Good museum if you are interested in the history of computers. Large free parking lot. There is a gift shop and a small cafe in the lobby. There is also some nice outdoor seating. read more

After five long years and several aborted attempts (due to COVID restrictions, booked events and renovation closures) we, a party of eight finally made our way to revisit the CH Museum. Our plan was to spend an entire Saturday in Mountain View. First, to explore the CHM exhibits, then pick up some cool gifts at the CHM giftshop, and have lunch at the CHM cafe before heading over to explore the Google campus and hike the Shoreline trails down the street. The CHM building looked modern and beautiful as always, the way I remembered from my first visits years ago. For some of us, the exhibits brought back old memories, while the others found them fascinating and educational. The exhibits never get old. However, upon entering the Museum, I sensed that the cool vibe of the place is absent. The underwhelming visitor service we received (the moment we entered until our departure) left an indelible negative impression for our group. The new guests were not impressed. It was a slow morning when we walked in, and we felt unwelcomed by the guest service personnel manning the front counter. The two associates appeared unenthusiastic and nonchalant to our presence while engaged in their own routines. The cashier collected our admission fees like a mechanical robot and we were left to wander off on our own without any introduction of the museum. Honestly, we could have received better reception from a ticket vending machine. As a result, the return veterans in our group stepped in to provide a preview of what to expect for the newbies in our group. After a whole morning browsing the exhibits, we were excitedly looking forward to getting some cool tech merchandize as mementos and gifts from the on-site CHM gift shop. I was hoping it would be the highlight of our visit. It turned out to be anticlimactic to say the least. From my recollection, the Museum store was very well organized and carried a wide array of technology themed merchandize. It was a treasure trough of interestingly unique merchs for young and old unlike those commonly found at the usual tourist attractions. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. The whole store setup seemed to have changed, the assortment of products were uninterestingly bland and unorganized which 'cheapened' the whole CHM experience. Our group was ready to do some serious shopping at the store, but we were not compelled to do so by the boring, low quality products offered. I was specifically looking for some CHM swag, original-designed T-shirts(exploded Tees) and geek gifts which I had purchased before, but was told by the staff that they were no longer available. The staff on hand was no help either, and seemed tentative and uninterested in helping customers. Sadly, our recent CHM experience was so utterly uneventful, that we decided to have our lunch at the Google cafeteria instead. Hopefully, the CHM image as a proud heritage of Silicon Valley's greatness and a must-visit destination can be salvaged before it becomes just another common Bay Area tourist trap. read more

Great for an afternoon date. A lot of history with a ton of cool information. Nostalgic for sure.

I try to drop by every month or so. Membership helps a lot. Unfortunately, I've never had the pleasure of seeing a live demo of the IBM 1401. Nevertheless, I always stop by the 1401 room before leaving. This time, Mr. Scott Stauter was there wrapping up a live demo that I didn't have time to see because I needed to pick up my wife from the airport. I asked if it was okay to look around because I didn't want to be in the way of them finishing up. Mr. Stauter, who spent 30 years with IBM, went above and beyond to give me a private tour, beautiful insights, and an overall experience that no book or movie could come close to. I can only wish to have the level of passion that Mr. Stauter has for teaching. I am grateful to him for his time and effort and encourage everyone to go and visit him and the rest of the team at 3pm (check the website for the timetable). Speaking of passion, I was 20 minutes late to the airport and my wife was unhappy. It was totally worth it. P.S. If I was IBM there is no better PR then Mr. Stauter and other formal engineers keeping 1401 running. Maybe it's time to put face on "faceless" IBM, just a thought. read more

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History Mystery Trying to find out if this place is open or not as we have a relatives coming in from out-of-town and their son would love to visit. They state on Yelp that they're closed but yet they're posting at least once a day on their IG page (@computerhistory). We tried calling and no answer and no message stating their current status. Tried messaging them thru their obviously active IG and no reply. Their website also says closed but yet they're posting admission prices and trying to get people to become members. Which is mixed signals if you ask me... Why they'd still be closed when just about every other museum in the state is open is beyond my comprehension. If anyone knows a definitive answer please hit me up. Thanks. read more

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Cool museum to checkout maybe on a rainy day!? Also been here for events has nice event spaces. It's amazing to see how far humanity has come with computing in just a short amount of time! read more

