Located in San Francisco, California, the Exploratorium is a public learning laboratory exploring the world through science, art, and human perception.
Our mission is to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide. Our vision is a world where people think for themselves and can confidently ask questions, question answers, and understand the world around them. We value lifelong learning and teaching, curiosity and inquiry, our community, iteration and evidence, integrity and authenticity, sustainability, and inclusion and respect.
We create tools and experiences that help you to become an active explorer: hundreds of explore-for-yourself exhibits, a website with over 35,000 pages of content, film screenings, evening art and science events for adults, plus much more. We also create professional development programs for educators, and are at the forefront of changing the way science is taught. We share our exhibits and expertise with museums worldwide.
It was my first time back to the Exploratorium since they relocated it to Pier 15 along SF's Embarcadero in 2013. It's just as fun as it was when I was a kid! HUGE place, you can spend hours there & probably not hit every exhibit they have. Great for kids & adults of all ages.
They don't have their own parking garage but you can park at the Embarcadero garage, I think they validate you for parking. Otherwise there's a few lots nearby. I'm from the north Bay Area so I personally prefer taking the ferry to get here.
The most fun hands on museum in CA. We are two adults, stayed in this music for 2 hours, tried almost every sections. It's a lot of fun, good dating ideal for adults. And of course, here is a heaven for kids. all kinds of experiments made learning much fun for kids, way better than read text books.
This place is fascinating for ANY age group (though I think 7-10 is the prime range)! We went on the weekend and it was absolutely packed. They have so many different fun activities that cultivate curiosity and are incredibly intriguing. There are so many little things that it would take a whole day to do them all - even without crowds! My favorite was the small artwork you see through a microscope. So cool! I think we would come back with kids one day!
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