Best Museums in the Bay Area

These museums are the winners of the 2024 Best of Bay Area Parent reader poll. Read the full list of winners here.

East Bay

Gold: Lawrence Hall of Science. This hub of fascination and discovery has many hands-on experiences for families that are designed to promote exploration and learning, including exhibits like the Animal Discovery Zone and the Outdoor Nature Lab. Berkeley. lawrencehallofscience.org.

Silver: Oakland Museum of California. Oakland. museumca.org.

 Bronze: Chabot Space & Science Center. Oakland. chabotspace.org.            

Peninsula

Gold: Filoli Historic House and Garden. This property is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century, featuring a 54,000-square-foot mansion, 16 acres of English Renaissance gardens, a 6.8-acre gentleman’s orchard and hundreds of acres of natural lands. Woodside. filoli.org.

Silver: Hiller Aviation Museum. San Carlos. hiller.org.

Bronze: CuriOdyssey. San Mateo. curiodyssey.org.

San Francisco/Marin

Gold: Exploratorium. Tinker, test and play with more than 600 interactive exhibits. San Francisco. exploratorium.edu.

 Silver: Legion of Honor. San Francisco. famsf.org.

 Bronze: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. San Francisco. sfmoma.org.

Silicon Valley

Gold: Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. With the motto “Inspiring creativity, curiosity and lifelong learning,” this children’s museum features hands-on exhibits and activities for kids as well as cultural events. San Jose. cdm.org.

 Silver: The Tech Interactive. San Jose. thetech.org.

 Bronze: Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Palo Alto. paloaltozoo.org.

LATEST POSTS

Tasty Tours for Families 

Summer is a great time to take your kids on a field trip to one of the Bay Area’s factories where sweets are made. They...

Best Bay Area Picnic Spots

Pack some food and check out these great spots to have a picnic featuring breathtaking views, hiking trails and entertainment for your family.

This Month’s Top Family Activities

Here are this month's top family activities around the Bay Area. May 31 Bay Area Book Festival ALSO JUNE 1. The 11th annual festival features indoor and outdoor...

Summer Camps for “Indoorsy” Kids

With summer camp advertisements filling your inbox, you'll likely notice that many focus on a traditional camp experience with mornings of crafts and camp songs,...

Follow us on Social Media

12,456FansLike
1,502FollowersFollow
532FollowersFollow

Most Popular