Exploratorium

Wer mit Kindern in San Francisco unterwegs ist, der sollte ein paar Stunden für dieses «Museum» einplanen. Hier können Kinder in Selbstversuchen vieles etwa über Strom, Schall usw. lernen. Eine wirklich schöné Sache, bei der die Zeit im Nu vergeht ohne das man es merkt. Eine tolle Alternative zu vielen anderen Outdoor-​Sehenswürdigkeiten besonders bei schlechtem Wetter.

Coolest science museum around. Captivates both young and old. They make a lot of their own exhibits which are custom and Ahhhmazing. I would love to come back but honestly too expensive for a family. Very memorable.

Went here for the After Dark event for adults at $ 15 so no complaints!
This place is pretty cool and there are lots of stuff to play with and learn from.
Pretty common to see couples come here for date night.
The best part, lots of this stuff ain’t sticky compared to museum in San Jose… man that place felt disgusting. Need that alcohol gel with me all the time.

I haven’t been here in years. The last time I was here, the place was in the Palace of Fine arts, but I guess they needed a location that was in more of a prime real estate location as well as being larger.
This place is great for kids and adults alike. There are not enough hours in the day to fully explore this place and enjoy all the little mini adventures you will have. Plus, if you spend a few seconds at one of the attractions a line will form and sometimes your space will be invaded who don’t care about the rules of space.
Still, this is an amazing place to visit as there is so much to do. It reminded me of Studio Ghibli at times, as it’s a museum for kids and adults alike, and you will actually learn a lot from your experience. A great time.

3 étoiles, ça peut paraître un peu sévère pour l’un des plus connus des musées de SF, récemment déménagé du Palace of Fine Arts (dont je me demande ce qu’ils vont faire maintenant) vers le Pier 15, sur Embarcadero.
Mais l’Exploratorium me fait fortement penser à la California Academy of Sciences: c’est un musée pour les enfants ! Bien sûr très bien fait, tout est conçu pour comprendre la science, les mathématiques, la biologie, la physique, la chimie et même les sciences sociales et comportementales, via la pratique et l’expérimentation. Quelques expériences sont vraiment sympa et sortent du lot, comme les illusions basées sur des miroirs. Mais pas plus que son cousin du Golden Gate Park, l’Exploratorium n’arrive à intéresser tous les publics, au contraire d’autres musées comparables en Europe comme la Cité des Sciences à Paris par exemple.
C’est donc une très bonne idée de sortie avec vos enfants (ou ceux des autres), mais pour un adulte avec une culture scientifique décente, ça né vaut pas le coup de dépenser la fortune exigée à l’entrée (29 $ !).

Amazing! I can’t believe it took us so long to make it to this location. It is really fabulous. We had 5 kids with us ranging in ages from 3 – 11 and they all had a great time and found things that they had fun playing with and exploring.
The only bummer is that the tactile dome was sold out. So it were going to try to buy those tickets online next time. I have memories of losing my mind in the old tactile dome because I was a total wuss as kid and afraid of the dark. It’s only fair to inflict the same type of memory on my children.

5 hours was not even close to being long enough to enjoy all of the things that the Exploratorium had to offer. I absolutely loved seeing my kids’ minds turn with each exhibit! Although there were a bunch of people at the time, this place is enormous with many things to see and explore, so it doesn’t feel too crowded. The restaurant inside the Exploratorium was nice although it is quite small. I do enjoy the «healthier» choices they have to offer like a variety of salads, whole wheat spaghetti, grass-​fed burgers on a whole wheat bun, fruits, etc. The desserts looked scrumptious, but I opted to not have one this trip. next time I think I’ll try something cause they had so many different things! We absolutely loved this place and will be back whenever we get the chance to visit San Francisco again. Anyone of all ages will love coming here. you will get lost in all of the excitement!
My pieces of advice to anyone planning a trip to the Exploratorium: arrive early, plan to spend some money for tickets and if you’re eating at the restaurant located inside, be patient and kind, allow everyone to have a turn, and please watch your kids!!! I don’t know how many parents lost track of their kids on the day we went.

