The Bay Area Discovery Museum is located in Sausalito, CA in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near Fort Baker. The drive past Fort Baker is beautiful, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum offers free parking. Before you even walk into the museum, you are treated to the most AMAZING view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a huge asset to the community, allowing families to attend a first-rate museum at a low cost. Admission is under $20, with EBT Cardholders only having to pay $1 per family member of the household. They have many discounts available, including military discounts, free visits on the first Wednesday of each month, and discounts for members of organizations like AAA. I have also found many deals on Groupon throughout the last year or so. The most amazing thing is that they advertise that they have an open-door policy, letting families know that a lack of funds shouldn't keep them out of the museum and that they can come in on a pay-what-you-can basis.
But the Bay Area Discovery Museum isn't just amazing because it is affordable, it also has some of the best exhibits in a children's museum that I have ever seen. They have many exhibits that are there year-round, like the Art Studios, Lookout Cove, Bay Hall, and Imagination Playground.
The Art Studio is a fun area for free expression. They have watercolors that you can use to paint, as well as drying racks so that you can let your masterpiece dry and come back to get it. We spent about 45 minutes in this room alone, painting a ton of pictures.
The outdoor Lookout Cove area was probably the area that we spent the most time in. They have a boat that they have converted into a playground, a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge, a crow's nest climbing structure, beautiful sculptures made of wood, a giant tree stump that you can climb through, and more. Every kid that I saw enjoying this area had a huge smile on their face, and we were there on a cold day!
Bay Hall is all SF Bay Area themed. There is a giant train table (seen below) with the Golden Gate Bridge on it. They have a huge boat that kids can pretend to drive, and it even rocks when you walk on it. This exhibit also has pulley systems that allow kids to pretend that they are fishing, a small aquarium crawl through area, and even has items to dress up (hence the life jacket my daughter is wearing in the photo below).
Imagination Playground is an area that has a ton of blue foam shapes that kids can build into whatever their imagination comes up with. I saw kids making slides, tunnels and forts. This area seemed to be great for all ages.
They also have many temporary exhibits that stay for a few months. They just opened their new Wobbleland exhibit which is supposed to be based on a kitchen sink. Giant avocados, cantaloupe, cheese, and tomatoes can be climbed on, stacked, and explored. We haven't gotten to visit since this opened, but we are looking forward to checking it out!
Parents of little ones should feel safe to bring their child to this museum, there are entire areas dedicated to the younger crowd (that bigger kids aren't allowed to go in). Kids have to be under 42 inches in order to go in, and there is also a crawler room (no shoes allowed).
Make sure to tag us on Instagram in any adventures you go on with Troop Bay Area! #troopbayarea #bayareadiscoverymuseum
Bay Area Discovery Museum Address:
557 McReynolds Rd
Sausalito, CA 94965
Comments