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Times have certainly changed. Back in the "old days" there weren't any "children's museums" and most regular museums weren't very kid-friendly.

Now nearly every major city has a children's museums and many "grown-up" art and science museums have special exhibits and activities designed with children in mind.

Children's museums tend to offer a nice blend of science and art and nearly all the exhibits are "hands on". Children's museums also try to appeal to a wide variety of ages and interests, so parents can take the whole family and there will be something to interest everyone.

Regular museums often have exhibits that children enjoy. On a recent trip to the San Jose Museum of Art my son was very interested in exhibits of Chihuly glass, modern art furniture, photo collage, and cartoon drawings.

A word of caution when attending "grown-up" museums... certainly not all art is "G" or even "PG" rated. Ask for guidance at the information desk and be prepared to steer clear of exhibits that might be too mature or intense for your child.

Children's museums and other museums that have a lot to offer children are listed below. Click on the links to reach the museums' web pages where you'll find a summary of attractions, prices, hours, and directions.

Children's Museums
Bay Area Discovery Museum ~ Sausalito
Hands-on fun under the Golden Gate - where kids play to learn and grown-ups learn to play! Save $1 on admission with web discount coupon.

Children's Discovery Museum - San Jose
Habitot Children's Museum - Berkeley
Hall of Health - Berkeley
Junior Center of Art and Science - Oakland
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo - Palo Alto
Zeum - San Francisco

Art Museums
Asian Art Museum - San Francisco
Family Art Encounter first Saturday of every month
Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive - Berkeley
Cartoon Art Museum - San Francisco
Cantor Center for Visiual Arts - Stanford
De Saisset Museum - Santa Clara
de Young Museum - San Francisco
Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts - Walnut Creek
Junior Center of Art and Science - Oakland
Museum of Art & History - Santa Cruz
Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) - Oakland
Museum of Craft & Folk Art - San Francisco
Oakland Museum of California - Oakland
Palace of the Legion of Honor - San Francisco
Palo Alto Art Center - Palo Alto
Peninsula Museum of Art - Belmont
Quilt Museum - San Jose
Richmond Art Center - Richmond
San Francisco Center for the Book - San Francisco
San Francisco Children's Art Center - San Francisco
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - San Francisco
San Jose Museum of Art - San Jose
Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History - Santa Cruz
Triton Museum of Art - Santa Clara

Cultural Museums
Center for African & African American Art and Culture - Oakland
China Town - San Francisco
Hakone Garden - Saratoga
Hayward Japanese Garden - Hayward
Japanese American Resource Museum - San Jose
Japanese Cultural Center and Bamboo Garden - Los Altos
Japanese Friendship Garden in Kelly Park - San Jose
Judah L. Magnes Museum - Berkeley
Marine Museum of the American Indian - Marin
Mexican Heritage Plaza - San Jose
Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology - Berkeley
Rosecrutian Egyptian Museum - San Jose
San Mateo Japanese Garden in Central Park - San Mateo

Science & Technology Museums
California Academy of Science
Chabot Observatory & Science Center - Oakland
Exploratorium - San Francisco
Lawrence Hall of Science - Berkeley
Intel Museum - Santa Clara
Junior Center of Art and Science - Oakland
Lick Observatory - San Jose
Morrison Planetarium - San Francisco
Nasa Ames Visitor Center - Mountain View
Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History - Santa Cruz
The Tech Museum - San Jose
Youth Science Institute - Los Gatos
UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology

Historical Museums (see Historical Fun)

Nature Museums (see Animals)

Natural History Museums (Dinosaurs!)
California Academy Natural History Museum - San Francisco
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History - Pacific Grove
Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History - Santa Cruz
UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology - Berkeley

Train Models & Museums
California State Railroad Museum - Sacramento
Golden Gate Model Railroad Club at Randall Museum - San Francisco
Golden State Model Railroad Museum - Point Richmond
Niles Canyon Railway Museum - Sunol
Cable Car Museum - San Francisco
Golden Gate Railroad Museum - San Francisco
Barron Park Garden Railway - Palo Alto
Market Street Railway - San Francisco
San Francisco Cable Cars - San Francisco
South Bay Historical Railroad Society - Santa Clara
Railroad-Ferry Depot - Tiburon
Western Railway Museum - Solano
Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society - Walnut Creek
West Bay Model Train Association - Menlo Park

Specialty Museums
Behring Automotive Museum - Blackhawk
Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia- Burlingame
Charles M. Shultz Museum - Santa Rosa
Hiller Aviation Museum - San Carlos
Pacific Coast Air Museum - Santa Rosa
Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not - San Francisco
Rosecrutian Museum - San Jose
San Francisco Fire Department Museum - San Francisco
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum - Santa Cruz
Wells Fargo Museum - San Francisco
Western Aerospace Museum - Oakland
Winchester Mystery House - San Jose