Heading across the Bay? While the train drives through the Transbay Tube, count how many emergency lights you see in 11 seconds. Multiply that number by 3 and you'll get your train's approximate mph!
Boudin Bakery's sourdough strain has been alive since the Gold Rush—1849! You can learn how to make your own sourdough from a recipe on our Science of Cooking site attached! Read more.
It's commonly—but mistakenly—said that Lombard Street between Hyde and Jones is San Francisco’s crookedest street. The most sinuous street in SF is actually Vermont Street just south of McKinley Park.
This farm was once a freeway! Drop in Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday, noon–5:00, to volunteer. Learn about how this little utopia evolved in this episode of “Driven: True Stories of Inspiration”: Read more.
After 40 years at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium, SF’s museum of science, art & human perception, is moving to Pier 15 in 2013. Take a peek at construction behind the fence! More info at: Read more.
The Exploratorium thinks that Second Life, Linden Lab's virtual world, is a pretty special place. Visit us on Exploratorium Island, where we've been building interactive science exhibits since 2006! Read more.
Peter D’Amato of California Carnivores ordered a Venus flytrap when he was 11—and began a lifetime of cultivating carnivorous plants. Learn more about these plants from our Science of Gardening site! Read more.
Notice how all the colors have gone away? This garage uses single-wavelength sodium vapor lights like the monochromatic room exhibit at the Exploratorium. Take a photo and you'll get a sepia tint!
It's commonly—but mistakenly—said that Lombard Street between Hyde and Jones is San Francisco’s crookedest street. The most sinuous street in SF is Vermont Street just south of McKinley Park.
Stand by the Giant Glove, and watch a batter hit the ball. It will take about 0.44 s for the sound to reach your ears, but it takes the light from the batter only 0.0000007 s to reach your eye! Read more.
Did you know that the Presidio was founded in 1776 and is an active archeological site? Imagine how it may have looked nearly 250 years ago! To learn more, here’s a Science in the City video we made: Read more.
Try riding down on parchment paper! The less resistance your ride has on the slides, the faster you'll go. Read more.
Is it a windy day? Most days around 3 or 4 p.m., the Fort Mason area receives the most gusts. Check out our Outdoor Flying Birds exhibit that only flies when it's windy! Read more.
This library exists because Megan and Rick Prelinger wanted to share their personal book collection with the world. Learn more by watching this episode of “Driven: True Stories of Inspiration”: Read more.
At the Palace of Fine Arts, there's a secret listening exhibit inside one of the columns of the rotunda. SOUND COLUMN is a musical instrument whose resonating chamber is a 60-foot-high room.
Play with the free Outdoor Exploratorium exhibits at Fort Mason! You can taste the tides, race speed and light, and use the Golden Gate Bridge as a thermometer. Maps of all exhibits are in Building A. Read more.
Bring your musical instrument and try some listening experiments! Or, grab sticks & rocks, and bang inside and outside the tunnel. What sounds do you notice? See more experiments at Hawk Hill Tunnel: Read more.
Did you know the Wave Organ is an Exploratorium exhibit? Completed by two artists in 1986, it includes 25 organ pipes! Come at high tide when the Wave Organ sounds best. Read more below for more info. Read more.
Notice the greenish rock near the entrance. This is serpentinite—California’s state rock—which likely came from deep within the earth’s interior. This rock holds up the south tower of the GG Bridge.
Did you know this rock wall is one side of a fault? Feel it! This smooth surface is called "slickensides." It was polished during eons of years of fault motion. Our video features this wall at 4:15. Read more.
If you're here at sunset on a clear day, watch for a "green flash" just above the sun. You'll need some luck, though—it's rare to see it and it only lasts a few seconds!
Heading across the Bay? While the train drives through the Transbay Tube, count how many emergency lights you see in 11 seconds. Multiply that number by 3 and you'll get your train's approximate mph!
Did you know that San Francisco has last permanently operating, manually operated cable car system in the world? Check out our Science in the City video to learn more about SF's cable cars! Read more.
This is the only "off the grid" building in San Francisco! You can learn about this amazing place and the people who run it by watching this episode of ”Driven: True Stories of Inspiration”: Read more.
Adults, leave your kids at home on the first Thursday of every month and take a date to After Dark, the Exploratorium's night exclusively for adults. There's a new theme every month and a cash bar! Read more.
Try a listening experiment on a foggy day! Call the Golden Gate Bridge at 415-202-3809 on your cell phone and listen to the horn. Do you hear the horn first through the air or over the phone? Why? Read more.
Don't fight the current! For an easier swim, go out at low tide and return as the tide comes back in! Learn from the pros, a/k/a "The Old Goats," in this video from our Driven series: Read more.
Spot a wig! Sometimes it can take weeks to complete just one wig. Learn about the Wig Master of the world-renowned San Francisco Opera from our Driven: True Stories of Inspiration video series, here: Read more.
Inspired to start growing your own giant pumpkin? Ask another giant pumpkin enthusiast for some seeds, and make a new friend! More details on growing giants [Read More]: Read more.
Bring a magnet! We love to collect “black sand” or magnetic mineral magnetite at Ocean Beach. Drop a magnet inside your plastic cup & wave bottom of the cup just above sand to attract minerals. Demo: Read more.
Is it a windy day? Most days around 3 or 4 p.m., the Fort Mason area receives the most gusts. Check out the Flying Birds exhibit that only flies when it's windy! Read more.
Heading across the Bay? While the train drives through the Transbay Tube, count how many emergency lights you see in 11 seconds. Multiply that number by 3 and you'll get your train's approximate mph!
In this age of iPods and MP3s, vinyl records are still objects of curiosity and admiration. What's the difference between a 78 and a 45? What exactly is "cutting a record"? Find out from JRC owner: Read more.
Beneath the 100-year-old piers, highly specialized divers are working to repair and restore the 1,200 concrete piles—sunk into the bay mud—that support the piers! Learn what they do: Read more.
"SF has more restaurants per capita than any other U.S. city, producing tasty meals—and thousands of gallons of used cooking oil. See how SF Greasecycle is turning this oil into fuel for MUNI buses: Read more.
Dropping off your garbage, recycling, hazardous waste or oversized junk today? Take a trip behind the scenes of the San Leandro Waste Management facility in this episode of Science in the City! Read more.
Did you know that the Golden Gate Bridge expands or contracts as the air temperature changes? It can rise or fall up to 16 feet! Try using the GGB as a thermometer the next time you're at Fort Mason: Read more.
In movie theaters across the country, film projectors are being replaced by digital projectors. Have you watched a 35 mm film projection at SFMOMA yet? Projectionist Paul Clipson gives us a tour: Read more.
Did you know that Doyle Drive was built in 1933? Now too narrow for the amount of traffic and in need of a seismic upgrade, it’s being replaced by the new Presidio Parkway! We investigated: Read more.
