Fantastic hidden gem! The downstairs nature exhibit was worth the price of admission alone!…read more Each sub-section was displayed beautifully so that the pieces of art, be it Western, Asian, African, Nature or Automobile, could be appreciated.

I visited this museum on Mother's Day with my family while 21 weeks pregnant. I had been here once…read morebefore and previously had a wonderful experience, which made this visit especially disappointing. Shortly after arriving, I noticed a water bottle refill station inside the museum and refilled my water bottle there. While quietly viewing an exhibit with my family, we were suddenly approached in a very loud and confrontational manner by a female staff member who stated, "Ma'am, ma'am! There is no food or drink allowed in the museum. You either need to leave or throw your water bottle away." I was surprised by both the tone and the interaction, especially considering the museum itself provided the refill station inside the building. I explained that I had filled the bottle there, but was told that people are apparently expected to "refill their bottles and then leave the museum to drink from them," which honestly made very little sense. Because I am pregnant, I asked if I could simply keep the bottle closed while inside, rather than repeatedly separating from my family whenever I became thirsty. She reluctantly agreed, but after that interaction, staff members continuously followed my family throughout the museum for the remainder of our visit, seemingly monitoring whether I drank water. What should have been an enjoyable family outing became extremely uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Being closely followed from exhibit to exhibit over a closed water bottle felt excessive and unnecessary, especially under the circumstances. Unfortunately, the experience left my family and I not wanting to return. I truly hope future guests are treated with more kindness, professionalism, common sense, and dignity.

A quick 15 minute drive from SFO. They have plenty of parking spaces in their private lot…read more Always a beautiful place. Even prettier the second time around. Flowers were abloom this summer afternoon in late June. The lavender herb bushes were oozing fragrance with the wind, the dahlias were on full display and the lilies were blossoming. Our first was during the fall. Not a lot of blooms but the autumn colors and the holiday decor were a sight to remember. We usually spend a good 3 hours here. Taking in the scenery and snapping a lot of photos. Though patrons come here for the garden, the mansion itself was a mini-castle worthy of a visit. I compare it to the likes of the the Hearst Castle and European palaces with a vast array of art and antiquities from allover the world. This place is very well maintained. It is easily one of the best maintained Historic Buildings and Gardens I have visited.

Would you pay $50 to visit a botanical garden? Yeah, how about in the middle of winter during the…read morecollege playoffs? And at night? Got to be crazy, the big parking lot was jammed with hundreds of cars. We were definitely not alone. It was a last night for the Christmas decoration activities at fioli gardens. Spectacular display of illuminated gardens with hundreds if not thousands of lights of all colors. Safe walking at night along lighted pathways, with illuminated waterways and ponds to break up the vast gardens. Had a great time even though my ears froze off from the bitter cold and winds. All I could think of was I needed to wear my ski outfits. Oh by the way Indiana blew out Oregon that evening so I didn't miss much

Such a unique experience. I've lived in Pacifica for years and always wondered the history of this…read morecastle and what was inside. Now I know! Definitely worth a visit for anyone who likes unique history, movie buffs, and grand decor. Plus, delicious lemonade.

Who knew there was a castle in Pacifica? A nice visit if you're into history, architecture and want…read moreto see some views. Built in 1908 by the San Francisco rail magnate Henry Harrison McCloskey by the sea as a safe haven after his San Francisco home was severely damaged in the 1906 earthquake. It was later sold by his wife after her husband's death in 1914 Up until 1959, it had a reputation as a speakeasy, an illegal abortion clinic, a brothel and Coast Guard barracks during World War II. The castle was purchased and restored in 1959 by the late Sam Mazza, commercial painter and real estate magnate filled it with items from old theaters (fixtures, props) and items he purchased at garage sales...so a lot of kitschy items can be found. Place was never used as a residence but hosting parties and used as an event space. The place isn't as grand as I had imagined but definitely back in the day when Pacifica wasn't quite developed. A bit worn on the outside with no greenery and can see it providing a creepy backdrop at night. The docents (dressed as Mr and Mrs McCloskey) and Jeanette Cool, Executive Director of the Sam Mazza Foundation provided rich history that made it interesting and fun. The tour is 1.5 hours with a 10min video from 2000 of Sam Mazza at age 94...energetic and a bit quirky, eccentric with unique taste. All his real estate holdings, including the castle, and his art was left to his foundation after he passed in 2002. So now the castle provides tours, afternoon tea, holiday events and even a Halloween event with a medium...yeah friend bought tickets for that! An enjoyable visit with light refreshments after so grab a bite to eat before or after your tour

