Exploratorium

Exploratorium is at Pier 15, at the foot of Green St. and The Embarcadero. The building has a contemporary industrial look, with six galleries displaying some 650 exhibits, most of them interactive. The Microscope Imaging Station in Gallery 4 produces high-resolution images of minuscule organisms like plankton and blood cells.

In Gallery 2 visitors can create an artistic sculpture that moves in Cardboard Automata using basic mechanical items and cardboard. A sure-fire crowd pleaser is “Rolling Through the Bay,” a collection of city landmarks made entirely of toothpicks that took creator Scott Weaver nearly 40 years to complete. Visitors also can observe while museum staff create exhibits in the Exhibit Development Shop.

Check out a world without color in the Bechtel Gallery 3's Monochromatic Room. The Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6 gives visitors a look at San Francisco Bay's geography and ecology. Bring a jacket to enjoy the view of the Bay Bridge from the observatory's terrace or to stroll around the walkway outside the museum.

Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits features a 27-foot-tall Aeolian harp “played” by the wind. Jump rope on the playful Bike Rope Squirter, a machine powered by an upside down bike that hurls rope loops high in the air.

The Tactile Dome (ages 7+) offers an interactive experience in total darkness; you feel your way through its chambers and mazes by crawling, climbing, and sliding, relying only on your sense of touch and most likely gaining a renewed appreciation of your sense of sight when it's over.

Guests who are afraid of the dark, claustrophobic or who have back, neck or knee injuries should not participate in a Tactile Dome session, and those wearing casts are prohibited. Comfortable clothes are recommended.

Food is available. Time: Allow 2 hours minimum.