Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids
Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in San Mateo
San Mateo Japanese Garden
Asian-inspired gardens with a koi pond. Spring blossoming Japanese gardens with a koi pond, pagoda & teahouse in a 16.3-acre city park.
CuriOdyssey
Science & wildlife center for kids. Museum for kids focusing on environmental science & wildlife with indoor exhibits & an outdoor zoo.
Hiller Aviation Museum
Vintage & futuristic aircraft on display. Museum on the history & future of flight with various aircrafts on display, plus a flight simulator.
Filoli Historic House & World-Class Garden
Historical estate & botanic garden. An early-20th-century country estate & botanic garden, open for docent-led tours.
San Mateo County History Museum
Hands-on exhibits in restored courthouse. Family-friendly, interactive exhibits devoted to local cultural heritage in a historic courthouse.
The Museum of American Heritage
Exhibitions on inventions & technology. Charming museum in a 1907 home showcasing technology & inventions from the 1750s to the 1950s.
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
Fine art museum with a sculpture garden. Classic & contemporary art museum with an outdoor sculpture garden featuring Rodin bronzes.
Rodin Sculpture Garden
Famed sculptor's work in outdoor setting. Garden at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center showing 20 statues by famed sculptor Rodin (open all hours).
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
Hands-on science & nature exhibits. Child-oriented venue with animals like birds & turtles, plus interactive educational exhibits.
Oakland Aviation Museum
Display aircraft & historical exhibits. Museum housing an extensive aircraft collection & various aviation exhibits in a historic hangar.
USS Hornet - Sea, Air and Space Museum
Warship with WWII & Apollo 11 history. Aircraft carrier that participated in WWII & the Apollo 11 recovery mission now a museum with tours.
Alameda Museum
Historic artifacts, photos & furnishings. Museum with a collection of city artifacts, vintage furnishings & photos, plus a lecture series.
Pacific Pinball Museum
Historic & playable pinball machines. Museum displaying rare & vintage pinball machines, which are also playable, amid colorful local art.
Ardenwood Historic Farm
Living museum with horse-powered farming. A working farm with a train & crops grown using historic methods, plus volunteers in period attire.
Randall Museum
Children's museum on 16-acre park. Museum with wild-animal exhibits & hands-on experiences for exploring science & the arts.
The Foster Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Children's Creativity Museum
Interactive arts & technology museum. A place for kids to explore arts & technology by making music videos, animating short films & more.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Vast collection of prominent artworks. Contemporary & modern paintings, installations, photographs, media & more in a sleek space.
Tenderloin Museum
Museum of this famous district. This museum tells the story of this area peopled by immigrants & iconoclasts, artists & activists.
Osher Rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences
Visit this great place for kids and families!
California Academy of Sciences
Museum with science exhibits & research. Natural history museum with an aquarium, planetarium & scientists conducting a variety of research.
Oakland Museum of California
State art, history & natural sciences. Artifacts & interactive displays in a modern building focusing on state art, history & science.
Cable Car Museum
Vintage cable cars & mechanical displays. Antique cable cars on exhibit in the historic building that houses the cable-pulling equipment.
The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment - (The MADE)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Museum of Children's Art
Interactive educational art exhibits. Mecca for hands-on cultural & arts activities for all ages, with educational exhibits & programs.
Black Panther Party Mini Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Exploratorium
Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.
Computer History Museum
Devices dating back to the 1940s. Exhibits on early computers, the growth of the Internet, industry pioneers & more.
Other Things to See
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