I was visiting the area for a wedding so I had some extra time to kill before my flight and I'm glad I chose to see this museum to fill that time because there is so much to see with so many well detailed exhibits and real world examples. I spent about two hours devouring as much of the content as I could. I myself was a finance major and work in investments so I don't have a technical or professional background in computers but I use them every day at work and in my personal life so I was surprised to see how much I recognized and could understand. They do a great job dividing it into many different sections and numbering each one with a defined walking path that takes you from start to finish. There are video, pictures, information boards, interactive video games you can play, movies to watch, and so many other things that really allow you to immersive yourself into the material. Overall I would recommend to anyone even if you don't have a background in computers like myself. Parking is extremely easy and pricing is fair so there really is no reason not to go. Enjoy! read more

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The collection is very impressive. It starts from ancient computing tecniques and gives a story of the evolution of computing. They had tour guides on Sunday. The tour was very good and it was by an older gentleman who has witnessed the evolution of computers for several decades. Could be improved: I think the written explanations could have been more detailed. Also the items are not alwas in the correct order. read more

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Historical computer modern concept museum. Conveniently placed in Silicon Valley where the epitome of tech is in. Entertaining and interesting particles of machines. Great past time. read more

Just outstanding! Such fantastic descriptions and wonderful exhibitions. Really interesting especially for tech nerds like me. It takes you you from early mathematics to the development of computers and early computers to keyboards to digital animations and on. Very worth the time to go! Really amazing to see how programming developed and who helped develop what. Lots of cool videos as well. Parking is free and plentiful. Admission is $17 but I found a BOGO on Groupon that let me buy two tickets for $17. (and check promo codes as well for Groupon)! read more

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This is possibly the best museum I have ever visited (and I've seen *a lot* of museums in my life). You can either quickly run through CHM, or you can really take your time; either way, you're going to learn a lot because of the ingenious way this place has been set up. These folks really understand that there are different types of museum-goers, so there's something for everyone (including those with the attention span of a gnat). Most of their outstanding videos are broken into shorter sections, so you'll get something out of them whether you listen to just one portion or to the entire interview. There is comfortable and ample varied seating provided throughout the museum exhibits. And the foods at their cafe are not only tasty and healthy, but they're more reasonably priced than I've ever seen at any other museum (where they know you won't have time to go out for lunch, so they really put the squeeze on you; CHM refuses to take advantage of their visitors like this, even though it would be easy for them do so). My only complaint is that CHM is so good that I had to go back 3 times to see it all; it took me nearly 11 hours to see all that I wanted to see--and I *still* didn't see everything! read more

As a lover of computers and computer history, this was the perfect museum to visit. I was impressed both with the number of displays as well as the quality of each one of them, full of many details of each important step in innovation. Instead of feeling like a boring textbook , I was immersed in beautiful displays covering topics such as the Internet, gaming, communication, and software. Definitely a must visit spot if you're visiting Silicon Valley, as you'll learn a lot in a short period of time -- and see some rare and unusual items. read more

This was so much fun! If you wanna geek out and see some good nerdy stuff, this is the place to visit! They even include the earliest forms of 'computing', which was quite fascinating. They have created a stunning presentation that really captures your attention and you will need more than just 3 or 4 hours to see everything. We were mesmerized. The Bistro Cafe was great, and the prices were very reasonable. Bring your kids, it might spark something within them, like it did for us. read more

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Awesome exhibits and surprisingly really yummy food. My boyfriend and I got sandwiches (a ham and Swiss and tuna salad) and lattes for ~$20, and everything was delicious. read more

Computer History Museum - Museums Near Me - Mountain View, California

I've been to quite a few museums and I can say with confidence that this is the best curated museum I've been to. I really enjoyed going "back in time" and learn about the evolution of computers. The volunteers here are so passionate about computers and teaching the guests that come by. Time and my partner had the pleasure of watching the IBM 1403 printer (actually not sure which one, but it was an old printer) demo. We even got to keep a printed souvenir for free! Definitely a must stop by if you're a tourist in the area. read more

Two words: Enigma Machine. Plus every historical computer you've ever heard of (or never heard of) going back to mechanical computing machines. If you've ever read about this stuff, come see it here. read more

