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Exploratorium

4.5 star rating
based on 282 reviews

Categories: Amusement Parks, Museums  [Edit]

Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
3601 Lyon St
(at Jefferson St)
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 561-0356
  • Hours:
    Tue-Sun 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
  • Good for Kids: Yes
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282 Reviews for Exploratorium

Photo of Suzette R.

 

7

48

Suzette R.

Vallejo, CA

5 star rating
10/07/2008

I loved coming to the Exploratorium as a kid. One of my favorite part exhibits in the Exploratorium was the animal in their habitat exhibit. Stiffs! I also remember being terrified of the alligator and turtles in that huge lagoon area in the middle of the reptile and amphibian section of the museum! Yikes. I recently visited the museum to help regain my youthful memories as a careless child and most importantly to help forget about work the next day!!  YUCK! It's a fun place to take the family for the day and get educated on marine and wildlife!

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Photo of Valerie N.

 

2

137

Valerie N.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
10/11/2008

i like you exploratorium. the last time i came here was with my fellow classmates for biology class. it was a good experience and i like it a lot. it's a fun place and they also have sticker picture machines with the science background. lol. this is one of my favorite place!

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Elite '08

10

89

Henry T.

San Diego, CA

4 star rating
10/03/2008

We boarded a bus back to San Francisco. We only waited about two stops before we got off at Richardson and Francisco St. to go to the Exploratorium. Sadly, the grounds around the Palace of Fine Arts (the big Grecian-designed Rotunda) were fenced off for renovation and so we couldn't walk around there. We went into the Exploratorium, which was awesome given the fact that it was $11 with student IDs. Lots of scientifically cool things to do in there. It's a great place for kids to learn and do some fun things with their parents. It's a total classroom field trip kind of place, but without the things that bore kids to death.

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Elite '08

97

252

Alexis B.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
09/27/2008

I will always love this museum and no matter how old I get, it will always be my favorite. Why? Because everyone wants to be 10 again and have it be ok to touch everything.  I wanna walk through cyclones, play with bubbles & soapy water & sit in a big ass chair like Lily Tomlin.

But the piece de resistance is the Tactile Dome. While you have to make reservations to go in, it makes a day at the Exploratorium complete. Why because it is a McDonald's playland that is big enough for adults AND is the dark! I mean really what more could a grown 10 year old ask for?

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Photo of Rhea S.

 

5

33

Rhea S.

Santa Ana, CA

4 star rating
09/25/2008

My boyfriend & I had a great time at this place!! We couldn't stop saying "whoooooa coool" You can really get into it because everything is interactive. I feel like a learned a lot of things that I didn't really pay attention to or care about when I was younger. There wasn't a lot of little kiddies the day we went (which I suppose is a good thing), but I was surprised to see how many couples were there wandering around.

I loved the toilet water fountain. You have to take a picture drinking from it. It's a must do!

Get there early because we were there for 4 hours & only got to see the first floor before the closing bell rang!!!! It's a fun & cheap place to have fun!

(-1 star) because of the foodcourt. The prices are ridiculous and the selection is pretty wack. The boyfriend and I got 2 pizzas and a drink for $19. SERIOUSLY?!?!?! Pack a snack or lunch -- you won't regret it~!

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Elite '08

85

289

Fraulein C.

Santa Clara, CA

3 star rating
09/11/2008

I enjoy the hands-on activities. Well...when I was a kid that is. Who knew that you can electrocute a pickle? Pretty cool. Otherwise, I don't remember much of the place since I didn't pay much attention to the teacher and the tour guide because I was running around and causing trouble. Thank goodness I didn't get spanked and scolded...well, technically I did. I got back from our field trip, my teacher told my parents that I was being a handful and I wasn't listening to a word she said.

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Elite '08

134

214

Jennifer H.

Burlingame, CA

4 star rating
09/11/2008

Great Fun Interactive DATE PLACE!!!

