Exploratorium Reviews

Came here on a free admission day. Seemed like this place is more for kids than adults. Much prefer the California science academy of San Francisco. Probably come by again, if it's free.

Best hands-on science museum in the country. But go for the art!

A must see if you are in the area. Lots of amazing exhibits to check out, and it is all hands-on.

Great for kid and adults - give yourself multiple hours to get through the entire exhibit.

Super fun place for the whole family, be prepared to spend at least half a day there

The new space and location along the Embarcadero provide views of the Bay and easy access to BART. The well-spaced exhibits made it crowd manageable. The Tactile Dome (separate admission price) was well organized by a staff member who was More

This place is so fun for both kids and adults, we had the best afternoon there

Very fun and interesting place to go. Lots of science stuff here. Plan to make a whole day out of it, place is huge. We only got thru half of it in about 2 hours.

both my boys, 11 and 14, love the Exploratorium. We have been twice recently, and I still don't think we have seen everything. Plenty of Hands-On stuff, and everything works. There is none of that frustration, where parts are missing and such like that.

Exploratorium was great. There is a lot of stuff to do there. At least 3 hours worth of stuff if you wanted to spend time at EVERY project. You could spend just a good hour though if you wanted to run through it.

I would not recommend night life drinks because they are a rip off. $13 for a cup of ice basically and a tiny cup. If I knew what I was paying for I wouldn't have gotten it. That thing was two sips and I was done. That was the only thing disappointing.

Alot of fun for my 10 yr old, but was crowded with school kids

Museum of interactive science. It consists of many stations, each one demonstrating one or more phenomena and giving the visitor the chance to experiment. Very informative and well done

Thoroughly enjoyable
for people of all ages

Great place for kids, you will get lost there for hours. A lot of cool experiments, all very hands on and interactive.

This place is amazing. Plan to spend several hours covering the multitude of stations and hands-on exhibits.

This is the science museum by which all others are measured. Come here and learn what learning can be.

Couldn't even get through half of the place it is so big! Definitely a place to visit even for adults. It was a bit clumsy at first with all of the kids around but once you take a drink out of the toilet there is no stopping the fun.

Good place to get the kids interested in science, especially middle schoolers

My baby loves this place, time to renew our family pass!

Loads of fun for any age group. A great to hands on learn science with friends or family. Would recommend spending at least two hours if you can.

Great place for a (nerdy) date, esp one of their 1st Thu of the Month night-time "After Dark" events (adults only, alcohol is available) events. Just be sure to check out that month's After Dark theme because they change all the time.

Awesome new building on Embarcadero about 10 min walk from BART (much easier to get to than the old place near the Palace of Fine Arts).

The Seaglass restaurant is surprisingly good, with a rotating menu that can go from Indian curries to upscale tacos to sushi (~$10-$20/person).

Don't forget to walk around outside and out back - nice views of the water though it can get a bit windy/chilly.

The Exploratorium is just one of those really cool places to spend the day. They also have a more adult friendly "after dark" days were you can walk around after closing while getting a few drinks. The new location is great too although I miss the exterior of the old location. The exhibits change to keep things fresh as well.

So. Worth. The. Membership. The place is awesome anytime of day with so many cool physics, sound, light, nature, etc. machines and toys to play with. After Dark on Thursdays is really fun and always full of people. They have drinks, music, and no kids at that time.

After Dark also has events called Pairings where a chef, bartender, and scientist cover a topic (e.g. fish sauce, caffeine, rice, etc.). First you get a sampling of food that includes those ingredients. Then the scientist presents on the flavor, preparation methods, and history of it. Finally the bartender makes everyone a cocktail with the ingredient. Super fun! And that s free!

Great place for kids and adults alike. A little on the expensive side but worth checking oit

Amazing architecture. Best pictures on a cloudy day. Bring a friend and walking shoes. .

An excellent space with interactive and intriguing works. It looks like a great professional science fair.

Great place! I was here in the evening on an "After dark" event. No children and you could buy beer, wine and cocktails. Everything was really exciting and you felt like a kid again, exploring and learning.

