Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Each year, some 570K people come. Add Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, 2.2 mi away, to a visit.
A museum inside San Francisco
You can stay in San Francisco
Exploratorium is inside San Francisco, which has 528 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from San Jose
San Jose is about 47 miles southeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November are the mild months, with highs of 63–76°. When to go ↓
An airport 11 miles away
Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) has airline service, about 11 miles from Exploratorium.
Established in 1969
Exploratorium dates from 1969. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
The year’s weather
Here are the months at Exploratorium, with their weather.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the museum was originally in the Palace of Fine Arts where it founded Pi Day in 1988. The museum relocated in 2013 to Piers 15 and 17 on San Francisco's waterfront.
The museum has over 1,000 participatory exhibits divided into several galleries, mainly separated by content. Since its inception, the Exploratorium has expanded into other domains and has inspired more museums to adopt hands-on learning-by-doing exhibits.
- Type
- Museum
- Established
- 1969
- Wikipedia readers
- 30K a year
A base for Exploratorium
For a bed close by, look to San Francisco (528) and Oakland (89).
- 1Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
- 2Lombard Street
- 3Oracle Park
- 4Chase Center
- 5Presidio of San Francisco
- 6USS Hornet
- 7Coit Tower
- 8Cow Palace
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Exploratorium | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | in town | — | 528 426 hotels · 24 motels · 37 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 27 hostels · 6 campgrounds · 3 RV parks | 826,079 | $1,395K | D |
| Oakland | 10 mi east | 15 min | 89 56 hotels · 22 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 440,838 | $930K | D− |
| Berkeley | 7 mi northeast | 10 min | 30 24 hotels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel | 121,911 | $1,414K | D− |
| South San Francisco | 10 mi south | 15 min | 36 32 hotels · 2 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 64,941 | $1,189K | C |
| Sausalito | 7 mi northwest | 10 min | 10 5 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 7,019 | $1,895K | B− |
| Alameda | 9 mi southeast | 15 min | 12 11 hotels · 1 inn or B&B | 76,876 | $1,236K | D |
| Richmond | 11 mi north | 15 min | 14 9 hotels · 3 motels · 2 lodges & cabins | 114,861 | $668K | D |
| Daly City | 8 mi southwest | 10 min | 10 5 hotels · 3 motels · 1 hostel · 1 RV park | 101,261 | $1,115K | C |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
More to see nearby
Pair a visit with these, within 7 miles.
Big draw12 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw2in town LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw42 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw54 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw66 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
7in town LookoutCoit Tower
87 mi TheatreCow PalacePhoto credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Coit Tower: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cow Palace: Dante Alighieri , CC BY-SA 3.0
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Planning a visit to Exploratorium
Is Exploratorium in San Francisco?
Yes. It’s inside San Francisco, CA.
When is the best time to visit Exploratorium?
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November, with highs of 63–76°.
How far is Exploratorium from San Jose and Stockton?
About 47 miles southeast of San Jose and about 61 miles east of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Exploratorium?
Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK), about 11 miles away.
Where should I stay near Exploratorium?
San Francisco (in town, 528 places to stay), Oakland (10 mi, 89 places to stay) and Berkeley (7 mi, 30 places to stay).
Word from San Francisco
Be the first to share a tip in San Francisco’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.