I love the one where you sit with your partner/friend and describe where a certain shape should go on a plain black board as you put the same pieces on your board.  You're separated by a small wall.  At the end you share and see if they're exact.  If so, you have GREAT COMMUNICATION SKILLS!  Yay!!  

Get the advance tickets for the TACTILE DOME.  Worthwhile!  You go through this maze of slides, pillows, ropes, stairs in complete darkness using your sense of touch to get through.  It can get snug in some of the spaces and if you panic, there are trap doors for a worker to come get you.  We went through twice and they stagger people, so you're not on top of each other.  

There is a slight aroma, probably because the dome is completely enclosed.  Just wash your hands afterwards and you'll be fine!

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Photo of Norah C.

 

1

44

Norah C.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
09/28/2008

This place started out as a little bit of a disappointment for me. Despite a big huge "discount for the disabled" sign, I got charged the same as everyone else. Being insecure and in my wheelchair at the time, I didn't exactly want to call her out on it (its a little embarrassing). Dragging that little raincloud around with me to the first few exhibits, I didn't really get into any of them right away. My enjoyment and excitement slowly built up at the earthquake ground-liquefaction display, even more so at center of gravity stacking table, until finally I found myself pulling on my boyfriend's sleeve like a child and dragging him to the engine displays.

When I saw the differential in-motion display, I knew this place was a five-star-er for me (I built my own Camaro a few years ago, before my illness). I got to show off my knowledge to my boyfriend, which I think is part of the value of a place like this. If you take the time to educate yourself about what interests you, you will be able to demonstrate to the people you care about what you know in a place like the Exploritorium. Its not just a display-admiration setting, or a place to act like a kid, its also a place to have a fun, easy to understand physical representation of your interests. When we got to optical illusions, my boyfriend was able to explain all kinds of biological inner-workings to me, while I showed off electrical circuitry knowledge to him.

This is a perfect place to go on a date, as long as there aren't a million kids there at the time.

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Elite '08

131

264

Liz T.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
08/31/2008

This is a neat place well worth the price of admission--everything is interactive! I had to beat off a few kiddies to experience most of the exhibits in under two hours, but that's fine--someone has to teach them not to be a hog. Set aside three hours and you can avoid this.

My favorite exhibit was the magnetic black sand--It had a strangely pleasant tactile sensation. The tornado generator was very impressive. The famous distorted room where people seem to shrink and grow was a slight let down, but only because I had great expectations. This science museum made me realize how dry and unexciting law school is--I should've been a doctor!

Anyway, I had a lot of fun being a kid again--and being pwned by some kids, too. How do they become such smart-alecks at such a young age? Come on a nice day to enjoy the lush shrubbery and duck pond against the Palace of Fine Arts outside. It's beautiful and relaxing.

P.S. The first Wednesday of the month is free.

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18

15

joanne w.

San Carlos, CA

3 star rating
09/03/2008

Yep, lots to experience.   Got a headache from the noise (kids, kids, kids, which it's all about, but as a "grown up???"} Ouch! I learned some things.  Can't complain about that, but wouldn't go back w/out a kid in tow...or an engineer...who I went w/the the 1st time...but, god bless him, I still got a headache.  But a great place, but not if you're noise-sensitive.  Maybe bring ear plugs you can use from time to time.  SWTG, I needed a few time-outs. He was patient, but we had to see/do everything, while I listened thru the noise-swarm in my head.  Not unlike the noise of Chuck E Cheese.  Adults w/out kids, just be forewarned.  Didn't have a tantrum, to my credit, & still had a fun time.

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Photo of Keith M.

 

47

118

Keith M.

Santa Clara, CA

4 star rating
09/02/2008

A lot to learn here, for kids and/or adults.

Pros:
  * A fantastic array of science and nature displays, wonderfully arranged and made pertinant to the mysterious world we live in.
  * Kind of like a hands-on "How Things Work", which appeal to all ages even yes, even adults can't help but get into it here.

