Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids
Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in Santa Cruz
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.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
Theater & interactive exhibit gallery. Educational multimedia exhibits include theater, touch pools & a remotely operated underwater robot.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Wildlife, plant & archaeology exhibits. Galleries & interactive programs exploring flora, fauna, geology & peoples native to the Bay Area.
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
Exhibits exploring wave-riding culture. Rotating exhibits on surfing culture & local history housed in a historic, preserved lighthouse.
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.
Natural Bridges Visitor Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Aquarium & interactive science museum. Interactive marine science museum & aquarium, with hands-on exhibits, a touch pool & a gift shop.
The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Capitola Historical Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU)
Art & history museum with studio space. Museum & community hub featuring art & history exhibits, plus studio space for workshops & training.
New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Little Free Art Museum ("SJ FLAG")
Visit this great place for kids and families!
McClellan Ranch Preserve
Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.
De Anza College Planetarium
Venue for astronomy & laser shows. This large planetarium offers educational astronomy shows & entertaining laser displays.
Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)
Historic light tower from 1850s. Oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Pacific, offering tours of Victorian-era building.
Euphrat Museum Of Art
Museum with college exhibitions. Exhibition space at De Anza College featuring shows by faculty & students & educational programs.
Winchester Mystery House
Quirky mansion with odd design details. Sprawling landmark with a staircase leading nowhere & other odd features designed to confuse ghosts.
Monarch Sanctuary
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Immersive Gamebox - San Jose, Santa Clara
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Museum Foundation Pacific
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Free exhibitions on regional wildlife. Nature museum offering exhibits on birds, insects, plants & other wildlife, plus free admission.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Sprawling marine life attraction. Well-known aquarium on a rocky coastline with exhibits ranging from otter habitats to touch pools.
Bill's Backyard
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Exhibits featuring mummies & artifacts. Museum with displays on Egyptian burial practices, plus artifacts including jewelry & bronze tools.
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.
History Park (operated by History San Jose)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Tech Interactive
Interactive displays & an IMAX theater. Accessible, hands-on exhibits for all ages in a spacious facility, plus an attached IMAX theater.
San Jose Museum of Art
Rotating contemporary exhibitions. Revolving exhibitions from post-1980 to older 20th-century works plus a cafe & education center.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.
Presidio of Monterey Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Old Fisherman's Wharf
Quaint landmark with dining & shopping. Iconic waterside complex & event site featuring seafood eateries, shops & water-sports activities.
Monterey History and Art Museum
Art exhibits & local maritime history. A local history showcase with a collection of maritime artifacts, plus rotating art exhibitions.
Triton Museum of Art
Free exhibits & 7-ac. sculpture garden. Exhibits of contemporary & historical works, with an emphasis on Bay Area artists.
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Showcase for Japanese history & culture. Museum highlighting Japanese art, history & culture with an emphasis on the Bay Area.
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.
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.
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.
Dennis The Menace Playground
Sizable kids' playground & park. Spacious kids' playground & park featuring activities such as a maze & a rock climbing wall.
Emma Prusch Farm Park
Community farm with orchards & gardens. Compact community farm features heirloom vegetable gardens, orchards, chickens & a fair.
Intel Museum
Museum of technological innovation. Educational exhibits showcasing tech milestones & intel history like the making of the silicon chip.
Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Jehning Lock Museum
Old locks & safes in compact quarters. Small museum with a collection of old locks, safes, keys & locksmithing tools, plus a gift shop.
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