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

A day out that teaches something.

Museums and Educational Attractions in San Jose, CA

Looking for museums and educational attractions in San Jose? Here are 17 of them, with the details parents check first: price, opening hours and the right age range. Admission runs $3 to $28, based on the 8 here that publish a price.

17 museums and educational attractions in the San Jose area

Find a museum in San Jose

17 museums and educational attractions in the San Jose area.

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

17 places

San Jose Museum of Art

San Jose Museum of Art

Museums
Closed today · Free admission
Accepts NARM

San Jose Museum of Art is an art museum located in San Jose, California, offering free admission for youth 17 years and under, college students, and teachers with…

RestroomsFood availableParking
0.4 mi View place
The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive

Museums · Ages 3–16
Closed today · Admission $28

The Tech Interactive is a museum in San Jose featuring hands-on exhibits, IMAX films, and laser shows in the Bay Area's only IMAX Dome Theater. Families can…

RestroomsFood availableParking
0.5 mi View place
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

Museums
Closed today · Admission from $8
Accepts NARM

The first museum in the United States to focus exclusively on quilts and textiles as an art form, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles will celebrate its 45th…

0.7 mi View place
Chinese American Historical Museum

Chinese American Historical Museum

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

This small museum in San Jose's History Park is housed in the Ng Shing Gung building, a reconstructed 1888 community and religious center from the city's last…

2 mi View place
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Museums · Ages 6–12
Closed today · Admission $10

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America. Families can explore ancient…

RestroomsFood availableParking
2 mi View place
History Park at Kelley Park

History Park at Kelley Park

Museums · Ages 3–12
Today 9am–4pm · Free admission

History Park at Kelley Park is a museum in San Jose, California where families can explore exhibitions, festivals, and educational programs focused on the diverse…

RestroomsFood availableParking
2 mi View place
de Saisset Museum

de Saisset Museum

Museums
Closed today · Free admission
Accepts NARM

A museum on the Santa Clara University campus that is open to the public at no charge. The galleries hold rotating exhibitions of contemporary and historical…

3 mi View place
Triton Museum of Art

Triton Museum of Art

Museums
Closed today · Free admission
Accepts NARM

A museum in Santa Clara dedicated to contemporary art since 1965. The Triton shows work by local artists alongside regional and national exhibitions, and runs art…

4 mi View place
Campbell Museums

Campbell Museums

Museums
Closed today · Admission from $5
Accepts ROAMAccepts NARM
4.7 mi View place
Intel Museum

Intel Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Today 9am–5pm · No price listed

Intel Museum is a 10,000 square foot interactive learning space in Santa Clara, California dedicated to exploring semiconductor technology and innovation. Visitors…

RestroomsFood availableParking
5.4 mi View place
Cupertino Historical Museum

Cupertino Historical Museum

Museums
Closed today · No price listed
Accepts ROAM

The Cupertino Historical Society and Museum shares local history through artifact-based exhibits housed inside the Quinlan Community Center. Its permanent display…

8.6 mi View place
Wings of History Air Museum

Wings of History Air Museum

Museums · Ages 6–16
Closed today · Admission $5

Wings of History Air Museum in San Martin displays vintage aircraft, aircraft engines, scale models and aviation memorabilia. A small, single-hangar museum that…

23.8 mi View place
Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History

Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History

Museums
Today 10am–4pm · No price listed
Accepts ROAM
25.3 mi View place
UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

Museums · Ages 3–16
Today 9am–5pm · Admission $7
Accepts AHS Garden NetworkAccepts ROAMAccepts NARM

A botanical garden on the UC Santa Cruz campus showcasing plants adapted to Mediterranean climates and dry conditions, with collections from California and the…

26.4 mi View place
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Museums
Closed today · Admission $3
Accepts ASTC Passport Program

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is a museum located at 1305 E Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz, California, offering exhibits on natural history along with fossil and…

26.7 mi View place
Stockton Field Aviation Museum

Stockton Field Aviation Museum

Museums
No hours listed · No price listed
51.9 mi View place
The Haggin Museum

The Haggin Museum

Museums
Closed today · Admission $5
Accepts NARM

The Haggin Museum, an art and history museum located in Stockton, has been referred to by Sunset magazine as “one of the undersung gems of California.” The…

53.2 mi View place
Nothing here matches that combination. Clear a filter, or browse everything in San Jose.

5 of 17 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 Jose
Amusement Parks Arcades Bowling Alleys Children's Museums Family Entertainment Centers Historic Sites Laser Tag Nature and Gardens Outdoor Playgrounds Roller Skating Rinks Splash Pads Trampoline Parks Zoos and Aquariums
Museums and Educational Attractions in nearby cities
East Bay, CA San Francisco, 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 Jose

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

We list 17 museums and educational attractions within 64 miles of San Jose, CA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.

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

12 of the 17 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 Jose free?

Yes. 4 places get you in free: San Jose Museum of Art, History Park at Kelley Park, de Saisset Museum and Triton Museum of Art.

How did Mini Navigators choose these museums and educational attractions?

We list every one we have within 64 miles of the center of San Jose. 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. 12 of the 17 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 Jose?

San Jose has 14 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The San Jose hub lists all of them.

Listings last checked October 5, 2026.

Explore related activities in San Jose

Amusement Parks 15 places Arcades 5 places Bowling Alleys 5 places

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