This place is incredible. There are six areas with distinct themes and essentially every kid or adult will like at least a few of the areas. Lots of interactive activities for kids. Plan on staying the entire day, 4-6 hours with a short break in the middle to make the most of the entry fee.

Wow! The Exploratorium far exceeded my expectations. By far the best science museum I ve ever visited. Packed with engaging hands-on exhibits for people of all ages. I ll have to visit again because there wasn t time to try everything in just one day.

An incredible experience for all the senses, this place is designed to play tricks on your mind (in a good way), I was there with some friends for hours (probably about 5 hours) and we didn't even get to the second building. They even have a food court with the best spicy tuna rolls I've ever had.

It is a very special place. Wake up interest in science

Amazing experience! You need entire day to enjoy every part of Exploratorium with no rush. Everyone is going to find something they would really like. Do not go on a weekends to avoid all the crowd.

This place is fun for both adults and children. They have obvious put a lot of work into it, and the exhibits are both entertaining and educational. Took about 2 or 3 hours to see almost all of it.

Amazing!!! Best interactive museum for kids and adults. It s not cheap but my 18 months son enjoyed so much.

Fun place. I found myself amazed. Great entertaining time

Fabulous experience. We have adult kids and found ourselves at the exploratorium while walking the boardwalk. The museum was incredible! We ended up spending 3 hours learning and experiencing it all.

Absolutely amazing array of interesting, insightful and engaging science experiments. Fantastic day in San Fran if it's raining, or if it's not.

Lots of exhibits, even the simple concepts come across as cool

An awesome place you just can't miss the slightest things inside.5 star

This is one of the best museums in San Francisco. The amount of things to interact with will be enough to keep you busy an entire day and perfect for a rainy day. Adult Thursday evenings are awesome - you can get the slinky treadmill all for yourself.

Very cool and interactive exhibits! We were here for several hours, but I can see how someone could spend all day! Loved the informative signage.

Fun interactive exhibits. Plan to spend a few hours here both at the indoor and outdoor galleries. Don't miss the exhibits upstairs with the fantastic views of the Bay!

I went with my child. It seems that I like the game of playing face-to-face with sand table and circuit on a rotating table. The restaurant inside is also rich and you can enjoy sashimi without chili powder.

Kids and I couldn't get enough of this place. Love how the exhibits weave you through indoor and outdoor spaces, including near the pier. Very interactive and enough variety for all three of my kids to be entertained all day. I have two boys 10 & 8 and a 2 yog.

Love everything about the Exploratorium, both when I was a kid and now as an adult. Engaging hands-on science for all ages.

Mesmerizing hands-on exhibits. Great for anyone who loves science. I'd go there again in a heartbeat

Super crowded on weekends and good for families with young kids. I don't have any young kids so it's hard to have fun when it's crowded or really see any exhibits

Fun hands on museum. Definitely worth a multiple day visit.

My fav stop for a short rest on Embarcadero - clean restrooms, nice cafe, lots of benches to sit and interesting material to explore (even without paying for entrance).

It's just as amazing as you would expect it to be, and the store is worth the trip to the Exploratorium by itself. The After Dark events change every week and if you buy a membership, it's a cost effective way to go out and broaden your horizons

Have not added any new exhibits. Boring after a while and expensive.

Positives: Great hands on science exhibits. Knowledgeable staff. Lots of interactive ways to help all ages learn about science topics. Thank you Mr. Oppenheimer!

Negatives: Prices, both admission and food are pricey. If you live in the Bay Area, and can afford it, the memberships can be a good option.

Overall definitely worth a visit, or several. They have lockers. FYI: It is more for school aged kids than tiny kids. It is a huge place and a day is not enough if you are a science type of person or family!

The nightlife event that they hold on Thursday nights for adults is so fun! My friends and I had such a great time exploring and playing with all the interactive displays, and it was great to be able to do so with a drink in hand and not have to worry about children running around. Would definitely recommend it for a fun Thursday night out.

Even better and more engaging than when I was a kid. The new location is really great. Absolutely a blast. Entertaining, educational, and fun for the whole family.

Very many things to experiment with, should keep kids and adults busy for 3-4 hours.