Perennial favorite hands-on/interactive science museum. Moved from the Palace of Fine Arts to Pier 15 in 2003. Great for all ages, but "After Dark" visitors must be at least 18 years old. Cocktails are limited (premixed or canned) and have to remain in a particular upstairs area. Exhibits are plentiful and awesome as ever!

Normally the ticket is $40, but we went to "after dark" adults 18+ only exhibition happening every Thursday 6-10 PM for half price. You can consider it as Scientific Night Club. Buy a drink and be a child again & play everything. It's super fun. Don't forget to go to the outdoor part to take a photo with the bay bridge. I love exploratorium so much that I think it's representing part of San Francisco every tourist should come.

Science center with tons of brilliant hands-on activities for adults and kids alike. I’m a 35 year old who went by myself and I had a blast. Compared to other science centers, it was odd to have the entire museum in basically one enormous open space. Most modern science centers have modern, world-class buildings that add to the intrigue, but this one did not, since it’s in what appears to be an old waterfront warehouse. It has a fantastic location, though. Ticket cost was $40 for one adult.

Fun even without kids, lots of tactile exhibits which are interactive and quite engaging. I figured I would be in here perhaps an hour or two, but I was here about 4+ hours playing with everything as it was so much fun trying everything out. At first I thought it was pretty pricey, but there is so much to do, I can understand the price.

This place is very educational and interactive. The admission for an adult is $30 but it is definitely worth it. We spent 5 hours here and didn't even want to leave. There was a lot to learn and play with. We spent about an hour at the illusion section alone. They also have a pretty cool still image section. I felt some exhibits would have been great if I learned about it when I was younger. Quite a huge number of students would often question when would I use something like algebra and I feel some of the math cinema aired would've been super cool as a way to show that parabola are being used in everyday life. It was loads of fun and definitely worth visiting.

Such a great science museum! You could easily spend half a day exploring the various exhibits, learning and playing. Obviously great for kids, but just as great for adults. It's also a great place to host a wedding, even if the marriage is only temporary 😅

Incredible! Absolutely loved it. Went during the Thursday childfree night which is from 6-10pm. We arrived around 6:30 and it still wasn’t enough time to explore everything. This place is huge and exiting. So much to see and explore. Had a great time and will definitely go again on my next visit to SF. Highly recommend!

As a physicist who is very into teaching and using demonstrations to illustrate how the Universe works, there is no other museum I have been to that captures the fun of physics better than the Exploratorium. The building is jam packed with hundreds of mini exhibits that you only need to spend a minute at but that will show you a concept in a real and tactile way. The exhibits span physics, perception, biology, and human culture and are interesting and engaging for audiences of all ages. There are just as many parents playing with things as there are kids! If your kid came back from a field trip saying they had a good time here, then you should definitely go back and finish going through the museum with them

Lots of things to explore, 6 different sections. Explored the whole thing within a few hours. Has a restaurant and a cafe but really expensive so bring your own food if you can. Parked right across from it…I believe $5 an hr…

It was pretty fun. They have exhibits on many subjects! Seeing the little kids having fun and getting genuinely curious about science warmed my heart. One downside is that it’s quite popular/crowded on the weekend, so there’s sometimes a wait time before playing with the equipments. Many items are cooperative, not the friendliest for a solo adult, but probably still nice for families.

Visited for the first time today with wife and son for a school field trip. Excellent facility with friendly staff. Clean, professional setting. So many things to do and see. More than one visit can accomplish. Thank you to Ms Marta and Sequoia Grove for hosting an amazing field trip experience. Highly recommended.

We went on Thursday night when the museum open only for adults. The admission is around $20 and you can buy drinks inside. Really interesting experience.

It was a very nice experience. We took the 19.95$ ticket for a Thursday evening with After Dark prices applicable post 31st March. Must visit and totally worth it. Loved the way the sections had been divided for water based, light based, illusions, plant based, etc. which makes it look so categorically organised and easy to explore. Especially loved the soap bubble making experience, relived the childhood days! We spent almost 4 hours there, totally worth visiting at least once.

We happened here on Father's Day so perhaps the next comment is unfair - but - it was VERY much crowded with kids and it was a bit difficult to enjoy the otherwise amazing hundreds of individual interactive pieces. Still, this place is HUGE and was very fun to explore. The last area at the end was probably my favorite, going into colors and weather. I recommend CITY PASS which was $76/person and let us in here and 2 other attractions so great savings (we did the Blue and Gold boat tour and Conservatory of Flowers which is a MUST).

This location is significantly larger than anticipated. Undoubtedly the most impressive science museum I've ever been to, boasting around 200 or more fully interactive exhibits that are thoroughly explained. Each exhibit delivers an immediate and clear impact, coupled with sufficient information for adults or older children to comprehend the reasons behind the effects. Although we dedicated 3 hours to our visit, we could have easily spent 4-5 if time allowed. It's unquestionably worth a visit for adults; don't be misled into thinking it's exclusively tailored for kids just because everything is interactive!