The Exploratorium is a magical place! Though they moved out of the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts, their new space allows more people to engage with the exhibits at once. There’s kids everywhere of course, but this makes the exhibits more lively even if you’re older. Being closer to the Bay at their new location, they have new areas that focus on creatures and the history of the ecosystem. They even have a neat timeline simulation of the seismic activity in San Francisco and the fish in the little aquarium are enthralling.
The Exploratorium is a must visit for anyone at least once; its rich history (founded by Dr. Frank Oppenheimer), artists’ created exhibits, and exploration in design and tinkering is unfounded. If you cannot stand the kids, go for their After Dark Thursday nights. With so much to see and learn here you’re sure to have a memorable time; it even makes for a sweet date spot.

Great for kids and adults alike!
A little less than ½ mile from the Ferry Building so I can hit two spots with one stone (one Bart ride from Fremont to Embarcadero haha).
I wasn’t sure what to expect but I enjoyed it as much as my daughter did. Right when you enter into the «Exploratorium» area, you’re surrounded by all these gizmos and gadgets that teach you how things worked. Everything is very hands on and there are instructions on how and what to do.
There’s literally something in every nook and cranny of this place. Everywhere you turn, there’s something different to look at, touch, or tinker with. I was learning about things I didn’t know about too lol
It was a little dark inside but it made everything that lit up look even more amazing! At one area of the Exploratorium, you can get a nice view of the pier and ocean. They set up wooden rocking chairs for you to sit and enjoy the view.
It really is almost a whole day’s worth of exploring because there’s so much to look at. I recommend coming early when they open to make sure you get to check everything out. Don’t forget to go upstairs too!
Also.they have these little lockers right at the beginning that can play musical notes when you touch the handles. It’s 50cents to open and store your belongings and 50cents to open again to retrieve it. Pretty cool.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
We came to SF a few months ago and had seen the outdoor exhibits (serious fun, totally for free, I already liked their style), and vowed to actually go in the museum next time we were in the area.
Cue a few weeks ago when we were in SF again– first thing on the list is the Exploratorium. It was amazing, completely reasonably priced, and we honestly could’ve spent the entire day there. There are so many different exhibits, and it hits interests on so many different levels– you’ve got the super science-​based stuff for your engineer types (my husband) and the general knowledge «Wow! I see _​_​_​_​every day and never knew it worked that way!» based stuff (me).
Just talking about it makes me want to go back. I would recommend this museum to anyone, any age, with any type of interests/​hobbies. The only thing I would suggest to bring is patience. People will mob certain exhibits and take quite a long time to clear out; if you really are interested, either take a deep breath and wait or circle back. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

I went for the Sexplorations after hours on a Thursday night. It was awesome. I never knew I could be entertained watching live sea urchin insemination! I recommend checking out a special after hours event to avoid kids taking over everything and get some special exhibits.
The tactile dome is a must! It costs extra and doesn’t take that long, but its a super cool experience.
All of the different sections are super cool and very diverse. You could easily spend a couple hours just going through the standard attractions, so don’t expect to see everything if you go for after hours. The living section with plants and animals was from favorite part, but I spent maybe the most time in the sound section, just listening to everything.
The restaurant is worth it too. Not too expensive and a lot of options. I got spicy carnitas fries and a stevia soda. Other options were sushi, mussels, and mixed sandwiches.

Interesting museum with tons of hands on exhibits.
The Exploratorium is very much so a play-​as-​you-​go type of museum. Every exhibit here is educational yet entertaining at the same time. There are so many little contraptions and gadgets to check out, you’ll need a whole day to get through them all.
It’s a visit once and get it out of your system type of place, but definitely a great place to bring kids.
We happened to venture here on the first Tuesday of the month so entrance was free (I highly recommend you do this to avoid large weekend crowds and save on some costs — especially if you’re going as a large group).

