Membership FAQ

With the museum closed, are you offering extensions on annual memberships?
Yes. We will honor our commitment to provide a full year of free admission benefits for every member. Extensions will be made as soon as we have a scheduled reopening date and will be applied to all memberships. We look forward to welcoming you back when we reopen, and we appreciate your support more than ever!

What about gift membership vouchers? Are you extending those too?
If you’ve received a gift membership voucher, we encourage you to activate it before it expires, regardless of the museum’s current closure due to COVID-19. Once we know our date to reopen, we will extend your gifted membership to include a full 12 months of admission benefits. Activating your voucher now will not decrease the effective length of your membership, and doing so will make you immediately eligible for other benefits, such as ASTC reciprocity, store discounts, and members-only content. If you choose not to activate now, however, we will also honor after reopening any vouchers that expire during our closure.

I’ve heard the Exploratorium is switching to touchless smartphone digital membership cards. How will that work?
Current members should have received a letter from the Exploratorium announcing our partnership with industry leader Cuseum to offer digital membership cards. Closer to reopening, you will receive an email from Cuseum with instructions for downloading your membership card to your phone. If you did not receive the announcement letter and want to update your email address, please get in touch at 415.528.4321 or membership@exploratorium.edu. We’ll provide additional information and answers to your questions before we reopen.

Can I apply general admission tickets toward a membership?
Absolutely! Once the Exploratorium reopens, when you visit with general admission tickets, you can apply your ticket costs toward a membership at any time on the day of your visit. The number and type of applicable tickets varies with the membership level you purchase. Tickets purchased from third-party vendors are not applicable, and other restrictions apply. Ask any Membership Associate for details during your visit.

I just joined and am planning my first visit to the Exploratorium. What do I need?
Thank you for joining! New members will receive their digital membership card via email closer to our reopening date. Once the Exploratorium reopens, if you have not received your membership card yet, stop by our member check-in table with your photo ID, and we will make sure you can start exploring right away.

Is an Exploratorium membership reciprocal with other museums?
Yes! The Exploratorium participates in ASTC's Passport Program, which entitles all our Daytime members to free admission to over 350 science and technology centers (once they reopen) located outside of a 90-mile radius from the Exploratorium. The reciprocity benefit can be used during the Exploratorium’s closure to visit open non-local Passport Program museums. If your membership card has an expiration date that has passed, please email membership@exploratorium.edu for written proof that the Exploratorium will be extending expiration dates to ensure you won’t have any issues during your visits to our partner institutions.

Do I need my membership card to visit the Exploratorium? 
No, you do not need your membership card to visit the Exploratorium. Once the Exploratorium reopens, bring your photo ID and check in at any of our membership or ticketing stations, and a representative can assist you.

Why do I need to present a photo ID along with my membership card?
We ask all of our members to present some form of photo identification along with their membership cards to ensure that the membership is being used by the appropriate party. Exploratorium memberships are nontransferable.

Can a guest use my membership without being named on the membership?
That will depend on your level of membership. Dual and Family Explorers levels can only be used by the adults named on the membership. However, if there is only one named adult, then a guest can visit the museum as long as the guest is accompanied by the named adult member. For Family with Caregiver, Insider, Supporter, and Sustainer levels, guests can use the "Caregiver" or "Guest of" membership cards and enter the museum without the named adult members.

How do the Guest and Caregiver Cards work?
If your membership includes a Caregiver card or a Guest card, you may loan out that card. The person using it can visit without you and will not need to provide ID. It is the named member’s responsibility to maintain control of these cards.

What if I have additional guests with me who are not covered for free by my membership level?
Once the Exploratorium reopens, any additional guests accompanying you are eligible for a discounted ticket rate: $5 off any adult or youth ticket, and $2 off any child ticket.

I joined or renewed my membership during the closure, but my card(s) never arrived. What can I do?
Thank you for your support! We have not been mailing out paper membership cards during the Exploratorium’s closure. We will roll out our new digital membership cards before we reopen. If you need confirmation of your membership prior to reopening in order to take advantage of the ASTC reciprocity, please contact the Membership office at 415.528.4321 or membership@exploratorium.edu and we will be happy to assist you.

Can I purchase an Exploratorium membership as a gift for someone else?
Yes! An Exploratorium membership makes a great gift for any occasion. When you purchase a gift membership, you will receive a voucher you can give as a gift. Each gift voucher has an expiration date of 120 days from the purchase date. The membership benefits start when the gift recipient redeems the gift voucher. Gift recipients are encouraged to activate their gift voucher before it expires, regardless of the museum’s closure due to COVID-19. They will be immediately eligible for certain benefits, such as ASTC reciprocity, store discounts, and member-only content. And once we know our date to reopen, all members will have their memberships automatically extended in order to receive 12 full months of free admission. To learn more, contact us at 415.528.4321 or membership@exploratorium.edu.

Is an Exploratorium membership tax-deductible?
Yes, it is. As a donation to a nonprofit organization, your membership fees are either partially or fully tax-deductible depending on the level. You will receive a welcome letter listing the tax-deductible amount. Thank you for your essential support!

I still have more questions that I need answered. Whom can I call or write?
You can reach the membership office weekdays at 415.528.4321, and a team member will be happy to help you. You can also email us at membership@exploratorium.edu.