The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco. Its mission is to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide. It has been described by the New York Times as the most important science museum to have opened since the mid-20th century, an achievement attributed to "the nature of its exhibits, its wide-ranging influence and its sophisticated teacher training program". Characterized as "a mad scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one", the participatory nature of its exhibits and its self-identification as a center for informal learning has led to it being cited as the prototype for participatory museums around the world.

Must visit with kids, full on fun and so many things to explore, try-out, and participate. It's huge and if you spend good amount of time in each of the exploration then you might run out of time. Better to start early in the day ~11am. It takes definitely 5-6 hours to cover all the way from point 1 to point 5. Many installations require two people to participate so it's always good to go with 2+ friends or family. They offer discounts for some employees like I got 50% off by showing my Google badge.

We went in here to kill some time before our Alcatraz tour and glad we did, the place is huge with a lot of interesting things, my husband really enjoyed it. You can spend hours in here.

This science museum combined various exhibits on many subjects. Very educational and interactive experience. It includes indoor and outdoor. This place is massive so we barely touch the surface. We didn’t have a lot of time to explore but we enjoyed all the fun interesting activities. My husband and I couldn’t even contain ourselves. Fun for all ages and not too expensive. Well kept spaces and clean restrooms. Totally worth visit at least once. We would love to visit again when we’re in town.

Spending a few hours here you can hardly see half the place. Membership is definitely worth it if you live in the area or visiting for a long period of time. It's great kids of all ages as well as adults

Quite amazing. I went Thursday night for the glow special. I hardly had time to read and experience them all...eventhough I got 4 hours. You also have an indoor bar and restaurant .

This place is so big! There is no natural flow, so some people in my party felt overwhelmed, but I appreciated the ability to wander in any direction. There were a lot of younger children around the museum, but it felt better suited for elementary ages and up. The adults had a blast, too! We spent over 3 hours exploring and still did not see everything. We left for lunch, although there is a cafe on site. There are plenty of water bottle refill stations, and I wish I had brought my water bottle with me. We had a lot of fun playing and exploring, but would have loved more information/signs to help us dig deeper into some of the topics. There were some “explainers” available to answer questions, but most of our time was unguided and independent. The location was amazing and it was nice to see the bay from the windows.

The after hours "Glow" event (18+ only) was the most fun and engaging museum experience I've ever had. The friends I were with thought so too - we were there for nearly 3 hours until they closed for the night and still wanted to see more - we probably got through half of the exhibits. All of the exhibits were stellar and left us enthralled, but having the event be restricted to adults and selling alcohol really took it the extra mile.

One of our the most favorite places of San Francisco . Easy access in . Never enough time to explore everything. Love it and suggest everyone to visit.

Amazing experience. Really is great for kids but also wonderful for small attention spanned adults! Tons to play with and lots to do and learn. All science stuff and physics but still makes learning about it fun! I loved all the odd mirrors that changed your perspective.

When I was younger I used to live just north in Santa rosa but I moved to north Carolina in 2012 and this is just a place I really missed

THE AFTER DARK EXPERIENCE IS SO MUCH FUN!!! If you’re an adult, please go to the after dark event!! It’s so freaking fun. The place is way less crowded and there is drinks! This museum is sooo clean and so interactive. If you have a curious mind, you’ll be in heaven here. Parking is close by on Thursday nights. It was my first time here and I definitely want to come back. The ghost in the booth experience blew my mind! Do it!

This is a great place for families and kids, we visit regularly. There is nothing quite like it in any other city in the world. The Exploratorium is a public learning laboratory where you can explore the world through science, art, and human perception... the exhibits and activities combine science and aesthetics and are experiential, as opposed to traditional museums whose approach is more didactic and magisterial

Thursday Adults only was SO FUN! You can grab and adult beverage and play with EVERYTHING, I really enjoyed the Black Box exhibit. They have events and conferences that we missed but give yourself at least 2 - 3 hours to see and play with everything. Entry $20 and drinks are $10-15

(Translated by Google) This museum is incredible. It has several experiments and playful ways to teach science to children. The courtyard also has very cool experiments that can be viewed for free. (Original) Este museu é incrível. Tem diversos experimentos e formas lúdicas de ensinar ciência para as crianças. O pátio também tem experimentos muito legais que podem ser vistos gratuitamente.

