Exploratorium Reviews

Fun for the whole family, no matter how old you are.

Had a great time there. Lots of hands on experiences that are fun! Come here with a friend!

Interesting science center on the water. Seems like a fun thing to do with kids if you are in the city.

Great and very educational. Fun and science activities for kids (the adults had fun as well)

Lots to see!! Totally worth a visit. Parking is $20(?) for the whole day on a Friday though

Had great fun walking around the area and also trying out their science experiments. Ended up spending a lot more time exploring than i expected but worth going once.

Very good as far as science museums go. Extremely hands on and interactive. It does get super crowded though. I recommend getting there near to when it opens. Also, you can buy tickets online and can walk straight in rather than waiting in a super long line to buy tickets.

Always fun to visit here! The kids love testing out all the displays.

Fun times for the kids and adults. I like the spaciousness and care free environment.

i enjoy coming to the exploratorium in the pier, it is always fun and full of activities. from a cows eye to exploring the sea monkeys!

This is fantastic for the entire family, kids especially. Right on the wharf, tons of interactive exhibits, and they'll learn a lot of science concepts. Start your young scientist now.

Great hands on learning museum. Kids will love it and learn a lot. The staff is really friendly and informative. The only downside is it is a bit expensive.

Great for all curious minds... a wonderful place to explore.

In one word, terrible. I am aware that many professional reviewers have given the Exploratorium positive marks. That contributed to me taking my 3 kids (10, 8, and 6 years old) thinking it would be fun and educational. This is not like the California
Academy of Science (which was awesome).
Unfortunately, everything at the Exploratorium is spinning and bright lights are constantly flashing. I have a hard time understanding the appeal, except for the location. Also,most kids there are screaming, some of their parents look annoyed. Additionally, kids were body checking other kids to get to the tables. We had 4 of our party of 5 subdue to headaches after 45 minuets. We left at that point, couldn't even stay an hour. If I could give the Exploratorium negative stars, I would, I found the Exploratorium to be a torture chamber. We had purchased the City Pass, therefore it wasn't overly costly. I would still recommend the City Pass, but the Exploratorium was far and away the least pleasurable thing we did in the city. I informed staff behind a desk at the exit, that there should be seizure warnings posted very prominently at the entrance. I wasn't looking for a refund or anything because of the City Pass, but the staff was still extremely dismissive or maybe didn't understand me. So, I am posting here, to be helpful to others...IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSITIVITY TO FLASHING LIGHTS OR SPINNING OBJECTS, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER GOING HERE!!!

Nice place for children, young and adults. Lots of ideas that keeps u occupied.

Expensive but really good activities for kids. Physics, chemistry even behavioural science explored in a way to interest any kid.

Would be nice to visit if you ever manage to park... :-)

Great place for students. A lot of things to discover.

We love it! Don't know who has more fun, the kids or us

A really interesting place you can spend a whole day at. As buffet for lunch and plenty of activity's to do.

Fun fun fun, adult can truly enjoy this place as well.

One of the coolest things I've ever done in SF. Go on Thursday nights when you don't have to tangle with hordes of kiddos and you can enjoy the hands-on fun with a glass of wine!

This place is as good to teach a toddler as it is to teach the toddler in us all. My son had a great time playing with everything even if he didn't know why things were happening. My wife and I were thralled by many displays. It was a great learning day for the young and young at heart.

Although it can be overwhelming because of the plethora of interactives, the Exploratorium is a gem.

Give it given the fact that they have their own machine shop, all the exhibits are kept in very good working order which is a joy when going to these museums with kids.

You can't miss it. Can spend 2-3 DAYS without doing the same thing. Absolutely brilliant! The best science museum I have ever visited

Science museum for families. I think that I can enjoy quite a lot of people who like adults with quite a large size. It was quite crowded from the opening on Saturday morning.
Admission fee is as high as $ 30.

Love this place - all the hands on experiments keep our kids entertained for hours (and the adults too!). Even when it's busy there are usually activities that don't have a line.
The restaurant has a selection of tasty and fresh food, but not much that our fussy kids would eat other than fries (the quesadillas were made with corn tortillas and they didn't like the Mac and cheese. Ymmv.

Outstanding experience. You need to go in a long time and enjoy every one of the experiments in the place.
Fascinating

Plan a day to explore all the exhibits. Lots of fun and educational activities.

Best science museum. All the exhibits are interactive. I loved this place as a kid and am glad to find that it holds up. It will ruin you for all other science museums, however.

Science and art slammed together, with a whole bunch of whimsy tossed in. A hands-on place that asks questions and guides you to find the answers, then encourages you to ask many more. Come in with an insatiable curiosity and learn all sorts of wonderful things!

Wow! This place is probably the most hands-on "museum" ever. It shows the fundamental science of engineering in a fantastic and simple way. A great place for the kids.

GREAT FOR KIDS,,, AND ADULTS !!
Much better location than POFA.

I wanted the best for my baby, so I agreed with him that he will celebrate his birthday in this playroom. The place was big, comfortable, and secured. Besides, the toys that were displayed were clean and safe to play. Eventually, all the kids enjoyed celebrating my son's birthday. Thank you for the remarkable and satisfying day that you brought to us. We will come back sooner or later. Thanks!

Great to go with your kids!!!! Try going early... The only thing I didn't like much was the restaurant. It had very few menu options and they were not very healthy. But the rest is GREAT.

