Bay Area Discovery Museum

“I’m bored!” Every parent has heard this complaint, but it’s safe to say it won’t be an issue at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, the museum is like a world built just for kids, one that fosters and encourages their innate creativity and curiosity. 

The museum facilities are unique from the get-go – it’s the only children’s museum in the country that’s located in a national park. Located in the heart of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the site consists of once-abandoned Army buildings in historic Fort Baker, now converted into award-winning facilities that embrace the outdoor environment.

Begin at Tot Spot, where early walkers, toddlers, and pre-schoolers can make currents in their own outdoor creek or wander indoors to explore animal-themed habitats, from lilypads to tunnels. Elsewhere you’ll confront ideas you may not think about otherwise, like the fact that every beach has its own unique texture and quality of sand. This is one of many facts about the natural environment you can pick up at the Wave Workshop, where kids can turn on a wind machine, dress up in sea-creature costumes, and see samples of sand from every beach in the Golden Gate area.

From there, choose between the Art Studios, where children have access to a variety of materials to create their own sculptures and paintings; San Francisco Bay Hall, with lively simulations of Bay Area sea life; or Discovery Hall, which hosts a variety of major exhibitions throughout the year.

Living in Space, currently on exhibit in Discovery Hall through August 15, 2010, features interactive exhibits about astronaut life, from eating and sleeping in space to working in the shuttle and even the tricky business of using the potty where there is zero gravity.

By far one of the best parts of The Bay Area Discovery Museum is the outdoor playground, or Lookout Cove. You may want to come here last, because it’s hard to drag the kids the away from 2.5 acres to explore, with a Golden Gate Bridge model they can help construct, a shipwreck to investigate, garden mazes to wander, trees to climb, and much more. Patrick Dougherty’s whimsical stickwork art is particularly amazing.

Wherever you wander, it’s great to see every child so happily engaged and their parents alongside them, also interacting, learning with and from their kids in turn.

HelloSanFrancisco Tip: Get into the museum free on the first Wednesday of the month. Also, look out for seasonal classes and activities, like Summer Sunsets happening through August 13, when the museum stays open late with live music and themed events.

- by Renee M. Rutledge, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Renee M. Rutledge

Renee M. Rutledge currently writes articles on local travel and culture for Red Tricycle, Parents' Press, Oakland Magazine, and Alameda Magazine.