Cons:
  * Kinda expensive, $12
  * I got a headache in there, and i don't know if it was just me, or the loud acoustic-like echo effect in that facility.
  * Parking is a not enjoyable

Notes:
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M, Closed Mondays

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Photo of Esther Y.

 

35

191

Esther Y.

Berkeley, CA

5 star rating
08/31/2008

Fun place to be a kid again. Actually, I'd say it's better if you're a "grown-up" because then you actually can follow instructions and have an attention span long enough to do the exhibits! But in any case, it's a great educational experience for all ages.

Going today (the day before Labor Day) was very crowded, but we managed to find a parking spot in the lot around 2 pm, and we got to experience the majority of the museum before it closed at 5. My favorite exhibits were the sound and vision exhibits (well, I am going to be an optometrist after all). I thought the bathroom wall was super cool - it was an optical illusion! All the vision exhibits did give me a slight headache after working my eyes so much though, haha. Note to self: bring Advil next time. (j/k, it's not THAT bad)

Oh, we didn't get to try to the tactile dome, which is a completely dark maze you navigate only by touch - it costs an additional fee and you have to ask the admissions about it. The sad thing is, they're taking it down in September! So go while you can! I guess I'll be missing out on it...=(

The museum shop itself is like a whole 'nother exhibit. Lots of interesting things there! They even have those microbe stuffed animals (like ulcer, athlete's foot, bread & yeast, mono, etc) there like they do at medical school bookstores.

Highly recommended...it doesn't LOOK pretty when you walk in, but a whole world of fun and nerdiness awaits you. Science World in Vancouver is comparable...the only differences being that Science World is like 3 or 4 stories (Exploratorium is 2), it's more expensive ($15 vs. Exploratorium's $11, both student price), it has a smaller vision/optical exhibit section, and it's prettier. Some of the exhibits were actually the same or very similar.

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Photo of Vijay P.

 

80

78

Vijay P.

Morgan Hill, CA

4 star rating
09/02/2008

This is a must see if you have kids.  Your kids will love the interaction and you'll spend and entire day just walking around watching them intrigued with all the displays.  My son loved the listening to sounds exhibit on the second floor.   As an added bonus, we spent the remainder of the afternoon feeding the ducks in the pond surrounding the exploratorium.  Well worth the price of admission.

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Photo of Chanel e.

 

1

13

Chanel e.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
09/12/2008

They definitely make science fun here. You feel like a kid running from one activity to another...probably because you are running around with a bunch of kids and their parents, but it is totally worth the visit. I loved the "Sip of Conflict" toilet water faucet. You feel so wrong drinking water from a toilet! I only wish we had gotten there earlier to be able to explore more. Overall, its cool, interesting, and entertaining.

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Photo of John T.

 

4

62

John T.

Hoboken, NJ

4 star rating
08/21/2008

Absolutely a must-see! So much stuff to fiddle & play with. My only regret was not having more time to explore the whole place. It's also right beside the palace of fine arts lagoon and near the Lombard St. I would say this is my favorite destination in SF.

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Photo of Alice Y.

 

76

59

Alice Y.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
09/04/2008

How 4 Grown Adults + 1 Three Year Old Kid Do the Exploratorium, SF

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, after lunch at Abigail's, the Barays took us to the Exploratorium, a hands-on science, nature, art, and technology museum where young and old can get lost among over 650 exhibits. Within the walls of San Francisco's landmark Palace of Fine Art, the Exploratorium is a place where you can spend countless hours being a kid again, where your mind gets to be set free, where adults can revert back to the time where they questioned things.

More with pictures: http://www.mymodernmet...

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Photo of Mindy L.

 

10

39

Mindy L.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
08/16/2008

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My inner child is about to jump out of my chest and start zealously performing wacky scientific experiments just at the MENTION of this place!! OH so delightful! GEEKfest! This place manages to make science of every kind COOL. They take concepts that would be hard to figure out in a text book, and through hands on exibits and games, get to you to intuitively understand them. It's AWSOME.

