Museums & Educational Attractions in San Francisco, CA
There are 34 museums & educational attractions in and around San Francisco. Each card below shows what it costs, when it opens and which ages it suits.
Sorted by distance from the middle of San Francisco, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
Asian Art Museum in San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive Asian art collections in the world. Families can explore diverse Asian art exhibits and take…
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A contemporary arts venue in San Francisco presenting exhibitions, performances, films, and other creative work. Families can see visual art in the galleries…
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The Contemporary Jewish Museum is an art museum in San Francisco dedicated to exploring Jewish culture and identity through exhibitions and programs. The building…
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Leroy King Carousel is located within Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, California, where families can ride a historic carousel alongside other attractions…
Randall Museum, located at 199 Museum Way in San Francisco, California, is a natural history museum, science museum and arts center offering live animal exhibits…
A museum in San Francisco's Castro District dedicated to LGBTQ history and culture. The museum opened in 2011 and holds two gallery spaces: a main exhibition…
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States, located in San Francisco, California…
A museum in San Francisco's Presidio dedicated to Walt Disney's life and creative work. Families can browse gallery spaces, watch films, and join hands-on…
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Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC) Chinese Culture Center (CCC), under the aegis of the Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco, is one of the…
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A museum dedicated to contemporary craft and design, the only one of its kind in San Francisco. Visitors explore exhibitions focused on makers, designers and…
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A nonprofit museum dedicated to cartoon art history, founded in 1984. Families can explore exhibitions about comics and cartooning, attend events where they meet…
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Alcatraz Island is a museum located in San Francisco, California, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The island explores complex human stories…
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a museum located at Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco, California, dedicated to preserving and interpreting…
The de Young, set in the heart of Golden Gate Park, displays one of the most significant collections of American paintings in the West. Museum visitors will enjoy…
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American art + Africa + Oceania + Pacific; free under 18; observation tower; in Golden Gate Park
A museum in San Francisco's Presidio dedicated to Walt Disney's life and creative legacy. Families can explore gallery spaces covering his work in animation, film…
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The Legion of Honor presents premiere traveling exhibitions, complemented by its permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts representing…
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European masters; Rodin Thinker; stunning cliff-top location overlooking Pacific Ocean; free under 18
USS Potomac — FDR's Floating White House is Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic presidential yacht located at Jack London Square in Oakland, California. Families and…
Oakland Museum of California is a museum, garden, and gathering place in the heart of Oakland that explores the big ideas that shape California lives. Families can…
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Golden State Model Railroad Museum in Richmond, CA displays and operates model train layouts in a 10,000 square foot building where families can watch trains…
The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is the visual arts center of the University of California, Berkeley. Through art and film programs, collections…
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Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is an art museum, movie theater, and film archive located in downtown Berkeley, California. The venue offers gallery…
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Oakland Aviation Museum is a non-profit museum in Oakland, CA dedicated to educating the public about the historic role of North Field at Oakland International…
Free admission; community-focused contemporary art; youth art programs family workshops
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Founded in 1935, the not-for-profit Marin History Museum celebrates the traditions of innovation and creativity of the people of Marin County. The collection…
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Bedford Gallery at Lesher Arts Center is a museum located in Walnut Creek, California that operates on a pay-what-you-can admission model, allowing visitors to…
Dean Lesher Lesher Center for the Arts is an arts and entertainment venue in Walnut Creek, CA that presents performances, exhibitions, and educational programming…
Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society operates the Diablo Valley Lines, one of the largest exclusively HO scale model railroads in the United States. Visitors can…
Local Tri-Valley history; exhibits blacksmithing pioneer life; free admission
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Local county history; Victorian-era exhibits; community heritage
The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is dedicated to preserving and celebrating our rich history and heritage. The collections and exhibits reflect our human…
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A 3.5-acre botanical garden in Walnut Creek displaying succulents, cacti, agaves, aloes, yuccas, and drought-tolerant plants from around the world. Families can…
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1903 farmhouse; local Walnut Creek history; guided tours seasonal events
Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Which one, by age
Two children three years apart do not have to be a compromise. The age line on every card shows what that venue serves.
Golden State Model Railroad Museum
Best here for two to five, 10 miles out, listed ages 3–12 and admission from $3.
The Walt Disney Family Museum
Best here for six to nine, 1 miles out, listed ages 6–16 and admission $15.
Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP
Best here for ten and up, 2 miles out, listed ages 6–16 and free admission.
Free museums & educational attractions in San Francisco
3 places on this page get you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Randall Museum
Free to get in and 1 miles out.
San Francisco Historical Society
Free to get in and 2 miles out.
Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP
Free to get in, 2 miles out and listed ages 6–16.
By town
Most of these are not in San Francisco proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip. 1 more towns are represented in the list above.
Museums & Educational Attractions in San Francisco
21 of them: Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Leroy King Carousel and Randall Museum, the closest 1 miles from the middle of San Francisco and 12 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Oakland
3 of them: USS Potomac — FDR’s Floating White House, Oakland Museum of California and Oakland Aviation Museum, the closest 8 miles from the middle of San Francisco and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Berkeley
3 of them: UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Center for the Arts & Religion at the Graduate Theological Union, the closest 11 miles from the middle of San Francisco and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Richmond
2 of them: Golden State Model Railroad Museum and Richmond Art Center, the closest 10 miles from the middle of San Francisco and 1 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 1 to 24 miles out from the middle of San Francisco. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in San Francisco.
Other things to do in San Francisco
Museums & Educational Attractions in nearby cities
Common questions about museums & educational attractions in San Francisco
How many museums & educational attractions are there in San Francisco?
We list 34 museums & educational attractions within 56 miles of San Francisco, CA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which museums & educational attractions in San Francisco publish their prices?
20 of the 34 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any museums & educational attractions in San Francisco free?
Yes. 3 places get you in free: Randall Museum, San Francisco Historical Society and Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP.
Which museums & educational attractions in San Francisco suit a toddler?
One of them lists an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these museums & educational attractions?
We list every one we have within 56 miles of the center of San Francisco. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in San Francisco?
San Francisco has 9 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The San Francisco hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.