The Exploratorium is one of the top attractions in San Francisco featuring hundreds of interactive exhibits for visitors of all age groups. It’s a very highly rated science museum and public learning laboratory dedicated to experimentation. We can tell you from experience, it’s very unique and definitely worth a few hours on your itinerary.
In this guide we show you exactly what to expect at San Francisco’s famous Exploratorium so you can make the most of your visit.
Our Experience
We visited the Exploratorium in October 2022. It was one of our favorite attractions on the San Francisco CityPASS and it’s something you don’t want to miss in when you’re in town. This extremely popular museum is like a scientific fun house and we spent an entire afternoon inside.
If you’re interested in science, technology or art, the Exploratorium is the place to be. And even though it’s technically a children’s museum, we saw so many adults including ourselves having a blast. After spending several hours exploring all of the exhibits, we’ll show you what we liked and didn’t like. Read more about us.
What Is The Exploratorium?
Prior to visiting the Exploratorium, we didn’t really know what to expect other than it had amazing reviews online. So we’ll give you a little history lesson to show you why this museum is such a hit.
In 1969, Frank Oppenheimer opened the Exploratorium in San Francisco. As the brother of the renowned physicist, Robert Oppenheimer, Frank held various positions as a professor, high school teacher, cattle rancher and experimental physicist throughout his life. He was well known for using experiments to teach scientific lessons helping students learn at their own pace.
These experiments led him to conclude there was a public lack of understanding in both science and technology. So he made it his mission to fix this. Oppenheimer created a place where visitors could learn about natural phenomena and gain confidence in their ability to understand everything around them.
The entire museum is filled with hundreds of interactive and educational exhibits. You can run through a tornado, create a bubble bigger than your entire body, play with light, have fun with slinkies and so much more. When it first opened, the Exploratorium was one of a kind. Today, it has become one of the most visited attractions in San Francisco. You can read more about the story here.
READ: How to plan the perfect San Francisco itinerary
How To Get There
Originally located in the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium moved to its current location on Pier 15 in 2013. This area is also known as the Embarcadero at Green Street. Here’s the official address and a map:
- Address: Pier 15 Embarcadero at, Green St, San Francisco, CA 94111
- Location: Google maps
We think the Exploratorium is positioned in a great spot because you visit numerous San Francisco activities in the same area such as the Ferry Building, Alcatraz Tours, Pier 39 or North Beach. These attractions are all within 10-15 minutes walking distance from the museum. We grabbed breakfast in the Ferry Building because it opens at 7:00am and then made our way to the Exploratorium once it opened later in the morning.
The easiest way to get to the Exploratorium is by walking or public transport. We decided to walk from our nearby hotel, but here are the other options:
- Muni’s E Embarcadero streetcar – Stops directly in front of the Exploratorium (9:00am – 7:00pm only)
- Muni’s F Market streetcar – Stops at Embarcadero and Green Street
- Muni Bus – Lines 2, 6, 14, 21 and 31 stop within walking distance
- Metro Rail – Lines J, K, L, M, T and N stop within walking distance
- Bus – Lines 1, 10, 12, 41, and 38 stop close by
You can also drive your own vehicle and there are several parking garages near the museum. Exploratorium partners offer visitors a discount using code ‘4302100‘ if used at either one of the Pier 15 or Pier 19½ parking lots. To receive the discounted parking rate, you can use the payment kiosk with the code or scan the QR code and follow the instructions.
There is metered parking along the Embarcadero and various side streets, but space can be limited. You can drop people off at white-curbed loading zone on the Embarcadero which is where you can also grab an Uber or Lyft if needed.
READ: Our Alcatraz day and night tour comparison
Visitor Information
The Exploratorium is open everyday of the week except Monday with slightly different hours depending on the day. Sunday mornings are reserved for donors or members and Thursday nights feature an exhibit for adults only.
Here are the official hours:
- Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
- Thursday night: 6:00pm – 10:00pm (ages 18+ only)
- Sunday: 10:00am – 12:00pm (members + donors only) then 12:00pm – 5:00pm
A general admission ticket costs $39.95 for adults and $29.95 for children (ages 4-17). Children under three years old, members and California public school teachers will receive free entry.
