Some Of Our Favorite Places With The Kids
The real-water elevated stream with the toy fish to play with in the Tot Spot area, with the optional overalls to keep from getting wet.
Chalk and things to write on are scattered at different places on different days
The giant foam pad pieces for building things
The room full of toy trains and a full size fishing boat with toy fish.
The vibraphones and drums to play in the main open area.
The bubble machines!
Note: We are former members of the Bay Area Discovery Museum, but have no current business connections with them.
Admission Pass Or Discount
- To use Guest Passes or gain admission through our Access Programs, including Museums for All , admission passes or other discounts, simply visit the museum.
- Ticket reservations for these passes do not need to be made in advance. Please note, Member Hour occurs every day between 9-10 a.m., and Bay Area Discovery Museum opens to the general public at 10 a.m.
- If it’s your first time, please register on our website for a more efficient check-in process.
We’re working hard to keep our visitors and staff safe. Here are some things to know before your visit:
- Children must be accompanied by adults at all times with a minimum supervisory ratio of one adult for every five children.
What Is There To Do
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor facility at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, so if you only go for the view you will have a great time!
This fun children’s museum is the ONLY museum in the USA to be located in a national park – even more reason to visit! The exhibits within the Bay Area Discovery Museum are ALL about the kids, and each one is designed to give them hands-on learning experiences, to develop their senses, allow them to be curious, to discover, and make new friends!
Suited for kids as young as 6 months, and up to 10 years, they have emphasis on creativity through play, on topics ranging from science, the arts, environment, and just having fun!
Those toddlers in the family can enjoy their own play area in Tot Spot – a multi-sensory experience perfect for the younger family members. Here they can have kiddie sized fun with others their own age, and really helping them in their young years!
Don’t miss The Fab Lab for those kids who love to see how things workd, with digital fabrication technology such as 3D printing, and even laser cutters and vinyl cutters!
Kids can navigate wind tunnels, feel the rush of cold-water tide pools, transform into a spider, build a bridge, and SO much more!
If they love the outdoors, there is plenty for them to enjoy the sun, including a 2.5 acre interactive outdoor exploration area, and an Imagination Playground!
It’s time to get exploring!
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Bay Area Discovery Museum
Hours updated 2 months ago
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Are masks required?
Outdoors, face coverings are optional for all visitors. Indoors, all visitors 2 years and older are required to wear a face covering regardless of vaccination status. Face Shields are not an acceptable face covering .
Michele B.
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Do the outdoor activities/playground area close when the museum does? Can we play outside after hours?
Yes they close when the museum Closes
Michele B.
557 McReynolds Rd Sausalito, CA 94965
Lawrence Hall Of Science Berkeley
Perched high on a hill above the Cal campus, UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a fantastic Bay Area resource for hand-on science exploration. The Hall is truly a place for all ages: younger kids can play and learn in the KidsLab or the Nano Zone and even climb on a lifesize model of a fin whale or massive DNA sculpture. Older kids can explore science by doing science and experiment with engineering, learn about earth and space, enjoy puzzles and brain teasers from around the world, and more. There are even animalsboth live and fossilizedto visit. Location: 1 Centennial Drive, Berkeley 94720. Hours: WednesdaySunday, 10 am5 pm. More info: www.lawrencehallofscience.org or 642-5132.
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What To Expect At Your Next Visit
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a space for imaginations to run wild! Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on 7.5 acres of National Park land in Sausalito, Bay Area Discovery Museum features exhibition spaces and daily programs for children 6 months of age to 8 years.
Advanced admission tickets are required. All Bay Area Discovery Museum staff are vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
Here are some things to know ahead of your next visit:
The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Member hour is 9 – 10 a.m. Check the museum’s Hours & Admission for special holiday hours or closures.
Advance ticket reservations are required for entry. Members, guest passes and discounts do not need advanced tickets. Reserve Tickets
There is no time limit to your general admission visit. Your timeslot indicates your window of arrival to the museum.
You can get a re-entry sticker from admissions staff if you need to leave the site.
Hand washing stations and hand sanitizer are available throughout the museum.
You are welcome to bring their own food to enjoy at on-site picnic tables. Bean Sprouts Café is open, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. daily.
Face coverings are optional outside and required indoors for all visitors 2 years and older.
All Bay Area Discovery Museum staff are fully boosted against COVID-19.
