Exploratorium re-opens in the new Pier 15 location on San Francisco’s Embarcadero!
The Exploratorium tops our list of fun things to do this month in San Francisco. Why? Because as of April 17, 2013, the museum has a shiny new 300 million dollar 330,000-square-foot location at Pier 15, along waterfront on the Embarcadero. That means new exhibits to help fill up three times more space than the previous location. Also, did you know you can get free admission to the new Exploratorium five times a year?
The admission prices went up for the new location, not surprisingly. But if you’re a Bay area resident, they’ll give you a break on tickets. Whether you live here or are just visiting, you’ll minimize the time you have to wait in line by getting your tickets in advance online. (See links below.)
The Exploratorium is ideal for family visits, and children 5 and under always get in free. But, Exploratorium also holds adult only Exploratorium After Dark happy hours on the first Thursday of the month, Starting May 2, 2013 at the new waterfront location.
“What’s new? There are 150 brand new exhibits plus hundreds of beloved classics, new outdoor exhibits, a Bay Observatory, a bigger focus on tinkering and social psychology, and much more.” –Exploratorium
REGULAR TICKETS: Exploratorium discount tickets $25 adults, $19 for youth/students/seniors, plus you’ll minimize the time you have to wait in line.
FREE DAYS: The Exploratorium new free days include:
- Engineering Day (September 29, 2013)
- Founder’s Day (October 13, 2013)
- Groundhog Day (February 2, 2014)
- Pi Day (March 14, 2014)
- Mother’s Day (May 11, 2014)
RESIDENT DEAL: Exploratorium Discount for Bay Area Residents — $20/adults (reg. $25), or $15/youth, student, senior, and teachers (reg. $18) available directly from The Exploratorium. Kids 5 and under always free. NOTE: look for the link on the ticket page just under “General Admission.”
HAPPY HOUR MIXER: Exploratorium After Dark – Visit on the first Thursdays of the month, 6–10pm, and you get in at happy hour rates: $15 (Adults only, 18+). If you’re visiting during the day on first Thursdays, you can use your daytime ticket to return after 6pm for Exploratorium After Dark. Also, the museum holds Evening Programs on some Wednesday and Thursday nights, at 8:30pm. Check the Exploratorium website for details.
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE:
- San Francisco CityPASS: A discount card that provides free admission to six Bay Area attraction including the Exploratorium. This is the perfect choice if you’re visiting from out of the city.
- Go Select San Francisco Card: This discount card also provides big discounts for as few as two or more Bay Area attractions, and Exploratorium is one of the options. This usually saves you 15% to 30% off each ticket, and you have up to 30 days to use them.
WHEN: Open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am – 5pm including Wednesday evenings until 10pm and Thursday evening adult only hours from 6pm – 10pm. Closed Mondays except for certain holidays.
WHERE: Exploratorium, Pier 15, San Francisco, California 94111. Map and nearby things to do.
STAYING OVER? If you’re visiting from out of town, get Exploratorium tickets bundled with a hotel package.
SAVVY TIP: Not familiar with the area? Here’s what you need to know about parking.
- Metered parking is available on the streets near the museum.
- Hourly parking lot across the street.
- If those are full, you can park at the Embarcadero Center parking lots (10- to 15-minute walk) and the Exploratorium will validate your parking stub for a discounted $10 flat rate on weekdays from 4pm midnight, and all day on weekends (6:30am to midnight).
Also See: San Francisco Bay Area Attractions — Free Days & Discounts.
Al — the Exploratorium website makes it a little hard to find. On their ticket page, look just under where it says “General Admission Tickets” and you’ll see a link that says this: Bay Area Residents (nine-county area) receive local rates. I would add the link here but it’s an ecommerce link.
I looked for resident deals on their website for the exploratorium but didn’t see anything