These museums are the winners of the 2024 Best of Bay Area Parent reader poll. Read the full list of winners here.
East Bay
Gold: Lawrence Hall of Science. This hub of fascination and discovery has many hands-on experiences for families that are designed to promote exploration and learning, including exhibits like the Animal Discovery Zone and the Outdoor Nature Lab. Berkeley. lawrencehallofscience.org.
Silver: Oakland Museum of California. Oakland. museumca.org.
Bronze: Chabot Space & Science Center. Oakland. chabotspace.org.
Peninsula
Gold: Filoli Historic House and Garden. This property is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century, featuring a 54,000-square-foot mansion, 16 acres of English Renaissance gardens, a 6.8-acre gentleman’s orchard and hundreds of acres of natural lands. Woodside. filoli.org.
Silver: Hiller Aviation Museum. San Carlos. hiller.org.
Bronze: CuriOdyssey. San Mateo. curiodyssey.org.
San Francisco/Marin
Gold: Exploratorium. Tinker, test and play with more than 600 interactive exhibits. San Francisco. exploratorium.edu.
Silver: Legion of Honor. San Francisco. famsf.org.
Bronze: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. San Francisco. sfmoma.org.
Silicon Valley
Gold: Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. With the motto “Inspiring creativity, curiosity and lifelong learning,” this children’s museum features hands-on exhibits and activities for kids as well as cultural events. San Jose. cdm.org.
Silver: The Tech Interactive. San Jose. thetech.org.
Bronze: Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Palo Alto. paloaltozoo.org.