If you want to visit the museum without any kids running around and you’re at least 18 years old, Thursday nights are calling your name. The Exploratorium After Dark program was created to help adults feel like kids once again. It features live programming, cocktails and a DJ. Here’s the official calendar. After Dark is free for both members and donors. Be sure to bring your membership card and ID.
There are a few different ways you can purchase SF Exploratorium tickets and we recommend you compare prices on each platform before purchasing. You can buy tickets directly from the official website or directly onsite. If you don’t buy tickets in advance, you might have to wait for the next available time slot if the museum is busy.
Or you can purchase an entry ticket through:
Click on the orange links to compare reviews and ticket options.
We visited many of the top attractions in San Francisco during our visit so we used a CityPASS to visit the Exploratorium. Attraction passes are a great way to save money at all the top sights.
There are three popular San Francisco passes:
- San Francisco CityPASS
- SF Sightseeing Pass
- Go City San Francisco
The Exploratorium is available on both the San Francisco CityPASS and the Go City San Francisco pass. The museum is not currently on the SF Sightseeing pass, but this pass can still be a great option for first time visitors. If you want to learn more about each of these passes, you can read our detailed San Francisco attraction pass comparison.
READ: Is the San Francisco CityPASS worth using?
What To Do At The Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is home to over 300 exhibits, but it’s organized into 6 main galleries which makes it easy to get around. We highly recommend you try to see all of the galleries because they are focused on different areas of exploration. You can check out every exhibit here and sort by subject too.
Inside each individual gallery, there are several interactive exhibits created to help visitors play and understand the world. Trust us, you won’t be able to stop exploring. It took us about 3.5 hours to visit the museum and while we got though most of the exhibits, we could have easily spent many more hours inside.
If you’re planning to visit the Exploratorium with kids, this museum will keep them entertained for hours so you might want to stay for longer. There is a cafe and restaurant on site incase you need a little pick me up after some playing.
Now let’s walk around the Exploratorium:
1. Human Phenomena
When you first start your journey inside the museum, you’ll notice each galley is marked with a large sign indicating what you can find in that space. Sometimes we found that we missed these signs because we were too focused on the fun exhibits.
The first gallery at the Exploratorium is known as Human Phenomena. It’s designed to help you think, feel and recognize social behaviors. We really liked the Bamboo Weaving Star, Downhill Race, Emotion Tracker, Survival Game and Time to Think. Most of the exhibits here are very interactive and you can even complete them with a friend.
2. Tinkering
Engineers will feel right at home in the Tinkering Gallery. It’s also great for kids who love to use their hands. We easily spent one full hour in this section just building, creating and of course, tinkering.
The main idea behind this gallery to help visitors understand how things are made and get them thinking about future ideas. Make sure you check out the 100,000 toothpick sculpture and the Chain Reaction. This is one of the most popular galleries in the museum and you might have to wait a little while for an exhibit to open up.
Travel Tip: Be sure to keep an eye out for the Exhibit Development Workshop because this is where all exhibits are researched, created and implemented. It’s pretty cool to see what they’re working on next.
3. Seeing And Reflections
This third gallery will be a fun stop for kids because it features many experiments with lights, mirrors and sounds so it’s really interactive. The mission in this gallery is to help us look at the world in a different way and sometimes by playing with light, we can achieve a deeper meaning.
We think this is another great gallery because there’s so much color everywhere and you can try a lot of optical illusions. Don’t miss Bird in a Cage, Color Shadows, the Giant Mirror, Masks, the Monochromatic Room, Skillets and Out Quiet Yourself.
4. Living Systems
Future scientists and biologists will love the Living Systems Gallery. As scientists ourselves, it really brought us back to the old days when we worked in a laboratory. Here you can learn about DNA, cells and ecosystems. This gallery shows us how to appreciate the world by looking in different places.
We enjoyed A Cell In Motion, the Blood-O-Meter, Microscope Imaging Station, Lab Illustrations, Tidal Memory and Live Chicken Embryos. At this point, you’re a little more than half way through the museum. It’s a good place to stop for a break or keep going if you’re short on time.