«TURN THE PAGE, WASH YOUR HANDS. TURN THE PAGE, WASH YOUR HANDS» — Filburt (Rocko’s Modern Life)
Museum is pretty big, and has a lot of interactive activities… thus, tons of dirty hands touching everything! Kids are pretty unsanitary, and unfortunately some adults are too — people picking their noses, unprotected coughs/​sneezes, scratching of the butts/​balls. Just, gross. If you can’t wash your hands in between activities, bring some hand sanitizer. In fact, just drench your entire body in hand sanitizer ya filthy bastard. lol. jk. ;)
My most memorable activity was the cow eye dissection presentation. The volunteers conducting the demonstration were high schoolers, and I was quite impressed. They were very good — informative, engaging, and even offered hands on activities to the younger spectators. I wish I had the opportunity to play and learn, or even teach eyeballs when I was at that age. I learned about the anatomy of the eye when I was in my twenties, and dissection of (animal) body parts slowly followed. I am a current healthcare provider, so I enjoyed watching «future» healthcare providers taking charge of their future — or so I thought. Those teenie boopers, aren’t even interested in the health field! Upon further discussion, I learned that they (yes, both of them) want to go into engineering! Bastards! lol. jk. It’s okay though. Everyone goes into the health care, eventually. It’s better to figure it out early on, but oh well. It will happen, and they will just have to learn the hard way. ;)
One thing I do want to note is the expensive entrance fee, and standard museum hours. If you plan to visit, plan accordingly. You don’t want to pay a pretty penny, and not have enough time to thoroughly enjoy the museum. Considering the amount of activities provided, and the size of the place, you need at least +2 hours.
Monday: Closed.
Tuesday — Sunday 10−5pm.
Adults: $ 29… Locals: $ 22
Seniors, students, disabilities, youth (13 – 17): $ 24… Locals: $ 19
Youth (4 – 12): $ 19… Locals: $ 17
Every Thursday evening for $ 15 from 6pm-​10pm, they offer a weekly «After Dark» presentation for adults. Now, if you pick your nose, have unprotected coughs/​sneezes, scratch your butt/​balls but with a cocktail in your hand, at least you have an excuse. jk. Certain Thursdays they offer After Dark: Pairings. I think that is just another name for specialized yet limited h’orderves to coincide with the event planned for the week. In my opinion, they should offer it weekly and make it a Happy Hour thing. Us nerds also like snacks too, you know. We just never had the opportunity to enjoy it safely, or simply enjoy it at all. At least now, we can experience it within the haven of The Exploratorium. lol.

This museum has so many educational and fun exhibits, it’ll be impossible to get through them all in one visit, unless you’re prepared to spend an entire day there. The location is great and I like how they have some exhibits outside on the pier that take advantage of the museum’s proximity to the water. I definitely recommend visiting to anyone who enjoys museums, especially those who like physics, nature, science, and math.
I docked a point — and was very tempted to dock 2 — because they sell way too many tickets. We went last Thursday night and it was mayhem. Almost all of the exhibits (which all require interaction in order to be understood) were already occupied or had a line of people waiting. So we only got to «interact» with 5 – 10 exhibits. And during that time, we were so aware of how much time we were taking (b/​c a line quickly formed) that we couldn’t fully enjoy ourselves. On top of that, all of the lockers were full so we couldn’t check our bags and coats and the lines for drinks were at least 20 minutes long. I expect to be shoulder-​shoulder and have to wait for a long time for a drink at a club or bar, not a museum.

I know this caters mostly to children, but it is still a lot of fun for grown ups!
They changed a bit since 2014, but I still enjoyed the exhibit. I still enjoy going onto a shadow image room, or the room where you shine light in a mostly colorless room to reveal a more vibrant color of the spot in the room you’re pointing at.
They’re also working on more exhibits, so I’ll keep coming back to see what’s new.

This place is amazing! I don’t know why I never came here before.
1) It’s HUUUUUGEEE. I arrived at 715pm and barely finished ¹⁄₃^rd of it by close time 10pm.
2) Tickets are normally $ 29, but I got mine for $ 10 on UpOut Insider (subscribe) for Exploratorium after Dark Thursdays.
3) They have food and drinks and it’s 18+ Thurs nights only, but it’s great for kids, adults, anyone!
4) The wings all vary in science theme, but everything is amazing and fun to experiment is.
5) I learned so much
6) The decaying rats was cool, the color theme arousal, music wings, tons of mind illusions, just wow.
7) Lots of art photo ops too.
Find a way to get here (5 min walk from Embarcadero Bart), it’s awesome. I’ll be back on another Thurs soon.

