Discover and Explore, San Francisco

Although each of these museums can merit a full day on their own, I am putting together two of San Francisco’s finest hands-on museums in a full-day trip category for two reasons: 1) they are within ten miles of each other, so you don’t have to drive clear across the city to go from one to the other, and 2) if you only have one or two days to spend in San Francisco, I would put both of these museums high on the must-see list.

The Bay Area Discovery Museum sits at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito. It uses former bunkers from its earlier days as Fort Baker  to provide themed activity rooms. It offers plenty of hands-on activities for the younger crowd to touch and play with, as well as other ways school-aged reading kids can enjoy the space as well. Parking is plentiful, free, and very close to the museum.  There aren’t many eating establishments nearby, but the cafe here has pretty good food. I have described this museum in more detail here.

Across the Golden Gate Bridge is another terrific hands-on place, the Exploratorium. To get there from the Discovery Museum, start on McReynolds and turn R on Kober, then R on Murrey, then R on Bunker Road East and left onto Bunker Road. (Each of these turns is less than a half mile apart.) Go R on Sausilito Lateral Road which takes you to 101 south. Go left toward Marina and a sharp right on Lyon Street.   The parking lot entrance is about 500 feet ahead on the right.

The Exploratorium is all about playing with science, and so geared more toward the elementary aged kids. There is certainly something to do for kids of all ages. There are so many hands-on exhibits, to me it encompasses how well learning and fun can go together.