Travel Tip: Be sure to keep an eye out for the live demonstrations in this area. We saw a live cow eyeball dissection and the kids were absolutely fascinated!
5. Outdoor Exhibits
After finishing up in the Living Systems Gallery, you can head through the doors to the large outdoor space. Here you can learn about winds, tides and natural phenomena of the San Francisco Bay region. We liked that this section highlighted specific lessons about the area.
Popular exhibits here include the Golden Gate Bridge, Disappearing Rings, Bike Rope Squirter, Wind Arrows and Aeolian Harp. It was nice to get outside after being in the museum for a few hours and kids absolutely loved this section because there was space to run around. Don’t miss the exhibit where they can walk across the Fog Bridge. It had a long line, but it was pretty cool.
READ: Best Golden Gate Bridge viewpoints
6. Observing Landscapes
Last but not least, we made our way up to the upper level to see the final gallery known as Observing Landscapes. It’s dedicated to helping visitors uncover the history, geography and ecology of the entire San Francisco Bay area. Mark’s Bachelor’s degree is in Oceanography so this space was right up his street. He spent an hour taking in all the maps on display.
This was another great place to learn about the San Francisco area and we thought it was a great addition to the museum. The exhibits in this gallery are a little more complex so it might be better suited for older kids, but you can also visit the Bay Observatory Terrace so don’t skip it completely. Popular exhibits include Library of Earth Anatomy, Visualizing the Bay Area and Timepieces.
7. Plaza
In addition to the 6 galleries, there’s also a very popular outdoor space located on the Embarcadero. Kids will love exploring this area so be sure bring them to the Plaza after visiting the museum. We liked the Anamorphic Bench, Archimedes and Sun Dial exhibit.
Travel Tip: Once you hit the bubble exhibit, just go through the double doors to head outside to the Plaza.
8. Where To Eat
The Exploratorium does not allow food inside the museum, but there are two dining areas including the Seaglass Restaurant and Seismic Joint Cafe. The Seaglass Restaurant is a waterside venue located at the east end of the museum. It serves kid-friendly, multicultural and locally sourced meals. Hours of operation includes Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00am to 3:00pm and Thursday evenings from 6:00pm to 9:30pm.
The Seismic Joint Café is a low key take out spot located right near the Exploratorium’s entrance. It’s a casual take-out spot serving family-friendly options with a coffee bar, baked goods and natural sodas. It’s open Tuesday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm and weekends from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Like all museums, there is an Exploratorium store you’ll walk through as you make your way out of the building. It’s filled with games, tinkering toys, books and gadgets which focus on science, art or technology so you can find something unique. All purchases from the store go back into the museum which makes it a great cause to support.
Our Exploratorium Photos
We loved our visit to the Exploratorium and we took so many photos! Here are a few of our favorites:
The Morgan Conclusion
What we like: The Exploratorium is easily one of the best science museums we’ve ever visited because it’s incredibly entertaining. This museum can be enjoyed by visitors of all age groups and we think there’s no better place to learn about technology, art and science. The exhibits are extremely thought provoking and the Exploratorium After Dark is a unique experience we’d like to try next time we’re in town.
What we don’t like: A downside to visiting the Exploratorium is that it can be incredible busy and we had to wait in line for some exhibits. We visited at 10:00am right when the museum opened and it got busier as the day went on so visit early in the day during the week if possible to avoid the crowds. Tickets for the museum are also a little pricey, but we think it’s a fair price for what you get, especially since purchases go back into funding the museum.
Is the Exploratorium worth visiting? Yes, we think the Exploratorium is worth visiting. No matter your age, you’ll enjoy a trip to this museum because it’s filled with interactive and thought provoking exhibits. We had an absolute blast here and wish we could have stayed longer. There’s so much to see and do, our only regret was not giving ourselves enough time.
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We hope this guide featuring the San Francisco Exploratorium helps with planning your visit!
Please let us know if you have any questions about visiting the Exploratorium or San Francisco in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
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