A great family-friendly activity in San Francisco is The Exploratorium, a hands-on museum designed to spark curiosity with its 650+ interactive, educational exhibits and activities. Located at Pier 15 along San Francisco’s Embarcadero between Pier 39 and the Ferry Building, The Exploratorium is a great place to spend half or even the whole day. There is just so much to experience there. When my family and I were in San Francisco last week, we visited The Exploratorium for the first time using CityPASS. Here’s a look at what you can expect.
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About CityPASS
If you’re not familiar with CityPASS, it is a fantastic way to visit a city’s top attractions with admissions packaged into one convenient booklet. For San Francisco, you save 45% off admission to 5 top attractions. The pass is valid for 9 consecutive days and the booklets can be shipped, received via instant email delivery or purchased at a partner attraction.
CityPASS pricing for adults is $89 and $69 for children 5 – 11. For children aged 4 and under, check the specific attraction’s pricing. The regular admission for The Exploratorium is $29.95 for Adults and $19.95 for Youth (4 – 12).
With CityPASS, you get to save time from standing in line and paying for admission at the attraction. All you need to do is walk up to the entrance, present your booklet, and then you’re in! One tip is that the CityPASS booklet is treated like cash so you must keep in safe. Unfortunately, if you lose the booklet, it cannot be replaced.
650+ Exhibits
The Exploratorium is really an ongoing exploration of science, art and human perception. When we visited on weekday morning, it was packed with people. However, because there are so many exhibits, you never feel like you have to wait in line for one. There are definitely more than enough things for people to do or see.
Is The Exploratorium good for younger children?
PRO TIP: You can enjoy breathtaking views of city and bay from indoors and just outside The Exploratorium.
Parking at The Exploratorium
Information on parking for The Explorarium can be found here. We parked on the side street and used Pay by Phone and topped it up as we needed. My son was having so much fun that he didn’t want to leave and we stayed longer than we expected.
Overall Impression
It was a fun and memorable experience visiting The Exploratorium with CityPASS. We would definitely be interested in visiting again on our next trip to San Francisco. For more information on CityPASS, visit www.citypass.com