Exploratorium

Located in San Francisco, California, the Exploratorium is a public learning laboratory exploring the world through science, art, and human perception. Our mission is to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide. Our vision is a world where people think for themselves and can confidently ask questions, question answers, and understand the world around them. We value lifelong learning and teaching, curiosity and inquiry, our community, iteration and evidence, integrity and authenticity, sustainability, and inclusion and respect.

We create tools and experiences that help you to become an active explorer: hundreds of explore-for-yourself exhibits, a website with over 35,000 pages of content, film screenings, evening art and science events for adults, plus much more. We also create professional development programs for educators, and are at the forefront of changing the way science is taught. We share our exhibits and expertise with museums worldwide.

Tips for Visiting the Exploratorium with Kids

With more than 650 interactive exhibits to tinker with, kids of all ages (including you) will find something fun to do at the Exploratorium. Here are a few tips to make your explorations even more joyful.

Getting Here

The Exploratorium is easy to reach whether you’re driving, biking, walking, or taking mass transit. Two adjacent lots offer our visitors discounted parking, we’ve got plenty of bike racks, and Muni’s historic F streetcar drops off right in front of the museum. Walking from the BART Embarcadero station with little ones? Bring your stroller—it’s an easy 15-minute walk—and enjoy the boats, bridge views, and sea birds along the way. For a playground stop, try the pirate-themed playground at Sue Bierman Park.

Strollers

Strollers are welcome in the galleries. Loaners are available at the Information Desk (first come, first served).

Rest Areas

Comfy couches for rests, snack breaks, and breastfeeding are scattered throughout the museum. Need a quiet spot to take a break? Slip away to the Observatory Gallery or the rocking chairs on the south side of Gallery 4, or head outside for bay views and benches. Plus, try visiting on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings, which are generally less crowded.

Changing Tables and Breastfeeding

All restrooms have diaper-changing tables or counters (with the exception of the single-occupancy restroom next to Seaglass Restaurant). Want privacy for breastfeeding? Ask at the Ticketing Desk for access to our First Aid Room.

Food and Beverages

Our café and restaurant both offer kid-friendly food options. You’re also welcome to bring your own snacks and take a break in our outdoor areas or indoors next to the Seismic Joint Cafe.

Reentry

You can come and go. For reentry, get your hand stamped in the ticketing corridor or when exiting near the Tactile Dome. We’re minutes from both Pier 39 and the Ferry Building Marketplace.

General Questions

At the Exploratorium, you’ll see no shushing security guards—just our outgoing, orange-vested Explainers, some no older than your teens. Ask an Explainer to share tips and tricks for exploring exhibits; find a lost child; or point you to the restaurant, our two stores, or your favorite exhibit.

Cool Exhibits for Kids of All Ages

You’re never too young (or too old) to enjoy the Exploratorium. While our exhibits can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages, look out for these favorites for specific age groups.

For Toddlers

Create Colored Shadows and create a shadow snapshot in Shadow Box

• Jump inside a kid-friendly tornado
• Make mega bubbles and explore bubbleology at Soap Film Painting
• Move magnetic sand into mini-mountains at Black Sand
• Balance a beach ball on a column of air at Balancing Ball

For Teens

• Measure how cool—or how hot—you are with an infrared camera
• See if you’re brave enough to drink out of a (clean) toilet bowl at A Sip of Conflict
• Float in space, or appear to, at Anti-Gravity Mirror
• Take a sensory journey through a pitch-black maze at the Tactile Dome
• Go ahead, touch that retina—watch an Explainer dissect a cow’s eye to find out how your own eyes work