One of the coolest places to visit in the city! This place is awesome, especially if you’re a big kid at heart and wanting to go and play with other big kids (cue after hour nights). There’s always a new exhibit or something going on that can piqué your interest. The adult after hour events are awesome to attend, because they offer not only beer and wine, but also food to keep your energy levels up while running through this place.
You could visit this place many times and never get through it completely because there is always something new being offered.
Definitely a place to check out if you’re visiting for vacation, with friends, or on a date.
Likes:
–great place to visit with friends or on a date (check out their adult-​only events)
Dislikes:
–I wish they offered more adult nights
–parking can be crazy expensive (take public transit if you can and save your parking money for the beer instead)

This is one of the best places in all of San Francisco to fill your need for kinesthetic learning. Everything here is hands on, so it’s appealing to both children and adults of all ages. Some of the exhibits may be too advanced for the younger children, but that’s the great thing about coming here, you have plenty of tools to help make learning more fun and less strenuous. All of the exhibits are awesome here, but I think that the shadow room, Lego Batman symphony, and see through pinball machine should be at the top of your list if you stop by for a visit.

This place has a lot to offer in terms of cool things to come see and do in the city of San Francisco. I know there’s a lot of reviews already on this place so instead of telling you exactly what’s inside let me summarize the parts I liked and didn’t like and leave it up to you if you want to come explore.
In the plus column:
–Not far of a walk from Ferry Bldg. If you can make your way to the Embarcadero Center, then your within walking distance of the Pier 15. It goes by fairly fast, but with little ones you might want to pay for bicycle taxi. Bring cash for that. Problem is they only seem to be around on weekends only. Bring snacks! If the kitchen is down at Exploratorium no food places until your back near Ferry Bldg. Or your kid might not like what’s offered at Exploratorium then that short walk back to Ferry Bldg. feels enormous with younger ones in tow.
–Lots of interactive displays. Interesting for all ages. Maybe best 5+ years of age. Noise level high in the front, gets quieter the deeper into the museum you go.
–You could spend a whole afternoon here. There is almost too much information to take in, in one trip. Membership is worth it if you plan to go 2 – 3 a year. Otherwise, once a year is enough for me, but there’s also other cool museums to visit, so I don’t know how often we’ll be coming back.
In the negative column:
–Extremely popular place. They seem to have no limit on how many people they let in. Try to not get offended when some rude kid hijacks your kids spot in front of a display. Parents these days seem to like to let there kids go free range, and not willing to teach their kids to wait their turn. Can be aggravating at times.
–It’s kind of dark in certain spots in the museum to see certain displays better. However, the net effect is I felt very tired after 2 hours of straining my eyes. I was ready for a nap.
Overall, cool place to come to visit. I got some fantastic pics of the family. Worth it just to check it off the bucket list of places to explore in SF.

Great place to spend an afternoon with the kids! Lots of experiments and exhibits for them to tinker with. And for me, there is a nice café in the back with sashimi and beer.
Park at Embarcadero 4, and bring the ticket to the Exploratorium for validation. With validation parking only costs $ 10, which makes parking the only item that is cheap for the entire excursion.
I wish there were some hand sanitizing stations throughout. Hands-​on experiments + sick kids that should stay home instead = germs for all.
Family membership is a good deal if you plan on multiple visits during the year.

One of my friends is an Exploratorium member. He invited me to the Exploratorium’s Member Holiday Party, and I jumped at the chance to see it at night.
The Exploratorium has a different vibe for nighttime activities. First of all, there are generally more adults and fewer kids around. That makes it a little quieter inside. It’s also much darker of course, but that makes any illumination really stand out. There were two huge rhombus-​shaped LED displays overhead which put on a colorful and festive show.
I loved every moment of the party. We grabbed some pretzel snacks and Clif bars on our way to a delicious chicken tinga bowl served with salad, rice, beans, and tortilla chips. Needless to say, the dining area was packed with guests. My friends had been to member events before so they knew to make a beeline for the food. I just followed their lead.
If you are at the back and head upstairs, you can see the lights of the Bay Bridge from the outside viewing platform. That area was covered over with clear plastic tarps, so it’s not as cold out there as you might think. There was a nice woman softly playing the ukulele in the shadows. I thought it made for excellent mood music.
I like how restrooms are always nearby. They are located at the front, middle and back of the Exploratorium, and there is one upstairs as well. Remember to wash your hands frequently. Everything you touch has been touched numerous times by little hands!

