Experience the Exploratorium at Pier 15
Today's hours are 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Hours
Tuesday–Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday Nights (Ages 18+): 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed except select holidays
Plan Your Visit
Getting Here
Pier 15
(Embarcadero @ Green St.)
San Francisco, CA 94111
What's Going On?
Curious Contraptions Activities
Wednesday, November 20–Sunday, January 26, 2020
Come and play with motion and mechanisms. Explore the intersection of art and engineering, and tell playful stories building a contraption made with everyday materials.
Winter Holidays at the Exploratorium
November 21, 2019–Sunday, January 26, 2020
Delight your mind this holiday season! Two winter traditions return—the whimsical handmade machines of Curious Contraptions and the dazzling lights of Glow. Plus find creative holiday gifts for everyone on your list.
Curious Contraptions: Flights of Fancy
Thursday, November 21, 2019–Sunday, January 26, 2020
Explore fantastical, often amusing mechanical sculptures known as automata. These small, handmade flying, sailing, and cycling machines bring whimsical dramas to life through low-tech mechanisms, inviting you to investigate how they work.
Glow: Festival of Lights
Thursday, December 5, 2019–Sunday, January 26, 2020
Celebrate the holidays and excite your atoms at Glow, our annual festival of ebullient lights and subtle glows celebrating the close of the year. Bask in the mesmerizing gleams of special installations and kinetic sculptures, take a shine to illuminating exhibits, and show your sparkle with scintillating activities.
More to Explore
The Exploratorium isn't just a museum; it's an ongoing exploration of science, art and human perception—a vast collection of online experiences that feed your curiosity.
FEATURED VIDEO
Ice Balloons - Science Snack Activity
Have a ball experimenting with a frozen water balloon—and learn about water chemistry and phase changes.
Science of Food: Water
Water is everywhere and may seem like an afterthought as an ingredient, but it’s a crucial aspect of food and cooking.
Exploratorium Exhibit Collection
We’ve been making our own hands-on exhibits here at the Exploratorium since 1969. Now with over 650 exhibits currently on display in our museum, we’re working to create a browsable collection of these exhibits online.
Science Snacks
Low-cost, teacher-tested activities for the classroom and the curious.