How cool to find a museum that has the history of the computer and what seems like the tech industry as a whole. When I arrived at the Computer History Museum via Lyft (you can also take the MVGo shuttle bus and it stops a half block from the entrance) I was struck by the clean lines of the building and the chill vibe of the place. There were tables outside the museum and Adirondack chairs scattered across the grass. Inside the building there are various rooms for the exhibits on the ground floor. On a break from the conference I was attending I strolled through the museum and was so impressed. Not only were the exhibits beautifully displayed they were also extremely informative. There were some interactive areas (such as a photo booth where you can superimpose your face into a cutout and have your body appear as an image of various "techie" looks. Very amusing. There was a small room where a laptop innards (circuit board) was on the table and you were free to take bits apart and examine the pieces. Gotta say there were two areas that I thought were outstanding. First part was the area explaining gaming. In a nook, a large flat screen (pretty much the whole wall) had several game scenarios which could be set and you would be immersed in the game scene. The visual display was outstanding for the colors and complexity of the game scenarios. I was mesmerized. The second area was a separate display about a female mathematician whose name was Lovelace. Those familiar with Downton Abbey will know who I am referring to. She was a woman born into an aristocratic family. Her father neglected her and she somehow found her way to mathematics. She and a colleague built a huge machine (bigger than a mini fridge) that performed mathematical calculations. It was interesting for the fact you see a picture of a machine which now has been surpassed by hand held calculators. But her machine is the forebear of the hand held calculator. The fact that this was in the 1800s is impressive. The other fact that she was a woman mathematician in a society that only had expectations that women were homemakers was Impressive! My greatest admiration for Ms. Lovelace because we would not have the hand-held devices we have today without her invention. And for those of you who are familiar with calculus: Lovelace was able to use ber machine to determine pi (not eating variety but mathematical variety) to multiple places beyond the decimal point. The gift shop is chock full of cool trinkets, tee shirts, books about history and other paraphernalia. I was sorely tempted by so many items that I will have to return before Christmas to stock up. Overall, I cannot recommend a museum more than the Computer History Museum. It's a hidden gem. Go and check it out and you'll come out more appreciative of what technology has contributed to the world. read more

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Calling all proud computer nerds! And history nerds! And anyone with an inquisitive mind! I'm raising my hand ... This is the third time our family has been to this museum. We would recommend starting off with the Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing exhibit which walks you through the history of computing from the very beginning. There are actual artifacts and multimedia presentations featuring innovators relaying first-hand accounts of their experiences from "the abacus to the smartphone." Clear markers on the floor indicating the path to take make it easy to follow the progression of time and computing advances. It has been interesting to see my son's own progression when comparing our visits to the Computer History Museum from a little guy that loved playing video games to a young man creating video games with complicated code. And speaking of video games, there is a fun section where you can play a sampling of old games like Pong to more advanced games. It was fun to check out the Make Software: Change the World! exhibit for a look behind some impactful technology that we take advantage of today like Wikipedia and Photoshop. We also went to a IBM 1401 Demo Lab featuring enthusiastic gentlemen with experience operating this huge computing system giving the crowd a hands-on demonstration! read more

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A cool place for the computer geeks out there! I think the museum is pretty neat. From basic mathematics to AI. I'm not very into hardware myself but I was totally amazed. There are also many free events hosted by CHM during the weekdays which I highly recommend. Most of them are network events and some are tech focus. read more

The Computer History Museum exceeded my expectations! The left side of the museum is filled with kid friendly interactive/hands on exhibits. The lobby has a little sandwich and coffee shop, plus an educational gift shop. The left side is the filled with all the history on computers. I highly recommend taking the tour for that giant exhibit. Our tour guide was a retired programmer from IBM and did an excellent job explaining everything, especially to my child. We spent several hours in the museum and walked away feeling very happy with the experience. We will return to the Computer History Museum again. read more

Definitely a great to-do when you're in the area. More than just computers,also has history of video games, MP3 players and plenty of NASA stuff read more

Solid 5 stars for completeness, but that was also the downside. It seems SO complete and overwhelming that it's hard not to want to speed through. I'd have liked more context and a bit more hands-on opportunities in some of the exhibits. It felt very much like you come and look, you can learn passively, but you can only touch in the interactive area and that's all very recent stuff. A bit more of a mix would really help. And giving us the chance to engage with things like switchboards and punchcards. That said, some great displays and notable for including a jukebox at the end that was the same model we had in my basement growing up... got a little choked up there for a moment when I saw it. read more

Went here for a fundraiser - this place is awesome!! Beautiful venue, lots of parking

Very cool museum! I have visited many times the coffee shop that is just right there by the museum and was never really attracted to see the inside of the museum. I thought it would be a small little place like the one in Intel...so I was waiting for the occasion to go with no cost:). Thanks that I belong to many groups, associations, meetups and whatever congregates people and food, I got invited to one event there, so I enjoyed even more than a normal visit to a museum. The Catalan ministry of Knowledge and Economy was giving a talk in there and what a great place to be to discuss Big Data, the IoT and all in between Catalan influenced bites and drinks. Since I arrived with plenty of time, I had finally the opportunity to visit the museum that was actually closed only to the attendants of this event. Great space, great display of info, still could be a bigger museum and I am glad I went for free because honestly I think the price is too high. read more