Parking: find any spot and just park there as it’s The City, and you’re going to struggle with parking! My friends and I parked at the Public Parking on the Greenwish street near R&J Market– with your admission ticket, the first 4 hours is only a total of $ 10.
Refreshment: We didn’t eat in the café, but The Exploritorium had offered us Hot Cider! Thanks!
WiFi: NONE
Side Note: be prepared to be pushed out of the way by not only rambunctious children, but adults on dates! I’m next in line to try this art sketch thing and a girl sends her guy to shove me out of the way. Wow, if that’s the girl you’re looking for, you guys are a perfect match to be paired up as the grouchy couple!
$ 29:
Adults (18 – 64)
$ 24:
Seniors
People with disabilities
Teachers
Students
Youth (13 – 17)
$ 19:
Youth (4 – 12)
FREE
Children (3 & under)
Members (Join us!)
California Public School Teachers (Teachers: Apply for free admission)

Went here on a field trip with my class, and four other 4^th/​5^th grade classes. The kids loved it! There was so much for them to see and do, and it was all really hands-​on. The staff was really accommodating, and it was extremely easy to get a reservation for all five of our classes. They also offer a free program for Title 1 schools, which is great because it provides access to all students, no matter circumstances. The only reason, I didn’t give it 5 stars is because the bus parking is difficult-​but c’mon, it is San Francisco, ya know?

The only museum I’ve been to so far that definitely was worth my time! Very hands-​on museum!
I took my friend here since I was given two free tickets. Admission usually would be $ 15. I parked across the building and came here After Dark hours which was after 6 pm. Luckily, I found a parking spot which offered only 25 cents /​hour! It was near the news station building.
If you have any bags or items that you don’t want to carry, the Exploratorium has lockers which you could rent out. The lockers are pretty big so don’t worry about it.
What’s really cool with the Exploratorium is that you could drink while you go around the museum! The bartender makes some really good margaritas!
My favorite activity in this museum was the activity where you have to walk across pebbles and you have to do it as quiet as possible. Another notable activity was when you get to choose up to four colors and you move this table back and forth and it creates some really cool pictures.
This is a great place to take friends who don’t live around the area and I highly suggest going!

I was able to check out this fun place with my boyfriend’s sister. While you may think this is a place just for kids, we had a blast there, and we were so disappointed when they shut down the lights and all the exhibits at 5:00…we wanted to stay there longer!
Initially, we were a bit hesitant to go inside because it’s $ 29.00/adult, which we thought was expensive at the moment. We weren’t sure if it was just for kids, especially with elementary school students stampeding out of the museum around 2:00. However, we briefly looked at the Unilocal reviews and decided to just go for it. We were both so glad we took a chance with this place!
TIP: If you’re a student, it’ll be $ 24/​person. If you can make it on a Thursday night, they have an awesome Night at the Exploratorium for $ 15/​person from 6−10pm. If I stayed on a Thursday, I would definitely go here at this time because it’s such a great deal!
First off, this place is hands-​on for every exhibit. While we felt like we had to wash our hands every few exhibits, this place is well-​kept and very clean for the most part.
The Exploratorium has six sections: (1) Human Phenomena (social behavior/​psychology), (2) Tinkering (building things with your hands, (3) Seeing & Listening (light, vision, sound, and hearing), (4) Living Systems (organisms and ecosystems), (5) Outdoor Exhibits (winds, tides, and natural phenomena, and (6) Observing Landscapes.
If you go with one other person, you can do activities with each other. We did one where one person reads a card, and the other person has his/​her hand in clip that detects if you’re excited or not. Our favorite room was in the human phenomena section where you go in a room and there’s different changing lights that trace your body. Definitely stayed in there for a long time acting silly lol. We also enjoyed an exhibit where you try to walk across gravel and stay the quietest among your friends.
If you want to take your time, go from open to close (10am-​5pm), but I think we had more space and ability to play with the exhibits because we went on a weekday in the late afternoon so that the school children had already left at that point. I would love to go back to this place. I highly recommend spending an afternoon here with anyone of all ages! I saw a cute family where a dad was teaching his daughter about science. What a fun way to teach/​learn and bond as a parent-​child :)