Regular Hours
Wednesday – Sunday: 10 a.m. 4 p.m.Member Hour: 9 10 a.m.Closed Monday Tuesday
Curiodyssey At Coyote Point San Mateo
Since the 1950s, this hands-on science and wildlife museum on San Francisco Bay in San Mateo has been delighting Bay Area families. Exhibits include Backyard Science, Forces, Flying Magnets, Wind Tubes, and more. You can also visit CuriOdyssey’s resident animals, including river otters, bobcats, burrowing owls, a great blue heron, and other birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Take time to explore the 13 acres of gardens, which feature California native plants as well as butterfly and hummingbird gardens. Daily animal shows are free after museum admission. Location: 1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo 94401. Hours: TuesdaySunday, 10 am5 pm. More info: www.curiodyssey.org 342-7755
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California Academy Of Sciences San Francisco
In beatiful Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is a destination like no other. The Cal Academy offers an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museumall under one living roof. From the splashing penguins in African Hall to the wildflowers on the roof, the building is bursting with life. A four-story living rainforest and awe-inspiring coral reef ecosystem showcase Earths biodiversity, while immersive planetarium shows offer a new perspective on the planet we call home. Don’t forget the check out the new outdoor nature play and exploration space, Wander Woods. Location: 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco. Hours: MondaySaturday, 9:30 am5 pm, Sunday, 11 am5 pm. More info: www.calacademy.org or 379-8000.
Children’s Creativity Museum San Francisco
The Childrens Creativity Museum offers hands-on, multimedia arts and technology experiences designed to build creative confidence in children ages 2-12. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens near Moscone Center, the Children’s Creativity Museum gets bonus points for having an awesome 1906 LeRoy King Carousel right outside its front door! Location: 221 Fourth Street , San Francisco 94103. More info: www.creativity.org or 820-3320.
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Randall Museum San Francisco
Located in Corona Heights Park near the Castro District in San Francisco, this gem of a natural history museum offers plenty of hands-on educational fun for eveyone. Create in the open ceramics studio on Saturdays, see if your LEGO structures can survive an earthquake, explore a caboose and guide model trains around landmark San Francisco buildings, and visit with the Randall Museum’s menagerie of animals. Admission is always free! Location: 199 Museum Way, San Francisco 94114. Hours: TuesdaySaturday, 10 am5 pm, closed Sunday & Monday. More info: www.randallmuseum.org or 554-9600.
Chabot Space And Science Center Oakland
Chabot Space and Science Center is a hands-on center featuring interactive exhibits, a digital planetarium, a large screen theater, hands-on activities and three powerful telescopes. Fun for kids of all ages. Location: 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland. Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10 am5 pm, closed MondayFriday. More info: www.chabotspace.org or call 336-7300.
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What An Experience For Children
This children’s activity museum is set on a peninsula right under the Golden Gate Bridge. There are a number of old Army Camps about on the north shore of the GGB and this is a converted camp also. The old huts now house all sorts of different touchy feely things for little children to do. It is best suited to children under 42″ tall. A waist level stream with plastic fishes, a shoes-off room with soft padded lilly pond and frog noises, a paintibg, sticking and colouring room, even a story if you get the right time. There are also some lovely wooden xylophones and a ship to clamber over and a model Golden Gate Bridge to stick plastic plates and rives on to. So good we had to come back the next day!!
181186214
We stopped here before starting out road trip back to Oregon to make sure the kids were good and tired. This place was amazing! The location in incredible and I love the use of the old army base buildings. The exhibits and variety of things for the kids to do was outstanding. So outstanding, in fact, that we had to drag our toddler out of there! We even picked up some lunch at the cafe and it was very tasty! I would highly recommend this place to anyone with younger children. A little pricey but worth it. It would be nice if they didn’t charge for little ones who aren’t even walking yet but oh well.
Best Childrens Museum Anywhere
BADM is designed for 2-10 year olds and it is amazing! Indoors and outside your kids will have hours of fun and the cafe is good too!We visit in any weather and Im always in awe of the view from the pirate ship… the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco Bay. This is a wonderful place to get a yearly membership
510214
We visited this place in early August with our 1.5 year old granddaughter and had a blast! So much to do at this place. My only regret was that we didn’t arrive until 1:00 pm so we couldn’t do everything. They have so much for children 1 to about 7 to do. An added bonus is that you get this spectacular view of the Golden Gate bridge. Be prepared to get a little dirty and run around. Definitely need tennis shoes for this one! Children are playing in sand and water in some activities. Also, they will be painting, building, exploring, and definitely using their imagination. Plenty of activities around so your child is not left without anything to do. There is plenty of parking and it is free. Small snack area where you can get a coffee and snacks for children such as pizza. Didn’t try it so I can’t comment on the taste of the food. The price to enter is well worth it! If you like the museum and want to purchase a membership, they will allow you to apply your entrance fee to the cost of the membership. Definitely a must do for toddlers.