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Well if you are into history of computers then this is the place for you. So many computers and information regarding them. I went with my husband and he really had a good time. read more

.- Like many museums in the States it lacks translated content to other languages, considering the amount of foreign tourists lacking expertise on the topic, not a fully comprehension of English but still paying tickets. Exhibits should have more content, an app and a QR code should resolve that issue, visitor downloads app, scans exhibit QR, wears their own earbuds and full multimedia content will be on their phone screen, including translation to most languages(AI). No excuses in this day and age for not having that .- Exhibits lack more interaction, in the end these artifacts are gadgets and people want at least to touch them, understand many of them at this point in time are really expensive. How about making a virtual exhibit on the Internet? where visitors pay a fraction of those $20 but letting them interact with exact virtual artifacts, let's say someone wants to program the Altair 8800, this fully immersive experience should let them do that, along with all multimedia content mentioned on previous bullet point, exact 3D models people can interact with, see its internals, like a video game, VR etc. In the end this is a technological museum located at the heart of silicon valley. .- CHM should exhibit more computers related to the industrial revolution, PLCs, DCS, SCADA systems, etc. as done with the medical and automotive field. read more

Interesting museum, but I don't think it's really worth $17.50 each. I got a Groupon deal where it was 2 for $17.50. If I was by myself, I probably wouldn't have spent more than a couple of hours here, but my date, a computer aficionado, seemed to really enjoy himself and we spent about four hours here. The museum is nicely laid out. I would say I enjoyed the gaming section and the interactive IBM exhibit at the end where you punch in your name, scan the card, and then it gets printed out. It was a nice unique souvenir. read more

I came here for the first time around 10 years ago, and I recently came here since my boyfriend hasn't been here before. We got tickets on Groupon for cheap, and it was easy to redeem at the front desk. We tried to time it so that we would get there when the regular tour starts, but the tour guide never came, though the tour after did go as planned, so perhaps it was a one time thing. The main exhibits were mostly the same, though after 10 years, I've forgotten most of the information and it was nice to learn everything again. The exhibits on the outside were new, and I don't think they had the Learning Lab before. It was great interacting with some of the Learning Lab booths, even though they seem to be targeted to kids, and they even had a place to take apart and put back together computer parts. We managed to join the PDP-1 demo lab, and it was cool seeing one of these old computer actually running. We got to talk to one of original users of the computer (when he was an MIT student) that was actually mentioned in the exhibits! We also got to play SpaceWar. I'd highly recommend anyone who's interested in computers and tech to come here, and try to join the demos! read more

The museum is nice. The permanent exhibit is nice and it displays lots of different types of computer hardware history. It has a lot of interesting information and is every educational. There's lots of videos diving in to the various topics on computer history from the 19th century to about 2004. The biggest drawback to the museum is that it's kind of long with no break areas. This, paired with how detailed the museum is and how much information is, makes it feel a bit like a slog because you get tired around halfway through. If there were an easy break spot or easy way to return the cafe, it wouldn't be so draining but there really isn't that option. It's also not particularly interactive after the first couple sections - it's mostly reading - which doesn't help it being more tiring. Overall, very educational but a bit tiring, even for a person who likes going to museums. read more

Massive and comprehensive collection of everything related to the history of computing. The old equipment rounded up from universities, private collections, and labs was impressive. I wish I would have paced myself better, by the time I reached the personal computer section for history I actually lived, I was so tired. read more

I came to this museum 4 years ago when I was in San Jose on business. 4 years later I'm back to San Jose on business and one of my first trips is here. I'm an engineer and to me art museums haven't been that interesting because I prefer to see how things have contributed to what we do in our daily lives..a lot of people enjoy art, I don't, but I love museums like this. I still check them out occasionally though. Back in ma, every year we buy a membership to the museum of science because those are the kind of museums I like to visit. If I lived in San Jose if come here multiples times in a year. Last time I was here, I left on 4 hours cause my phone battery was dying, this time I brought backup batteries. Check Goldstar for coupons. read more

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The "Macintosh at 40" exhibit is small and forgettable. You'd think with the wealth of sources around here they'd be able to put together something substantial, but instead there's just a few skimpy displays. A really poor effort. The rest of the museum is great. read more

If you are a technology fanatic and loves history, this place is good for you. Clean and interesting exhibit. Tons of info and a little hands on interactive options. Expect to be here about 2-3 hours. read more

Computer History Museum - Museums Near Me - Mountain View, California

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There's so much history here and lots to consume. Take your time through the museum. For context, I spent 2 hours here and I still don't think I absorbed everything. Three main takeaways: 1) Wow, IBM was such an iconic company. People don't think of IBM all that much today. 2) Computers/Technology solved huge problems throughout history to push humanity forward. Most of us just waste it on Tiktok/meta and other BS. 3) People really take things for granted Enjoy! read more

This place is amazing didn't realize over 200 years of computers when I walked in here like wow I didn't even think that far how much computers and have been in all of our lives. It is worth every penny to come to this place. read more

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A place to nerd out. From the start of abacus to the AI, you go into a time journey that makes you feel so nostalgic.