Went to the adults only night on Thursday here and had so much fun! Will definitely go back. I would get there for it opening so you can get the time you want with everything :) Reasonably priced.

The exploratorium is a cool space. Not as fun and funky as their old home, but a wonderful place to visit and explore

Great for kids of all ages, lots of hands on gadgets to play with. Fun for the entire family

Great for Kids and adults who want to enjoy playing and learning together! Fun place!

It is a huge hall full of nice science activities, some of the are truly interesting but the poor explications and the old panels don't foster learning. The booths could be maintained better.

My children loved this place soo much and there were so many different things to learn and explore

World class. Top knotch. Absolutely the best thing to do with your kids.

If you plan on staying more than four hours, there is a covered parking lot just to the north that is $20 per day

There is so much cool things to see and do that you occasionally forget that you're learning something with each exhibit! Lots of cool pieces that are changed out often. Childfree adults: I'd recommend going on adult only nights and grab a drink while you walk around and explore! It's a great place to take a kid during normal hours too. I love it here and I'll definitely be back

This is an incredible museum for children and adults. Tons of interactive exhibits and very educational

This is the place if you want to kill one whole day and enjoy it thoroughly. Discounted full day parking on pier 19 1/2 for exploratorium. They have 7 exhibits and we spent a whole day there buy were able to complete only 5 of them. It is so big and so engrossing that you won't even feel hours pass by. If you have kids in your group, JUST GO to this place, it is super fun. Even for adults they have gazillion of hands on things to do. Believe me you will never feel bored, even for a second.

Dont explore without a guide or youll get lost and locked in the facility through the night. All the exhibits come to life at night.

A very good option to take children who fall in love with science playing in its different rooms.

Great fun for the kids. Parents can learn a thing or two as well

I went here about 3 months ago and was happily surprised at how many new, fun exhibits that has after such a short period. Kid or adult, you're going to love this place

Great day out for all the family. Plenty of interactive displays that help explain the world in which we live. Staff very helpful and great facilities.

Good place for both adults and kids to enjoy and learn

We love, love, love the exploratorium!
If you have a kinesthetic child(ren) (learns best by hands on) this is the best place to learn and have fun.
There is so much to do, it's impossible for most people to experience everything in one day.

An excellent experience, especially when you go at night. There's food as well as a super cool gift shop.

Great place to take your kids. However, take some sanitary wipes with you as many people handle the props and it appears to me that these interactive exhibits are cleaned and wiped down often enough. Other than that it can be fairly educational and a fun experience for kids and adults..

It is worth a visit if you have time in your limited time in SF (and are willing to pay the entrance fee)

The Exploratorium is located at Pier 15 and is a place loaded for the mind that's looking for answers to questions we all ask. And so much more. We were there for 3 hours and didn't see 10% of it. We got to go inside a camera. We go to hear things that we never heard before. And most of all, it was a treat for the eyes everywhere we looked. I am going to have to see it again...and again.

Lots of stations everywhere to explore and discover. Get free tickets for the Drawing Board. Pay extra and reserve your spot for the Tactile Dome (8 years old - adult).

This place is great for everyone young or small, big and tall. All of the exhibits are informational and educational but still incredibly fun. Because it's is one of the San Fransisco piers, there are many restaurants around it if you do not want to go to the restaurant already there. I would recommend getting a membership if you live nearby because there is so much to do and so much to see. I will be going back!

Awesome interactive science museum! Lots and lots of cool hands-on exhibits. A great place to take the family! Check out Thursdays after dark if you're interested in a more "adult" experience.

I love the Exploratorium! I was there for the adult After Dark hours. It was so much fun. The activities and exhibits are awesome, fun, and educational. I went with a large group. I definitely recommend going with other people because a lot of the things to do need a partner, and it's fun discussing and arguing about the science and math!

Great hands-on science museum for kids of age and kids at heart. Lots of exhibits in physics, biology, electricity, and sound. On the first Thursday of every month they do a themed "Exploratorium After Dark" event for adults only with specific talks, exhibits, and drinks are served.

Must see if you're a hands on mechanical / science person. Awesome for kids if theyre inquisitive. Everything is hands on!

One of the best things todo in SF, For kids it's a great place to learn about science in a fun and hands on way. They also have After Dark for adults Thursdays, which is incredibly fun and a great date night. They have something for everyone and would make a "must stop" list for sure.

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.

Great place to share with your children and grandchildren the magic of mathematics, science, and computer science. They will have a great time as they learn about the world.

Museum for the curious, although there are so many things to touch, that a third of the way you are tired of fiddling. Ideal to visit if you have bought the ticket with the San Francisco Citypass, if not, it is better to pay for other attractions.

I loved this place, it has all sorts of exhibitions ranging from light, electricity, biology, optics, social sciences, etc. Thursdays evening 6-10pm it is open for adult only. During this time it is usually less crowded and cheaper than regular, so I highly recommended.

Nice place that breaks very well the image of the boring museum! Indeed, located along the Pacific Ocean in the city of San Francisco, it allows to spend an afternoon entertaining with family, friends or even alone! Many experiences and games are available to tackle playfully modern science! I strongly recommend this place! Do not miss !

A lot of stuff to discover but it's quite expensive and after a couple of hours inside you grow quite tired to explore further. Some experiments and pretty basic and suitable for children but not so much for adult visitors.

Been coming since I was very little and they were in the Palace of the Fine Arts. The new location is great and I love that they have an after hours day for adults to hangout. Still as much fun now as when I was a kid.