Oh - and the tactile dome. Talk about cool. I'm 23, and I just had my 23rd birthday party at the tactile dome. I went there for the first time when I was in 2nd grade, or something like that. It's this one way maze (no dead-ends, or splits) that is completely pitch black. You can't see your own hand waving in front of your face. But the passage ways are small enough that you can always keep a hand on both walls. You have to crawl, slide, bounce, and feel your way through. There's every imaginable texture in this thing. There are objects stuck to the walls, so you're always encountering things. It forces you to move through the world leading with a different sense. It's like being on a different planet, or like being part of a different species for a while. Check it out at: http://www.exploratori...

I wanna go back! SOON!

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Photo of Mary L.

 

18

61

Mary L.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
08/12/2008

How can you hate on the Exploratorium!?!! No seriously how could you?

No matter how old you are and how boring of an adult you've become...the exploratorium will always bring you back to the time when you were young and carefree.

I highly recommend paying for your chance to go thru the Tactile Dome. You're in complete darkness and have to rely on your touch to move around. You start off just walking thru but eventually you're on your hands and knees crawling...and then sliding down a slide...climbing upward thru some nets and then down another slide.

Yes it's kinda dated...it's the same age as me. Wait! Am I dated?!!! Shooots. But it is still so fun. We couldn't stop laughing when we fell into some bouncy floor material after the slide. Ah good times!

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0

18

Cameron B.

Atherton, CA

3 star rating
09/30/2008

I use to come here on field trips as a kid. However, everything still seems the same as it was then, so I think an upgrade is now justified. More modern exhibits would be nice.

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Photo of john-michael c.

Elite '08

179

511

john-michael c.

Las Vegas, NV

3 star rating
09/05/2008

if there were ever a place that could transport me back to my childhood...
this would be the place. back to the days when I was young....
had one gray hair.....
back when I used to have fun in school...
did silly shit in school.......
had nap times......
explored all my scientific endeavors at the  Exploratorium....

but also when I had to wear uniforms.....
had a horrible bowl cut....
when I couldn't drive......
i was still a virgin back then....

the hell with that....fan of the exploratorium.....not a fan of my youth.
;P

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Photo of Priscilla W.

 

5

64

Priscilla W.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
08/07/2008

I've been here more times in my senior year of high school than in my whole life. 1) my physics teacher required us to go here (twice) to take notes and understand the exhibits, 2) depressingly, I had my senior prom here -- how poor is our dance committee?! Sheesh.

Anyways, since this place is infested with kids, it's not the cleanest place in the world. It's great for a field trip because you get discounts in a large group and kids get to play around with the different exhibits concentrating in mind, color, sound, electricity, etc. Even though some of the littler ones don't understand how a magnet destroys a TV screen, they're still having fun dragging the magnet around while looking at the pretty colors. I was jealous how the kids had fun with the exhibits while I was bored to death with reading the poster boards and learning about how the experiment really works. I wanted in-and-out of there ASAP.

DO wash your hands before you eat or touch your eyes, nose, etc.
DO be prepared with all the kids running around.
DO NOT use the bathrooms here.
DO NOT try to shove a kid up the echo tube because there's a netting about 2 feet in to prevent that from happening.

FREE admission 1st Wednesday of every month! Take advantage but do know how populated it may be.

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Elite '08

30

170

Katie F.

Woodbridge, VA

5 star rating
08/15/2008

I totally geeked out at this museum.  Being a science teacher I kept thinking of ways I could re-enact some of the exhibits in my classroom. It was also fun for me to see kids being so intrigued by science.  Every city should have a place like this for kids to go and play.

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5

8

Genevieve S.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
07/26/2008

Free admission on first Wednesdays of very month. How can you beat that?

I remember going here when I was younger and you can literally spend hours and hours without getting bored. There's always stuff to do and things to do.