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Charles M Schulz Museum Santa Rosa
Visitors to this museum focusing on the work of Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz can get creative with hands-on activities in the art studio and at the museum’s regularly scheduled classes. You can also check out their rotating exhibitions and see a classic Peanuts film or TV special in the theater. Closed Tuesdays. MondayFriday, 11 am5 pm and SaturdaySunday, 10 am 5pm. Location: 2301 Hardies Ln, Santa Rosa. More info: www.schulzmuseum.org or call 579-4452.
Tot Lot And Lookout Cove
Nestled in the dramatic Marin Headlands, this set of outdoor children’s exhibits has become one of the centerpieces of the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Tactile and interactive features include a flowing stream, tide pool, shipwreck sand basin, giant spider web climber, croaking frog sound makers, animal sculptures and more.
Both the Tot Lot and Lookout Cove are outdoor universally-accessible learning and play environments. We worked closely with representatives of the National Park Service, historic architects, early childhood specialists, ADA and playground safety consultants to bring these projects into reality, on time and within a limited budget.
We have been able to monitor the durability of our work over a period of more than 10 years and between the Pacific Ocean and flocks of children, we could not ask for a better materials test facility.
CLIENT: Bay Area Discovery Museum
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: S2 Associates, Inc.
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Mobile Maker Club Presents Lets Make It
The Mobile Maker Club creates activities that enable children to collaborate with their peers in executing the steps required to finish a project and perhaps, to develop valuable life skills and confidence.
What they learn in Mobile Maker Club can also offer them potential insights to future career options.
Daily from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Childrens Adventure Land Tent
The Mobile Maker Club offers professional making expertise to schools, groups and individuals at the 3rd to 8th grade level providing the instruction, workspace and necessary tools. Our goals are for the students to collaborate with their peers in executing the steps required to finish a project and for them to develop valuable life skills and confidence.
What To Expect At Your Next Bay Area Discovery Museum Visit
Welcome back Bay Area Discovery Museum Member families, visitors, and Bay Area community! Weve missed you, and are so excited to see you back at the museum.
Another way to prepare for your visit is to download the Social Story about what to expect while visiting the museum. Check out our Face Covering Tips for Toddlersfor more tips on how to prepare your younger children.
Here are some things to know ahead of your next visit:
Here are some things to know ahead of your next visit:
The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Member hour is 9 – 10 a.m. Check the museum’s Hours & Admission for special holiday hours or closures.
Advance ticket reservations are required for entry. Members, guest passes and discounts do not need advanced tickets. Reserve Tickets
There is no time limit to your general admission visit. Your timeslot indicates your window of arrival to the museum.
Face coverings are optional outside and required indoors for all visitors 2 years and older.
Hand washing stations and hand sanitizer are available throughout the museum.
You are welcome to bring their own food to enjoy at on-site picnic tables. Bean Sprouts Café is open, weekdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
You can get a re-entry sticker from the front desk if you need to leave the site.
Want to know more? Our FAQ page provides additional information to help you prepare for your visit.
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The Bay Area Discovery Museum Sausalito
This Sausalito childrens museum is one of the most popular spots for kids in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a young childs paradise, designed for experiential learning and play for children from the ages of 6 months through 8 years, along with their families, educators and caregivers. There are both permanent exhibits and a rotating series of special programs at the indoor-outdoor facility located at the old Fort Baker at the southern edge of Sausalito. They also have a Beansprouts Cafe on site, and you can check here for its current hours.
Free daily programs included in General Admission Purchase at the Bay Area Discovery Museum Sausalito are listed here. The Empowered Kids online story program is summarized here.
Summer camp programsare listed here. Information about the Discovery Preschool program is listed here.
A Rainy Day Spot to Visit with Young Children! Although there are open spaces between the various buildings there are a lot of dry spaces to hang out and experience lots of interactive activities for little kids.
Safety & Supervision rules: Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Adults must be accompanied by one or more kids. All visiting groups must at all times maintain a minimum ratio of one adult for every five kids at all times.
Children And Current Events
Our hearts are breaking for the families in Uvalde, Texas. The trauma and grief in the wake of the recent horrific attack are reverberating across the country and into our hearts and homes. In the coming days, your children may overhear news coverage, hear others discussing the tragedy or sense that something scary is happening in the world.
We wanted to share some resources and guidance to help you help your children process their questions and feelings.
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Bay Area Discovery Museum Sausalito
Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on 7.5 acres of National Park land in Sausalito, BADM features outdoor and indoor exhibition spaces and daily programs for children 0 to 10 years. It’s a fantastic place to play away the day and take in the amazing views. Check out the new exhibits: How Things Work, Woodshop, and the outdoor treehouses of Gumnut Grove. Location: Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito, 94965. Hours: WednesdaySunday, 9 am4 pm. More info: www.bayareadiscoverymuseum.org or 339-3900.