Located in the Golden Gate Park this California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco is the…read moreultimate natural history museum that offers an aquarium, planetarium, as well as a 4-story rainforest ! I think it will take me a week to literally be able to go see everything !! Anazing aquarium with a Philippine Coral Reef, and was able watch feeding time of the fish in this particular aquarium!! 2 scuba divers cleaning aquarium during the presentation!!

The California Academy of Sciences is a wonderful place to visit for all ages. It was my first time…read morethere, though others in my group had visited before. We went on a Wednesday morning during summer break. Tickets can be purchased online or in person; we bought ours on-site and there was no line. Inside, it was busy but not overcrowded, so it was still very enjoyable. Positives: - Clean and well maintained throughout. - Indoor, multi-level space that is accessible. - Convenient food court with multiple options. - Plenty of seating areas for taking short breaks. - A wide variety of exhibits and experiences. Our favorites were the Osher Rainforest and the Steinhart Aquarium. You can easily tailor your visit to be short or long depending on your pace. There is also a lot of engaging and educational information throughout the museum. Be sure to check the daily schedule posted on-site or online to learn about special exhibits and events. Negatives: The only downside was the bánh mì from the food court, which was underwhelming. Overall, I highly recommend the California Academy of Sciences. It is a great outing, especially for families with children.

I came here after my kiddo had already visited because he talked so much about it…read more I've driven by so many times but this was the first time I stopped in to check it out. We walked in and we paid our entrance fee at the front and were told if we were interested in a membership we could use our entrance fee to pay towards that cost. My kiddo led our visit around the entire museum. I loved how interactive the areas were specially the cockpit area. The volunteers and staff were friendly and my kiddos enjoyment of the space solidified my interest in a membership which I ultimately got. Since then we have been back multiple times. We've enjoyed all our visits and check in goes smoothly since we already have a barcode. At our last visit I ended up setting the 5 minute timer for the cockpit area since we waited so long to get in. Probably the most popular space in this entire museum. While my kiddo and I played and several other families waited their turn patiently a parent walked up and asked how much longer we'd be there since her kid had been waiting a long time. Wild to me because we had been waiting in line that's not really a line but some seats in the back and not once did I see this parent waiting. She must of waited a whole minute before speaking to me. I told her we just got in and that I had set my 5 minute timer. She said she didn't see the sign and others pointed her right to it. Right in front of her face. She asked if I worked here. I said no but that the 3 volunteers out there did to redirect her and enjoy my 5 minutes. As one of the most popular attractions here it would be beneficial for volunteers to monitor the line and timers per group. It's insane to me that grown people can act like this or just oversee other waiting groups and act more impatient than a toddler. The space is way too small to be insufferable in a place to enjoy, explore and take turns. Front staff is great. Most volunteers are great. The volunteers in the cockpit benefit from helping maneuver cockpit time and potential lines. This is a well cared for museum and an enjoyable way to spend the day. Our family enjoys it and will continue to be members till my kids want to be.