Yippee!

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17

38

Kim S.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
07/23/2008

I think this place would be better if I was little but science can still be cool!
I wound up playing some block matching game with a little boy for about 30 minutes and then his dad hit on me . . . what's that about! It's not THAT type of Exploratorium!
Anyway there's a lot of neat stuff that's all very hands on and fun for everyone! I would go back but only with a kid.

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Elite '08

265

159

Mary F.

Berkeley, CA

4 star rating
08/25/2008

Sometimes I feel as if my life is a floating speck that is handled by the dirty, finger-paint marked palms of sweaty little children. No matter where I turn, there's no escaping them.
I was a nanny for awhile.
Then I taught preschool.
Then I took care of orphans.
Now I feel like I'm going out with a 6 year old.

Yes, my current S.O has hardcore Peter Pan syndrome. I'm not talking about "Child at Heart" ... but straight up touring the city for playgrounds, singing Disney songs on long walks, getting as excited from "Office Monkey" figures as one would get from The World Series, would eat ice cream for every meal if he could. Sometimes I feel like a pedophile*, but most of the time I absolutely adore it. So of course when he came into town, The Exploratorium was my #1 stop. No flashy dinners, the opera or The Power Exchange (well at least not that day) but the best place I can possibly think of that can make a 3 year toddler or a 26 year old man go "ohhhhhhhhhh!!!" Even I can't get enough of the place. It's like little Mary escaped with her Asian bowl cut and lace fringed tights and squealed over her refound love for physics. The exhibits are ridiculous fun and educational. Whoa-de-whoa! And the surrounding Palace of Fine Arts is breathtaking.

Minus one star for the staff. All the disgruntled, oh-so-cool emo kids decided to take a joint break to sing My Chemical Romance in the shadow room. EXCUSE ME!!! I wanted to jump and have my shadow frozen on the wall. I mean.... these little kids did. OK, I lie, it was me.

Overall a near perfect place for kids... or 2 super cool adults.

*I am trying so hard so hold back the jokes. I'm like bursting. Please god, PM me if you want to hear them.

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7

Amy G.

Mililani, HI

5 star rating
09/24/2008

This was my third visit to the Exploratorium, the last time being over 15 years ago.  Wow this place has so many more exhibits than I remember from my last visit!  

It was the first time for my 11 year old son and husband and they too were impressed!  My son was dashing from one exhitibit to another, enjoying it all.  He's a hands on type of kid so what a fun way to learn about science and how things work!  

Good grief there were so many exhibits that we were there for a good three hours when we got too hungry and discovered that it was almost 2 p.m.!  

This is my all time favorite fun/interesting place to go in SF!  I would definitely go again and next time get reservations in the Tactile Dome!

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Elite '08

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182

Bonnie L.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
07/03/2008

Born and raised in San Francisco I've been to the Exploratorium dozens of times. School field trips, taking my hyper and LOUD cousin visitors, and even a first date once.....but to come here for a corporate party would be my FIRST!!!

I attended the Fisher Investment party as a plus one and WOW!!! a completely different side of the Exploratorium (also because I was drinking all night)

Next to the Sushi bar were people making (but failed) GIANT bubbles. My salmon sashimi was sprinkled with busted sudsy soap water.

As I picked up my cheesy pan fried polenta with roasted asparagus, I remember this is where they dissect the cow's eyeball. MMmmm...

I wondered if there was any "funny business" in the tactile dome?!?

I felt like Elizabeth Taylor (during her Cleopatra era 1963) wearing one of her gorgeous dress, priceless Van Cleef jewelry, and blazing violet eyes at a old glamor Hollywood party.

I encourage people NOT to go on the free day because if you are going to spend money: Why not on educational entertainment where children and adults have fun well worth $14.00

What a beautiful place to hold a wedding, DAMN, now every time I'm on a date I HAVE to go to the Exploratoruim........just in case.....