I had high expectations for the Exploratorium after such high reviews and enjoying previous exploratoriums in Canada. This one is huge with an open floor plan. That being said, all of the activities are interesting and science based, however, if the Exploratorium is crowded, you have to be patient to try each one. After the waiting, reading about the inventions, and taking pictures, we got tired real fast. So if you want the full effect of the Exploratorium, make plans to spend at least three hours (if you want to try everything). My kids are 4 and 8 and weren't into the reading so much. I actually wished they had workers in science labs to share and add to the effect of making each item more enjoyable. Despite that, most of the concepts there will reinforce science concepts your kids are learning in school. I expected the environment to be colorful and lively, but it felt like walking through an ancient, tin, drab war station or something, (I guess that's a scientist dream, but not mines). Overall, it was a good, not great experience.

AMAZING! We went to the After Dark Thursdays for Adults and were amazed. WELL DONE. Great hands on for us all. Simply Incredible! We definitely will be coming back a few times a year to see it all - After Dark Thursdays or during the day. The first few hours we saw only 1/10th of the whole place!

This is one of the best experiential center I have ever visited with wide range of interactive displays like playing with lights, transforming kinetic energy, giant bubbles, magnetic sand, dancing water droplets, infinity mirror, other science facts demonstrated in a fun way. The exploratarium is huge and can easily consume 4-5 hours. With kids you might not be able to cover in full as they spend longer time enjoying at a few places. The place houses a very nice cafe offering good variety of paid meals. There is also a small craft workshop at certain intervals for kids to create some useful sciency stuff to take home with them. Would highly recommend. The place itself is at a great location. Paid parking is available in adjoining blocks. The price looks steep but considering the experience would call it value for money. Good for all ages if you are an inquisitive type. :)

Your child will learn how to draw properly this museum had a workshop which is your child should be able to join.

This science museum consists of multiple exhibitions with a wide range of subjects, such as interactive science for kids, lights, human biology, craft workshop, etc. It was a fun experience for the whole family. We all enjoyed it in our different ways in different areas. Truly an unforgettable experience!

This place instantly became one of my favorite places, ever! I was amazed and entertained all the 4 hours I spent there on one of their Thursday After Dark events. I could easily have spent a couple more hours and it still might have not been enough to see/try it all. It's just so much fun to interact with everything and get a better understanding of how things work. I simply love it and I'll definitely come back if I ever have the chance.

Very interesting and fun hands on exhibits. The kids learned a lot without even knowing they were learning. We had to rush through the last exhibits because we ran out of time at the end. This is one of the best science centers we have visited.

Haven't been here since the late 80's and didn't know what to expect. The whole family had an amazing time! Including a hard to impress adolescent. Incredible variety, clean, almost every exhibit open and in good working order. Beautiful views as well.

The Exploratorium offers an extensive experience that can easily fill 4-5 hours of exploration. It's a must-visit, especially for science enthusiasts. With a diverse array of interactive displays, from playing with lights, creating giant bubbles, experimenting with magnetic sand, observing dancing water droplets, infinity mirrors, and discovering fascinating science facts presented in an engaging and fun manner, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Very cool place! It was fun to walk around and spend a few hours here. Interactive and got to learn some new things.

The Exploratorium is a must visit. This is a museum of science, technology, and art in San Francisco. Characterized as "a mad scientist arcade, a science playhouse, and an experimental laboratory rolled into one." The exhibits are amazing and as a center for informal learning led to this. Lots of hands-on, too! One minus- there are crowds of tourists there so you have to take this aspect into account.

Excellent and informative museum and exhibit. Place is huge. Can easily spend hours here. Children will be intrigued and occupied on the various exhibits. And adults can learn more than a few things as well.

really excellent museum. one of the best i’ve been to. we only gave ourselves 90 minutes to explore and maybe only experienced 25% of it before we had to leave to catch our flight. would definitely go back and appreciated all of the exhibits.

Each exhibit really sparks the interests of different people, some do some do not. Some of the exhibit is missing some parts that may have been stolen. I think staff should check them every 30 minutes to reset and or sanitize since most require physical interaction. There's a paid parking across the street (around $26) but the museum is accessible by street car.

Ok so is 29$ just to go in I’m pretty sure is worthy but in my case I didn’t have that money is amazing from outside so imagine inside

Loved going to this special place, visited frequently as a child and brings back loving memories. Miss you!

A great place for kids and families! The exhibits were very interactive, fun and engaging. Now, if only I had come here as a kid...maybe I would have enjoyed the Sciences a lot more in school.

(Translated by Google) This is one of the most popular museums in the city. We didn't think we would spend so much time there! This is a real experimental laboratory. Look for Pier 15, a great hangar by the water! (Original) To jedno z najpopularniejszych muzeów w mieście. Nie sądziliśmy, że spędzimy tam aż tyle czasu! To prawdziwe laboratorium eksperymentalne. Szukajcie Pier 15, wielkiego hangaru nad samą wodą!

This is one of our favorite places in San Francisco!

