Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids

Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in Gilroy

New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum

New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Capitola Historical Museum

Capitola Historical Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Museum

Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Mystery Spot

The Mystery Spot

Iconic gravity hill offering tours. Opened in 1941, this roadside landmark is a tilt-induced visual illusion with tours & a gift shop.

Visit
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Wildlife, plant & archaeology exhibits. Galleries & interactive programs exploring flora, fauna, geology & peoples native to the Bay Area.

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Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Hands-on exhibitions & special programs. Expansive venue with hands-on art & history exhibitions, plus special programs good for all ages.

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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Theater & interactive exhibit gallery. Educational multimedia exhibits include theater, touch pools & a remotely operated underwater robot.

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Little Free Art Museum ("SJ FLAG")

Little Free Art Museum ("SJ FLAG")

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Exhibits exploring wave-riding culture. Rotating exhibits on surfing culture & local history housed in a historic, preserved lighthouse.

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History Park (operated by History San Jose)

History Park (operated by History San Jose)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU)

New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU)

Art & history museum with studio space. Museum & community hub featuring art & history exhibits, plus studio space for workshops & training.

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UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Rare plants & a butterfly garden. Vast collection of rare plants with a succulent garden, a butterfly area & a eucalyptus grove.

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Natural Bridges Visitor Center

Natural Bridges Visitor Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.

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Vasona Lake County Park

Vasona Lake County Park

Site with a sprawling lawn, trail & lake. Public green space with 45 acres of lawn, a multi-use trail & picnic areas plus a lake with fishing.

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Emma Prusch Farm Park

Emma Prusch Farm Park

Community farm with orchards & gardens. Compact community farm features heirloom vegetable gardens, orchards, chickens & a fair.

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Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Aquarium & interactive science museum. Interactive marine science museum & aquarium, with hands-on exhibits, a touch pool & a gift shop.

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Bill's Backyard

Bill's Backyard

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Shows, workshops & interactive exhibits. Children of all ages explore more than 150 interactive exhibits including a full-size fire truck.

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The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive

Interactive displays & an IMAX theater. Accessible, hands-on exhibits for all ages in a spacious facility, plus an attached IMAX theater.

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San Jose Museum of Art

San Jose Museum of Art

Rotating contemporary exhibitions. Revolving exhibitions from post-1980 to older 20th-century works plus a cafe & education center.

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Japanese American Museum of San Jose

Japanese American Museum of San Jose

Showcase for Japanese history & culture. Museum highlighting Japanese art, history & culture with an emphasis on the Bay Area.

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Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Exhibits featuring mummies & artifacts. Museum with displays on Egyptian burial practices, plus artifacts including jewelry & bronze tools.

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Winchester Mystery House

Winchester Mystery House

Quirky mansion with odd design details. Sprawling landmark with a staircase leading nowhere & other odd features designed to confuse ghosts.

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Immersive Gamebox - San Jose, Santa Clara

Immersive Gamebox - San Jose, Santa Clara

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Triton Museum of Art

Triton Museum of Art

Free exhibits & 7-ac. sculpture garden. Exhibits of contemporary & historical works, with an emphasis on Bay Area artists.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Sprawling marine life attraction. Well-known aquarium on a rocky coastline with exhibits ranging from otter habitats to touch pools.

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Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Historic light tower from 1850s. Oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Pacific, offering tours of Victorian-era building.

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Museum Foundation Pacific

Museum Foundation Pacific

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Free exhibitions on regional wildlife. Nature museum offering exhibits on birds, insects, plants & other wildlife, plus free admission.

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Monarch Sanctuary

Monarch Sanctuary

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Presidio of Monterey Museum

Presidio of Monterey Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Old Fisherman's Wharf

Old Fisherman's Wharf

Quaint landmark with dining & shopping. Iconic waterside complex & event site featuring seafood eateries, shops & water-sports activities.

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Monterey History and Art Museum

Monterey History and Art Museum

Art exhibits & local maritime history. A local history showcase with a collection of maritime artifacts, plus rotating art exhibitions.

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Dennis The Menace Playground

Dennis The Menace Playground

Sizable kids' playground & park. Spacious kids' playground & park featuring activities such as a maze & a rock climbing wall.

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Monterey County Youth Museum

Monterey County Youth Museum

Children's museum with hands-on exhibits. This colorful museum for toddlers & bigger kids features interactive exhibits with a local theme.

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Monterey Museum of Art

Monterey Museum of Art

Museum in a historic former estate. Open only for special events, this art museum in a historic estate features contemporary galleries.

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Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Exhibits dedicated to California history. Built 1847–1849, this museum in an old government building has exhibits on the history of Monterey.

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De Anza College Planetarium

De Anza College Planetarium

Venue for astronomy & laser shows. This large planetarium offers educational astronomy shows & entertaining laser displays.

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Euphrat Museum Of Art

Euphrat Museum Of Art

Museum with college exhibitions. Exhibition space at De Anza College featuring shows by faculty & students & educational programs.

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Intel Museum

Intel Museum

Museum of technological innovation. Educational exhibits showcasing tech milestones & intel history like the making of the silicon chip.

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McClellan Ranch Preserve

McClellan Ranch Preserve

Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.

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Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

Center promoting local history & culture. Local-history museum with rotating exhibits in a replica home of the area's founding family.

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