Disclaimer: Seriously, NO I'll just stick to bringing my cousins here.

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6

18

Jennifer C.

Greenbrae, CA

5 star rating
07/25/2008

We took my 3.5 year old (and the baby sister too) for a visit recently - I thought he'd be a little young but he got right into it! Yeah, so he's not going to learn the physics of sound or anything, but it's really fun to clap or yell into the giant tube to hear the echo echo echo. And finally proof that my husband has spent too much time around power tools: his hearing is way worse than mine at the higher frequencies!

I loved the Mind exhibition - are you willing to drink from a toilet water fountain? Walk under a hanging piano? Loved the scare-yourself video - even when you know it's coming, it's almost impossible not to jump!

Can't wait until the kids are old enough for the tactile dome - I totally remember it from my childhood (and yeah, I did go back as an adult and it's a little grody to climb around in when you think about it).

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11

280

Quartknee K.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
07/13/2008

Great place to take the Keiki when they hit the mainland... One of the staff even dissected a cow's eye for us when I asked a question about a display. There are days and times when the crowd isn't over run with children so call to find out about them...

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4

Sam h.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
09/17/2008

Awsome place to take your kids. It has a lot of science stuff for everyone to learn about. Tactile dome is very cool.  Everyone should expericence this place at least once.
Great place to spend half a day here with your kids.

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anya e.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
06/16/2008

When you place an engineer, a biochemist and a biologist in here, they turn into kids again. That is exactly what happened when our friend, my husband and I visited the exploratorium this weekend. We spent 4 hours here touching, playing and discussing the inner-workings of every exhibit, and we only got through the first level. They kicked us out at 5 PM, and we had not even started on the second level. All three of us had such a blast. The superstition obstacle course was closed which was a bummer, but we still had so much fun. We ate a snack at their cafe which surprisingly had tasty, wholesome food. We will have to come back soon to check out the upper level.

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158

899

Mitzie H.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
06/06/2008

Since I was out at the Palace of Fine Arts and my CityPass had a ticket for the Exploratorium and I was right there I decided to go in.  Mind you I was in somewhat of a foul mood because the Palace of Fine Arts was underfuckingconstruction and covered in scaffolding when I went in.  

The place is SWARMING with kids, so many children running and screaming and pushing their way past me I was about to go postal.  Instead I took a deep breath, found a hidden bench and composed myself.

If you are a kid, or you have kids, or you want to be a kid this really is a great place.  It's an interactive museum of science and as a kid I loved going to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and as an adult I have always enjoyed taking my nephews to the Pacific Science Center this was just San Francisco's version of it.  Lots of cool hands on exhibits to play and learn with.

When you visit be sure to bring friends or children with you, going by yourself after you've been disappointed because the Palace of Fine Arts was underfuckingconstruction and covered in scaffolding can put a damper on your visit.  Thankfully I was able to get over myself and see the excitement in the children faces playing with the exhibits that I knew it had to be a good, I tried to get a picture of their excitement but decided against it I didn't want to come across as some creepy lady taking pictures of happy children.

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Jackie M.

Novato, CA

5 star rating
08/04/2008

I thought this place would be a lot different from when I was a kid but it's not.  There are many exhibits there now that I remember playing with when I was a little girl.  Now my 6 year old son is just as excited about them as I was when I was 6.  I was afraid that in this modern age the exploratorium type of activities might seem outdated or boring.  But my son was engaged and having fun up till the last minute we were there.  We would have stayed even longer if we all hadn't become really hungry.  
There was so much we didn't even get a chance to see, can't wait to go back!

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Drue C.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
05/27/2008

I am not sure what is more entertaining - actually going into the Exploratorium or listening to some crazy woman outside yelling obscenities with her child in her arms while other parents voice their concern as she threatens to kick their ass and lunges at them, all the while with her child still in her arms.

Apparently there is no security at the Exploratorium, so if you have safety concerns this may not be your place.

