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Museums and Educational Attractions in San Francisco, CA
Explore›San Francisco, CA›Museums and Educational Attractions

A day out that teaches something.

Museums and Educational Attractions in San Francisco, CA

There are 33 museums and educational attractions in and around San Francisco. Each card below shows what it costs, when it opens and which ages it suits. Admission runs $4 to $30, based on the 14 here that publish a price.

34 museums and educational attractions in the San Francisco area

Find a museum in San Francisco

34 museums and educational attractions in the San Francisco area.

Sorted by distance from San Francisco, nearest first. Straight-line miles, so every drive is longer.

34 places

Asian Art Museum

Asian Art Museum

Museums
Today 10am–5pm · Admission $14
Accepts NARM

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…

RestroomsFood availableParking
0.4 mi View place
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Museums
No hours listed · Admission $5
Accepts ROAMAccepts NARM

A contemporary arts venue in San Francisco presenting exhibitions, performances, films, and other creative work. Families can see visual art in the galleries…

1.2 mi View place
The Contemporary Jewish Museum

The Contemporary Jewish Museum

Museums
No hours listed · No price listed
Accepts ROAM

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is an art museum in San Francisco dedicated to exploring Jewish culture and identity through exhibitions and programs. The building…

1.2 mi View place
Leroy King Carousel

Leroy King Carousel

Museums · Ages 1–9
Closed today · No price listed

Leroy King Carousel is located within Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, California, where families can ride a historic carousel alongside other attractions…

RestroomsFood availableParking
1.2 mi View place
GLBT Historical Society Museum

GLBT Historical Society Museum

Museums
Closed today · Admission $6
Accepts ROAMAccepts NARM

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…

1.3 mi View place
The Haas-Lilienthal House

The Haas-Lilienthal House

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts Time TravelersAccepts ROAM
RestroomsFood availableWheelchair accessible
1.3 mi View place
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Museums · Ages 3–16
Today 10am–5pm · Admission from $23

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…

RestroomsFood availableParking
1.3 mi View place
Gray Area

Gray Area

Museums
No hours listed · No price listed
Accepts ROAM
1.4 mi View place
The Walt Disney Family Museum

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Admission $15
Accepts Time TravelersAccepts NARM

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…

1.4 mi View place
Chinese Historical Society of America

Chinese Historical Society of America

Museums
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts Time TravelersAccepts ROAMAccepts NARM
RestroomsFood availableWheelchair accessible
1.4 mi View place
San Francisco Historical Society

San Francisco Historical Society

Museums
No hours listed · Free admission
Accepts ROAM

This museum, run by the San Francisco Historical Society, traces the city's history through rotating exhibits and a dedicated kids' area. Families can see a…

1.6 mi View place
Museum of Craft and Design

Museum of Craft and Design

Museums
Closed today · Admission $10
Accepts NARM

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…

2.1 mi View place
Cartoon Art Museum

Cartoon Art Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
No hours listed · Admission $4
Accepts ROAM

A nonprofit museum dedicated to cartoon art history, founded in 1984. Families can explore exhibitions about comics and cartooning, attend events where they meet…

2.2 mi View place
Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island

Museums · Ages 6–16
Today 9am–5pm · Admission from $29.15

Alcatraz Island is a museum located in San Francisco, California, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The island explores complex human stories…

ParkingWheelchair accessible
2.3 mi View place
Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP

Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP

Museums · Ages 6–16
Today 10am–4pm · Free admission

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a museum located at Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco, California, dedicated to preserving and interpreting…

Food availableWheelchair accessible
2.4 mi View place
Fine Arts Museum

Fine Arts Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts NARM

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…

2.7 mi View place
de Young Museum

de Young Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · No price listed

American art + Africa + Oceania + Pacific; free under 18; observation tower; in Golden Gate Park

RestroomsFood availableParking
2.7 mi View place
Fine Arts Museums

Fine Arts Museums

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts NARM

The Legion of Honor presents premiere traveling exhibitions, complemented by its permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts representing…

4.5 mi View place
Legion of Honor

Legion of Honor

Museums
Closed today · No price listed

European masters; Rodin Thinker; stunning cliff-top location overlooking Pacific Ocean; free under 18

RestroomsFood availableParking
4.5 mi View place
Marin History Museum

Marin History Museum

Museums
Closed today · Admission $5
Accepts NARM

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…

15.1 mi View place
San Mateo County History Museum

San Mateo County History Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Admission $4
Accepts Time TravelersAccepts NARM

This museum traces the story of the San Mateo Peninsula from its original native inhabitants up through the present day, housed in a restored historic building in…