Full disclosure : I HAVEN'T actually been to the exploratorium at the NEW location but I remember the GREAT old location at the grand ol' Palace of Fine Arts ?... so if it's anything like that.. it's probably a great place to go and have some fun and see some interesting things and ideas ...Hands-On of course ?❗

One of the best reasons to visit San Fransisco with kids. They will LOVE all of the hands-on experiments to explore. We have an 8 and 13 year old and they both had a blast for over 6 hours. You'll be amazed at how many different activities there are to explore. And even if some of them don't catch your eye, there are thousands of others that will. Don't miss the outdoor section - it was one of our favorite parts!

Fun place to visit.

Amazing museum. For yourself, your family, you and some friends or partner. Dont miss it. Its a "MUST DO". Take your time, enjoy, discover. Big places, the price is worth it. Also is next to the shore, you could do a walk before or after going to Exploratorium

Really big. You need a lot of time to see everything and after 3 visits I still haven’t seen anything. The lunch counter is good but cheap, and the ticket price is well worth the experience.

This place is just wonderful for children and adults! I remember growing up and going to this play whenever i came to SF. I remember when it use to be by the Golden Gate bridge. Fun activities to learn, play, etc. I remember where the staff would draw you a picture of the movements you make with 2 markers. Camera shadows were also fun. Great place to learn and explore.

Extremely fun place to take people of any age. You can visit a couple of times and not run out of things to see. Some metered street parking nearby and there’s a parking garage for $15 with the code on their website. Plenty of public transit options too. If you have EBT, you can get in for free along with four family members!

Fantastic science museum, one of my top 5. Everything is robustly built and interesting. A surprising amount of free-play exhibits too. I guess it has to do with the museums namesake! Try to avoid 10:30-2pm timeslot during the weekdays as it’s packed full of kids from schools/camps

I wasn't sure what to expect when I brought my 3 kids here (ages 9,9&7). We all LOVED it! They were so curious and enjoyed interacting with each and every part of the museum. There were lots of cool things led by people too- card tricks, pendulum drawings, stop motion animation. This was probably the most fun we've ever had at a museum. I highly recommend it!

Good place to explore the collaboration of science and nature.

Unfortunately closed at the moment but I would defo still wander around to explore its iutside exhibits and learn the wisdom thats interactively presented around the building

Great place for kids to have fun and learn science. Adults can also learn a lot in here. This museum had several sections and each section focus on one topic such as sounds, light, human life.. Etc. There are a lot of machinery and projects for kids to interact with and learn from the process and they all make sense while kids have great fun trying then out. Detail instruction and how to do it are well explained on each station. Parking is extra and it's $15 all day for museum visitor

Hands down the highlight to our San Francisco weekend trip was the Exploratorium. Such a fun and interactive exprerience that stimulates all the senses!

Spent over 4 hours here with the kids. So many cool things to explore. adults and kids enjoyed. Great museum.

Love this place great for family’s

Excellent museum with many fun, interactive exhibits. Best to go on a weekday when it won't be as crowded.

Fun place!!

I really enjoyed the exploratorium experience. I came for a night event and got to check out some really cool science exhibits and a lot were actually interactive. There was alcohol available for purchase to consume while checking the place out as well! Super cool for kids and adults alike! The #BuckyBall outside is crazy cool at night!

Wonderful place with so many things to explore. Definitely made the kids happy as the exploratorium is very hands on and they loved touching everything.

I came to the Exploratorium with my 8 year old daughter and it was so much fun. We were in San Francisco for the day only and we came to the Exploratorium around noon on a Sunday, if we wanted to it would have taken the entire day. There is so much to see here, so in order to make your trip worth the price of admission, I would recommend allocating at least 3 hours so that you can take your time with all the exhibits. Of course the kids love all the cool science exhibits, and to be honest as an adult some of them were really interesting. I definitely would recommend coming to visit, especially if you have kids who love to soak up all the cool science exhibits. It was a great place to center our Sunday around.

The best museum for kids and and adults alike. I can confidently say that everything there is interesting and fun. The food is ovebut priced but I have to say it is good.

Informative, educational and interesting not only for kids but all ages. Lots of things to interact with. A must visit if you come to SF.

Super endroit pour une famille on y reste plus de 3h de quoi occuper une après midi

Amazing. Soooo many hands on exhibits and things are generally well maintained considering the volume of use they see. Everyone will learn something new no matter how big a geek you are.

Fun science museum with lots of trinkets and exhibits to learn some interesting concepts. Can be crowded and you'll have to wait for your turn to try out something. Wish they had more exhibits on biology (personal preference though). Nice place to "explore" lol.

Is GOOD good good

Visiting the Exploratorium is worth the trip to San Francisco.

Gotta go for the tactile dome

Fun for the whole family! Friendly staff and plenty to do. Its nice to go to a museum that you can touch things! Very accomfing for student and disabled. Like that you can learn different things while being fun! Love the new location, much more accessible and still quite dense for its size than you think. Was in there for at leas least several hours.