Inside you can wrestle small children for a chance to play with one of the many scientific hands on displays while their parents look at you like you are the anti-Christ because didn't allow their child to take cuts in front of you even though you were waiting longer. Wait your turn and stop crying... life lesson, sucker.

There are machines where you can smell things that are gross, see things that don't exist, hear things that are strange and sometimes scary and touch things that make you feel a little dirty.

There are also machines that monitor your heart rate as you talk about your hot sex life and tell gruesome lies about dead bodies.

Wait, this is a place for kids?? 5 stars for sure!

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Julia L.

Campbell, CA

5 star rating
06/07/2008

I didn't grow up here, so my husband (who often behaves like a 12 year old) and I checked it out during a trip to the city. It was so much fun.  There all kinds of fun demonstrations of sound, electricity, optics, plant biology, etc. in here.  I would have loved the Exploratorium as a kid and I am sure my future kids would love it too :)

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Elite '08

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Nathan C.

Severn, MD

4 star rating
06/04/2008

The Exploratorium is a great hands-on science-oriented museum, very well tailored to the 5-12 year old crowd but entertaining for everyone, really.  Half of it looks like it was put together by your crazy uncle Ray, who has theories about 'the aliens' and entertains his nieces and nephews with stories of the Illuminati and their plans to control the toothpaste industry.  The other half is more polished looking but still sort of has a 'hacker' feel to it.  Exhibits cover everything from electricity to optical illusions to stem cells, and range from the obvious (to an adult, anyway) to the very cool (beating mouse heart grown from stem cells?  CREEPY!)

Everything is designed to be touched, poked, banged, drooled on, or otherwise abused by an endless stream of germ encrusted hands.  Bring sanitizer.  The kids will love it -- we spent over 2 hours here with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old.

Parking is difficult, especially on weekends and on 'free Wednesday' which is the first Wednesday of the month.  There is double secret parking under the bridge behind the main lot and if you're lucky, you can find street parking.

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Michelle R.

Carlsbad, CA

2 star rating
07/27/2008

It was OK--upstairs was my favorite with the bugs.  Big old dark warehouse.   My daughter had fun.  Not my favorite part of our visit.    Do they ever clean all the exhibits?  The bathroom was gross---even my daughter thought so.  You need all day to discover what is there--I got bored.
Would recommend the Maritime Museum more so.

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Steven C.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
09/08/2008

Love this place. Came here as a kid during the summers and usually bring friends from out of town here to learn something new and have fun. Great family place to come too also and has something for everybody. Only thing I can knock on about this place would be their food court but your not really coming here to eat so it's not a big deal for me. I recommend this place to anybody who wants to do something different than the normal and interactive.

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Elite '08

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Jonathan D.

Berkeley, CA

5 star rating
05/24/2008

A parent really does need to review this twice.  Once for themselves and once for their child.  I know in my particular case, I would give it a 4 while I am certain that Eli (my 3 year old son) would give it a 6 (thus the 5).

We were there this morning (his first time) and he LOVED it.  There was one exhibit that had dry-ice chunks pouring into water and he spent a great deal of time there.  When the dry ice hit the water it "melts" and spins.  This causes it to shoot across the water as if it were a comet in deep space.  We sat and watched this particular exhibit for quite some time and I (the adult) was mesmerized by what appeared to be magnetic forces that brought some chunks of dry ice together while causing others to repel each other.  It was easy to imagine that this was a good look at how things work in space.

Of course, he also ran between about 200 other exhibits finding things to do and learn everywhere he turned.  It was obvious fun for him and I only had to operate at about 75% to keep up with him.  A good time.

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Fawn B.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
06/23/2008

This place is so fun for adults and kids.  My 7 year old sis could even enjoy it.  In particular the dissections (flowers, fruit, animal parts) are interesting to little kids. I avoided the eyeball dissection but my sister loved it.  Plan to be there for at least 5 hours.  Bring bread to feed the ducks too.

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