Hiller Aviation Museum is one of the more unusual aviation museums I've ever visited. It is just…read moreabout 11 miles south of SFO off Hwy 101 adjacent to the San Carlos airport. The aircraft & artifacts are mainly from the collection of Stanley Hiller of the Hiller Aircraft Corp that has been developing helicopters and other experimental flying machines since the late 40's. So many of these unusual copters, gyros & flying platforms are on display, plus anything else Stanley had collected over the decades. There aren't a lot of more recognizable aircraft, but you learn a lot by reading about these rare, one-of-a-kind flying machines. On slow days, you buy your entry ticket in the gift shop and go through the entry hall that is dominated by a full scale replica of the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne hanging from the ceiling. As you enter the main gallery, you have turn of the century wood & fabric biplane replicas of the Wright brothers & Glenn Curtiss along with early not-so-successful flying machines. Moving onto the middle 20th century, the Hiller Aviation Corp. designed some offbeat personal aircraft with personal vertical takeoff craft 70 years before their time. There are also more conventional winged aircraft like the Grumman Albatross (propeller seaplane) and Aero L-39 Albatros (Czech jet trainer), 2 totally different planes with similar names sitting right next to each other. Above them all is the mother of all remotely piloted drones, the Boeing Condor from 1988 with a huge wingspan of 200 ft! If you go out the back, you get to climb through the nose section of a Boeing 747-100 jumbo airliner from the 70's & 80's. The gift shop is one of the more extensive that I've seen with lots of souvenirs for all ages and aviation memorabilia for enthusiasts.

For the price, it's definitely a little gem in Palo Alto. Having a little young, I didn't even know…read morethat Palo Alto had this zoo but we decided to take a trip one day to come check it out. You have to make a reservation I'm guessing so it doesn't get overpacked. As soon as you enter, there's a ton of indoor activities for the little. There's a dino area right outside and then on the other side is where the zoo part is. There's not a ton of animals but the animals that are there were pretty active when we were there. There was a tortoise, birds, rabbits, fish, flamingos that we actually got to feed and a few others that I'm forgetting. Again, not huge but it was enough that we probably spent about a good 2 hours there. After that, there's also a park right behind it so if your kiddos aren't tired already, they can burn off some energy there. If we lived closer, I would consider getting a pass but for now, we'll do some day trips there

We recently took our son to the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo and had a great time overall. It's…read moreone of those places that's perfectly designed for younger kids. There's a little bit of everything, from hands-on science exhibits to animals, climbing structures, and the dinosaur garden. What I appreciated most was how interactive everything was. The exhibits encourage kids to touch, build, experiment, and play rather than just look at things. The zoo itself is small, but that's actually part of the appeal when you're visiting with young children. We saw flamingos, meerkats, rabbits, and other animals without having to spend an entire day walking around a massive zoo. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it was incredibly crowded. It felt like every exhibit had a cluster of kids around it, and it was sometimes hard for my son to get a turn or really engage with certain activities. I understand it's a popular destination, but the crowds definitely took away from the experience a bit. That said, it's easy to see why so many families love this place. It's clean, well-maintained, educational, and genuinely fun for young kids.

We had an amazing time with my two kids and husband. This place had super interactive activities…read morefor my 4yr old and 18m old. They enjoyed dressing up in fireman gear, playing with water, doing crafts, playing in the pretend food area, building with blocks, making bubbles, and playing outside. This place has a lot to do and we wished we could have stayed longer. Only part that is annoying is the stroller rule. If your child CAN walk, you can't take your stroller in. Weird rule for a place that caters to kids, including younger ones in that in between stage. Even cmy 4 year old gets tired more than average. And sure, my youngest can technically walk but he can't last the whole time walking. Anyway, we had fun but I felt like I couldn't fully relax.

Pretty freaking amazing children's museum, kids loved it (and the adults had fun hanging out too)…read more Kinda a no-brainer if you have kids -- we have a 4yo but there were bigger kids and even teens here bustlin' around.

My 4yr old and 19m old enjoyed the playground, zoo, outdoor eating/ play area, and the hands on…read morescience activities. The little souvenir shop is quite small. If you're traveling with little ones, know there is no cafe or option to buy coffee other than a little refrigerator in the little shop so make sure you pack a lunch and snacks.

This is definitely a wonderful place for a summer day out, with plenty of picnic spots and…read morebeautiful trails inside the regional park. Just note that everything--including the park gates--closes at 5 pm! I was disappointed that they sold us 4 pm tickets for the Illumiodyssey winter program when the park shuts at 5. The zoo animals were already gone, we had to rush through the museum, and most areas were closing. That said, it is a great spot for kids to explore, imagine, and learn science. We'll definitely be back--just at an earlier time!