Children's museums and science centers around the Bay Area
Hands-on museums are the Bay Area's rainy-day backbone, and the best of them are worth a trip on a sunny day too.
Under 5: the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose and the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito are built for little kids. Ages 5 and up: The Tech Interactive, the Exploratorium and Lawrence Hall of Science. Every age: the California Academy of Sciences, with an aquarium, rainforest and planetarium under one roof, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
- 7 places
- 7 stroller-friendly
- closest is 20 min away
7 places
Drive times from Sunnyvale
Children's Discovery Museum
5.0San Jose · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot off Woz Way, about $10
California Academy of Sciences
5.0San Francisco · 55 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Music Concourse underground garage about $6-8/hour; spots available if you go early
Bay Area Discovery Museum
5.0Sausalito · 75 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free parking at Fort Baker
Monterey Bay Aquarium
5.0Monterey · 80 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Cannery Row garages about $20-30/day
Lawrence Hall of Science
4.0Berkeley · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Garage at the entrance, $2/hour
The Tech Interactive
3.0San Jose · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Downtown garages about $10-20
Exploratorium
3.0San Francisco · 60 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Garages and meters along the Embarcadero near Pier 15, about $20-30
💡 Good to know
- Ask your library about free or discounted museum passes before buying tickets.
- The first hour after opening is the calmest time on weekends.