We came here on free founders day so you can imagine how crowded it was. But even with that this place is a ⁵⁄₅.
It’s huge!!! Even with us rushing through everything it still took us 2 hours and on top of that we did not see everything! Don’t think it’s a kiddie place too, a lot of the activities they have here can be suited for adults. I also like that for each activity they have a «Why does this happen?» It explains the science of things.
If you’re thinking about coming here just come. It won’t be time wasted. They have tons of things here that definitely piques curiosity and interest. I know I’ll be back later to go through all of the exhibits :)

This is one of those San Francisco hot spots you always avoid going to because of the crowds — and rightly so, it gets pretty busy. In fact, for any spots on the water front, I’d come early and leave by early afternoon if at all possible, and the Exploratorium is no exception.
It’s a bit pricey, but not unusual for SF tourist spots, and if you stay all day, easily worthwhile. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling that great, and we were on a schedule, so my son and I only stayed a couple of hours, and got to interact with maybe only ¹⁄₃ of the exhibits. His favorite was the marble run, but sheer range of demonstrations of science is amazing.
I didn’t check out the menu at the café, so I don’t know what the vegan options looked like (what I did see is some highly questionable hotdogs), but there’s a great area outside with some exhibits and picnic benches if you bring your own lunch, which is probably recommended due to the likely food prices.
You definitely need to go once, and go early.

This place is amazing! I went in here on one of their random free days (10÷11÷15), so everyone who went here that day was so lucky. It was so unexpected, too. My mom and my sister were walking the piers the day prior and planned to visit Exploratorium the following day without knowing it be free. That being said, I don’t think this place advertises free days, for obvious reasons. I’d like to thank UNIQLO for sponsoring this free event. They really made my vacation to San Fran much better!
Due to the fact that it was a free event, the place was so packed! I hardly was able to tinker with the little activities spread throughout the building because so many people were using them. Despite that, I still had a great time.
This was a place where adults, such as myself, are excused to act like little kids again. There were quite a few interesting things here that I learned or refreshed my memory on from my college days. You should really check out the Social Psychology section. There’s a lot about us, humans, that you don’t know — or probably already do.
The attached store is full of interesting gadgets targeted toward children. Adults would find it cool, too, but can wind up as junk in the long haul. They do have some books there I wanted to purchase, but I knew I would not read them when I got home. If you have kids, you should definitely invest in some of their books here. I mean, you’re kids will learn a lot if they’re open to science. Nerds in the making. You gotta love that!

Review #900 is going to The Exploratorium. I have very clouded memories of the original location when it was at the Palace of Fine Arts. I was still in grade school, but I do remember having a blast and being so fascinated with all the exhibits. Fast forward many years later to its move to Pier 15 which is a much larger venue and more easily accessible to reach since it’s right on the Embarcadero. When it finally re-​opened, my inner-​grade school-​self really got excited about it. Probably because I haven’t gone back since that time. Well, after being a member for the last few years since it reopened, it’s become quite an interesting hangout for me.
Because I haven’t visited the Exploratorium since I was back in grade school a lot of the exhibits all seemed brand new to me. There’s so much ground to cover!
Here’s a brief gallery of some of my favorite exhibits:
The Fog Bridge –
The Tinkering Clock –
Illuminated Fog –
The Kaleidescope –
(photo credit to Danah W.)
The Concave Mirror –
(photo credit to Danah W.)
The Toothpick Exhibit –
Other cool exhibits to check out that I don’t have pics of are the Tactile Dome, the Shadow Box, the Pressure Geysers, and Fog Ring Maker. Of course, all of these are just a mini sample of exhibits that The Exploratorium.
Because I’m a member, I like how I can always just drop by whenever and move at a slow pace with each exhibit. There is definitely no possible way you’ll be able to cover all the exhibits in one day, unless you’re The Flash. And Member Nights are awesome! They’re the least crowded of times and they have a lot of live exhibits, speakers, and sometimes they even have free food. Another cool thing to note is that my membership is a Dual Explorer, so I can always bring a guest with me for free. It’s been a great perk for me to bring people who’ve never experienced it before. And they always seem to have great responses.
The Exploratorium is definitely a place you want to check out if whether you’re visiting SF or even if for locals like me. There are plenty of things to see and do here and you can spend a lot of time here. And trust on this when I say that you’ll feel like a kid again when tinkering with the exhibits.

