San Francisco Exploratorium offers eye-popping fun with wonders of science, art, perception -- a treat for children of all ages

What do a bell, a wheel and a pendulum have in common?  You'll find out at the Exploratorium.

Sights and sounds merge and dance as Steve Ganner shares the wonders with his mesmerized daughter Penelope.

KIDS OF ALL AGES ENJOY EXPERIMENTATION, DISCOVERY AT UNIQUE INTERACTIVE MUSEUM ON SAN FRANCISCO'S PRETTY WATERFRONT

 

James Brian Ganner and sister Penelope Margaret  have fun with a magical spinning cloud chamber.

Bruce Keller has fun with invisible forces and spinning  effects in one of the museum's interesting  exhibits.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Editor's Note: This piece was reviewed and updated September of 2026.

IF YOU NEVER completely "grew up," San Francisco's Exploratorium is designed with you in mind.  It's the classic "children of all ages" activity if you're looking for something to entertain several generations. We spent a happy day with our niece, her husband and their two youngsters. Good time had by all.

The Exploratorium is an inventive, state-of-the-art public learning laboratory in San Francisco exploring the world through science, art, and human perception. Its mission is to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide.  Its eye-popping, mind-boggling experiments boldly go...

THE DAY we visited, a veritable United Nations of tourists wandered through, eyes wide with wonder.

Mirror magic: children, parents and grandparents smile, touch and gaze at mirror images of themselves.

Wide-ranging Exploratorium offerings, demonstrations and exhibits range from creative cooking to toothpick art, crepe paper creations to celestial viewing opportunities and exhibits on transportation and gravity.

Adults enjoy the pleasure of discovery; with each turn a new inter-active exhibit invites touch. Here, from left, Steve, Cookie and Amarylla play with static electricity.

Keller's, Cookie's Exploratorium wish: may the Force be with you!

San Francisco Exploratorium involves each visitor, welcomes families

The Exploratorium has six main galleries, each focusing on a different area of exploration. Common to all are interactive exhibits that reward attention and provoke thought and wonder. Tying the galleries together is that each exhibit encourages questions -- "how did they do that?" -- so as you play with displays and experiment with moving parts and mysterious forces, you discover new ways to understand how the world works.

Thousands of toothpicks create iconic San Francisco imagery.

ONE INTRIGUING aspect to this museum lover was the huge variety of people who wandered through, prepared to be amazed. We saw several generations touring as groups, couples on a date, parents with a youngster, grandparents and aunties and uncles taking the children to give the parents a day off.

Art museum patrons have, well, an "artsy" look about them. High-powered science based museums seem to attract "nerdy types" -- in the word's best sense. There was no obvious profile to our crowd, just a happy mix. Young, old, scholarly, laid back, white collar, working class -- a pleasant blending of ethnicity, families, ages. Sport clothes, flip-flops, dressed for a night on the town. An exhilarating melange!

THE EXPLORATORIUM is one of the exciting offerings on the great CityPASS attractions ticket, which allows entree into must-see attractions at a bargain price in 17 of the country's major cities.

In San Francisco, CityPASS also includes unlimited rides on the city's fabled cable cars. www.exploratorium.edu; www.citypass.com

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DON'T MISS THESE PLAYS, and UP NEXT:

At La Jolla Playhouse, treat your favorite Parrot Head to "Escape to Margaritaville," welcome as a summer beverage on a hot day. It's a freshly conceived yet old-fashioned musical with LJ Playhouse's usual high-tech, no expense spared set, plus gorgeous lighting, props and costumes. Besides Jimmy Buffett's classic tunes, he wrote some new songs for the Broadway-bound show, snazzily directed by the theater's Tony winning artistic director Christopher Ashley. The ensemble's high energy connects with the audience, delivering a poignancy to the partying. The run has been twice extended and is virtually sold out but you might luck out -- give it a try. There's not a bad chair in this beautifully designed and artful Mandell Weiss Theatre. www.lajollaplayhouse.org

NEXT UP: Fabulous ''Buddy Holly Story'' rocks out in San Diego.

 EXPLORE, LEARN, LIVE -- and catch us each week when we post a fresh look at travel, the arts and the natural world at www.whereiscookie.com

Next week's feature describes a unique and first-ever collaboration between two San Diego theaters. "The Buddy Holly" story combines the talents and organizational chutzpah of Intrepid Theatre and New Village Arts, two daring and innovative Southern California companies who brought their talents together to dazzle audiences in both venues.