The Exploratorium isn’t your average museum experience – in fact, they’ve been making their own interactive exhibits since 1969. It’s a popular place for kids and families, but adults have a great time as well, especially at their monthly 21+ After Dark events. Read on for a breakdown of all the most exciting events coming to the Exploratorium this month.
One-time events at the Exploratorium
- Natural Connection: The Environment and You Presented by General Motors
- July 1 – An all-ages festival dedicated to local landscapes and environments with hands-on activities, performances, and artworks. Featuring performances of Infinitely Yours (info below).
- Infinitely Yours
- July 1, 2 – Miwa Matreyek presents a dreamlike, meditative performance about climate catastrophe using layered projections to perform in silhouette.
- Artist Workshop: Shadow Play
- July 2 – Work with Miwa Matreyek to craft your own shadow scape using various materials.
- Observing Animals and Nature
- July 22 – Experiment with botanical printmaking by getting up close with plants and butterflies.
Recurring events at the Exploratorium
- After Dark
- Thursdays – These 18+ After Dark events happen each Thursday from 6-10pm with a different theme every week, featuring guest speakers, films, great music, and more.
- Storytime Science for Kids: What’s That Sound?
- Saturday/Sundays – A science-themed storybook read-aloud and activity at 12pm and 2pm on weekends. This month’s events will be focused on stories of sounds and listening.
- All Hands on Science: Cranky Critters
- Wednesdays – An all-ages hands-on workshop where families can create whimsical kinetic sculptures from everyday objects. This month you can create “Cranky Critters” to take home with you.
- Bernie Krause: A Life with The Great Animal Orchestra
- July 8, 9, 16, 29 – A documentary screening about Bernie Krouse, the soundscape ecologist behind The Great Animal Orchestra.
Ongoing exhibitions at the Exploratorium
- The Great Animal Orchestra
- Through Oct 15, 2023 – See the animal kingdom rendered in an immersive audiovisual art experience using real-time streaming spectograms.
- ¡Plantásticas!
- Through Sept 24, 2023 – An interactive plant exhibition curated in collaboration with members of the Latinx and Indigenous communities.
About the Exploratorium
SF’s Exploratorium is one of the most unique museums in the city. Explore and play with over 650 fun exhibits including the “Anti-Gravity Mirror,” where you can create gravity-defying illusions; “Bacteriopolis,” a colorful wall made out of a living terrarium; and “Disagreeing About Color,” which compares individuals’ different perceptions of colored lights. Don’t forget to take a stroll across the mysterious Fog Bridge, a 150-foot pedestrian bridge between Piers 15 and 17 where an immense cloud of water vapor intermittently shrouds passersby.
The Exploratorium does not currently offer standing free admission days, but EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders can get passes via Museums for All, and SF Public Library cardholders can look into Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get general admission tickets and After Dark tickets to the Exploratorium.
📍 Pier 15, Embarcadero, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm Sunday