Wow. This isn’t your father’s Exploratorium!
Moving from the long time home and previous digs near the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium has settled in an expansive and brand spanking new space on Pier 15, just a short walking distance from the Ferry Building and the waterfront. The gorgeous views of the Bay, the multi-​level floors of activities and exhibits, and even the cafeteria represent an updated and modern museum experience that is probably unmatched elsewhere in the Bay Area.
While admissions prices are on the higher side and you would also have to compare with the also excellent Academy of Sciences, I’m not sure the two are even the same as I found the Exploratorium to be much more massive and to almost have an endless amount of exhibits. The fact that each exhibit is based upon science is perhaps icing on the cake and the large space makes it seem that even on weekends there are definitely outdoor areas or upper floor areas that still don’t feel that crowded especially compared to all the other Bay Area alternatives that most have gone too.
I’d say the perfect audience is probably for school age kids, but there’s plenty of activities for those young at heart as well.
Perhaps the best part was after a busy morning and a plan to walk to the very crowded Ferry Building for lunch on a sunny weekend day, we stumbled upon the Exploratorium Café. Yes, prices are a bit high. But the variety of food (Humphry Slocombe! Sashimi! Mary’s Chicken! Udon! Fish and Chips!) they served as well as the quality and convenience were all up there that I think it was the perfect match for the museum. I like the Academy of Sciences but I think I was overall more impressed with the space and food here than I was over there. Consider me a fan.
Exploratorium accepts credit cards including American Express. Better yet, have a friend with an annual membership.

Oh My GOSH! If I could give this place 20 stars I would. I came in with my 8 year old not sure what expect, and was blown away! Every display is hands-​on. We took micro-​second photos of water dropping into a cup, played with light, sound, moving things, electricity, and visual effects. We spent the entire day loving every moment. We both even learned a few things in the process. The Exploratorium is a wonderland of physics in action.
If you have kids, you simply have to take them and experience it for yourself.
On a side note, we came here from Vacaville on the BART, and the Embarcadero station is a quick 5 minute walk.

The Exploratorium is a hands-​on learning museum where every exhibit reinforces science principles in some way. It’s a 330,000 sq ft. center located at Pier 15 at The Embarcadero.
We got there two hours before closing time on Sunday and that wasn’t nearly enough time to discover all the place had to offer. We probably made it ¼ of the way through.
The place is filled with science experiments. As you walk through the space you can try, touch and fiddle with everything. Most of the exhibits I saw were related to physics and kinematics. There were toddlers, elementary aged children and teens; all of them were engaged in play… a lot of the parents were too.
I didn’t see any information with the exhibits to explain how/​why they worked. The children were too busy exhibit hopping to read anyway. A place like this sparks their curiosity about why things work instead of giving them textbook information. If they think something is cool enough they’ll probably be inspired to figure out the science behind it later.

One of the most popular displays was the water fountain near the entrance. Yes, a water fountain. It looked like a functioning commode. You had to lean into the toilet bowl to take a drink. Needless to say this was the big photo op.
My favorite exhibit was the millisecond photography booth. It let you photograph the moment when a drop of water fell into a puddle of water. Setting and resetting the timer (in milliseconds) produced unique water splashes that looked like art. You could see the resulting images on a TV screen and they were just beautiful!
I didn’t love everything. I saw lots of hand to mouth coughing and nose wiping followed by exhibit play. Naturally the youngest children have no concept of germs but it’s still gross. It would be great to see a few hand sanitizer stations set up throughout the space like they have on cruise ships since everyone touches the same exhibits.
This would be the ultimate science field trip destination. If I’d visited a place like this at an early age I might have gone the STEM route because I would have thought science was interesting and fun instead of a complete bore.
I would recommend this unique experience to anyone. Just make sure to budget at least half a day to get the most out of your trip to the Exploratorium.

Les fans de sciences vont adorer. Il y a énormément de stand. «Seulement» 4 étoiles pour le prix excessif 30 $ l’entrée.

The Exploratorium is a great place to go if you want to feel like a kid again.
There are so many interactive exhibits — this place is huge! Lots of cool stuff to see, though it does get crowded. Little kids were everywhere hogging up the cool experiments, but there’s always a few exhibits open while you wait your turn.
Since this place is so big, you’ll probably have to make multiple trips to see everything. I was there for 4 hours and didn’t get see half of the exhibits, not because there was a wait, but because there are hundreds of them.
I had an awesome time and would definitely go again. :)