Re-entry is allowed, so if you plan on leaving the Exploratorium and returning later in the day, remember to get a hand stamp on the way out.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes. The Exploratorium is huge and you’ll be on your feet most of the time.
- Keep your hands free by storing your belongings in a backpack or fanny pack. You’ll want to be have full range of motion in order to enjoy the exhibits.
In Conclusion
Add the Exploratorium to your
San Francisco bucket list
While the Exploratorium might look like a kid-centered museum, there is so much in it that would perfect for people of every age. This means that there is something here for the entire family.
It’s a place where kids can run through a tornado, play with giant bubbles, see the inside of an eyeball, and experiment with mirrors all under one roof.
It’s also a place where grown ups can enjoy a gorgeous view of the bay, get an up-close look at the surface of the moon, and play with optical illusions.
So on your next visit to the City by the Bay, make sure to set aside some time to tinker, explore, get curious, a make memories together at the Exploratorium of San Francisco.
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