22.5 mi View place
Pacific Art League

Pacific Art League

Museums · Ages 6–12
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts NARM

A community art center in Palo Alto offering classes, workshops, and exhibitions for artists of all ages and skill levels. Families can join in-person classes…

26.9 mi View place
Anderson Collection at Stanford University

Anderson Collection at Stanford University

Museums
Today 11am–5pm · No price listed
Accepts ROAM

A museum of modern and contemporary American art on the Stanford University campus, featuring works by artists including Martin, Nevelson, Pollock, and Rothko…

27.2 mi View place
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Museums
Today 11am–6pm · No price listed
Accepts NARM
27.3 mi View place
Palo Alto History Museum

Palo Alto History Museum

Museums
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts ROAM
27.4 mi View place
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

Museums · Ages 1–12
Closed today · Admission from $12

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto, California is a place where children and their caregivers explore, discover, and get curious about science and nature…

Playground on siteRestroomsFood available
27.4 mi View place
Palo Alto Art Center

Palo Alto Art Center

Museums
Today 9am–6pm · Free admission
Accepts NARM
27.5 mi View place
North Bay Air Museum

North Bay Air Museum

Museums
No hours listed · No price listed
31 mi View place
Computer History Museum

Computer History Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Admission $16.50

Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California features exhibits exploring the history of computing and technology innovation. Visitors can explore iconic…

RestroomsFood availableOutside food allowed
31.2 mi View place
Los Altos History Museum

Los Altos History Museum

Museums
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts ROAMAccepts NARM

A local history museum in Los Altos that collects and preserves material about the area's past. Families can walk through changing exhibitions designed to engage…

32 mi View place
Petaluma Historical Library and Museum

Petaluma Historical Library and Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Free admission
Accepts NARM

A local history museum in Petaluma with a focus on the town's past and community stories. Families can visit rotating exhibits that cover different aspects of…

33.8 mi View place
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Admission from $7
Accepts NARM

An art museum in downtown Sonoma showing contemporary and modern work through changing exhibitions year-round. Families can walk in to see the current show, and…

35.7 mi View place
Charles M. Schulz Museum

Charles M. Schulz Museum

Museums
Today 11am–5pm · Admission $7
Accepts NARM

Photo: Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

50.4 mi View place
Pacific Coast Air Museum

Pacific Coast Air Museum

Museums
No hours listed · No price listed
54.7 mi View place
Nothing here matches that combination. Clear a filter, or browse everything in San Francisco.

5 of 34 museums and educational attractions

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.

Before you go

Quick answers for busy parents.

Look for a free day or eveningMany museums run one. It is the busiest time, but it is free.
Ask for the children’s trailMost have a backpack, a trail sheet or a hunt, and most keep them behind the desk rather than advertising them.
Check which galleries suit your childA museum can be brilliant for a nine-year-old and a long hour for a three-year-old. The website usually says which rooms are hands-on.
Bags and coatsLarger museums require a cloakroom for anything big, which is worth knowing before you carry it round.
Other things to do in San Francisco
Amusement Parks Arcades Bowling Alleys Children's Museums Family Entertainment Centers Historic Sites Ice Skating Rinks Nature and Gardens Outdoor Playgrounds Science and Discovery Centers Splash Pads Zoos and Aquariums
Museums and Educational Attractions in nearby cities
East Bay, CA San Jose, CA Sacramento, CA Los Angeles, CA Orange County, CA San Diego, CA Phoenix, AZ Seattle, WA

Common questions about museums and educational attractions in San Francisco

How many museums and educational attractions are there in San Francisco?

We list 33 museums and educational attractions within 57 miles of San Francisco, CA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.

Which museums and educational attractions in San Francisco publish their prices?

18 of the 33 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 and educational attractions in San Francisco free?

Yes. 4 places get you in free: San Francisco Historical Society, Hyde Street Pier / Maritime NHP, Palo Alto Art Center and Petaluma Historical Library and Museum.

Which museums and educational attractions in San Francisco suit a toddler?

2 of them list 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 and educational attractions?

We list every one we have within 57 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. 18 of the 33 on this page publish a price at all, so call ahead about the adult rate before you rely on it.

Do I need to book ahead?

Free museums often still ask you to reserve a slot, and special exhibitions almost always do. Where a venue publishes a booking page, the listing links straight to it.

What should I bring?

Water and a snack for outside. Many museums do not allow food in the galleries. Whatever else you need is in the notes beside the listings above.

What else is there to do with kids in San Francisco?

San Francisco has 13 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 October 5, 2026.

Explore related activities in San Francisco

Amusement Parks 7 places Arcades 13 places Bowling Alleys 5 places

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