Visit date: 4/2/2022 I had an incredibly positive experience at this location, and I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who has any kind of interest or background in computing to visit this museum. Admission price is incredibly reasonable ($13.50 for students), and you can easily spend 4 hours here. The items in their collection span several thousand years, ranging from models of abacuses during the Chinese dynastic era to some recent supercomputer models. They have a few live demonstrations held by some of the original computer operators at scheduled times as well. read more

Fair Warning: Before deciding on coming here, just be aware that this is more of an adult museum. The only thing kids will enjoy in my opinion, and that is if they enjoy math in general, is the Calculators Exhibit. It's at the very beginning of your 'self-guided tour'. Other than that, it'll be a trip down memory lane for most of us geeks and techies. Okay, now where do I start? How about, 'parking': Simple. Exit the 101 freeway, and it's off Shoreline Blvd. Plenty of parking space, as I really had no issue especially on a Saturday afternoon. As you enter, the Information Desk staff signs you in and explain all the current shows and exhibits. The day I went, the two people helping us were very friendly. They seemed excited for us visiting for the first time. We arrived at noon and started with the Babbage Engine demonstration. I forgot the demonstrator's name, but that old guy with the suspenders was totally cool. You can feel his enjoyment in wanting you to learn about it. As for the machine itself, it's just baffling in the amount of parts used to make this thing work. The design and operation of this engine was simply mind-blowing. Go check it out! Now continuing with the other exhibits, I really enjoyed reading the history of it all. Starting with calculation methods, to punch cards, early computers, programming, computer gaming, and the internet. I only wish they had more about networking, as the only few examples were near the end of the tour. I guess I was expecting to see more cable porn. But if I gotta highlight any exhibit, I'd probably say its seeing how chips/transistors were made and later on redeveloped over the years. Not to mention the various types of storage we've used. Overall, I enjoyed this museum and hope to bring by dad here someday. He's into computers more than I am! Now, can we please quit with the 'nerd' comments, my feelings are hurt! read more

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This place was an amazing trip through time and beyond. Even better I got discounted tickets through yelp, better than even military discount. Parking is a challenge as most places in the Bay Area seem to be. There seem to be plenty but they were made for compact vehicles. Good luck if you take a truck or minivan. Small, nameless cafe inside with overpriced pastries and sandwiches. Suggest eating elsewhere to save some $$ and get fuller. This place claims to be child friendly but they're anything but. There's no interactions except in one area for coding and every so often there will be displays with voice narration but you mostly read and admire the displays. Most of not all have "do not touch" signs. They will not kick kids out or anything, but small kids will be bored out of their minds. Maybe older geek teens, but the little ones will not appreciate it. The gift shop has some very nice and surprisingly reasonable gifts. Amazing place for some nostalgic reminders of the past and history. Highly recommend for any computer or history buff. read more

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We have visited the South Bay area a number of times, but somehow we had never checked this place out. We're glad we did! We visited on a Sunday afternoon. The only downside to that is that apparently on other days (Saturday?) they have docent-led demos in some areas (which someone else had recommended). The primary exhibits are structured around 20 rooms. Each one has a theme (the abacus, WWII code-breaking, 80's / 90's games) and each is pretty interesting. I tend to move relatively quickly through museums. I know people who take longer, certainly. That said, I felt like 3 hours here did not quite do it justice - by the mid-teen rooms, we were breezing through to get done. Were I in the area again, I'd definitely re-visit to see what I missed and to check out some of the additional areas also. Highly recommended. As a side note: the cafe here, though small, is quite good (IMO). They are located in the atrium/lobby area between the ticket counter and the gift shop. Their menu, while not extensive, seems to cover a lot of choices. They also have a few pastries, salads, chips, etc. I guess I was even more impressed as I'd been really under-whelmed by the cafe at the de Young Museum, so this was a pleasant surprise. They also appeared to have a semi-shaded outdoor area if you preferred to dine al fresco... read more