It is not as big as other science museums, but it has lots of fun exhibits and a state of the art planetarium. The movie theater isn't IMAX, but it does have a dome screen so you get a sense of being surrounded by the show. One of the big advantages over other museums is the large telescopes that are... more

The world would be a better place if it were mandatory for parents to bring their children to a place like the Chabot Space and Science Center. If all it provided was the public access to it's three excellent and historic telescopes, it would deserve some kind of federal status to insure it's permanance. But it also has a world-class... more

I took three kids here the day after Thanksgiving, aged 4, 6 and 8. I hadn't realized it was right on all the bike and walking trails on Skyline or we would have bought our bikes and gone out first! It was busy and the credit card machines were sloooww as the rest of America was shopping, but the staff... more

A beautiful and amazing facility which features a domed theatre that shows cool space & science movies, a world-class planetarium with stars so real you feel like you're outside (but without the freezing cold or bug bite parts). You can even bring binoculars in and find deep-sky objects such as galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae! They also have large, interactive... more

We had a great time at Chabot with our kids (aged 7 and 4). The mars exhibition was very nice as was the new mirror image exhibition where they showed lots of interesting things with mirrors. Most popular with my kids were the mock-up of a mercury capsule (open for play), the lunar-landing simulators and the mars mission planning game.... more

I agree that the exhibits in the main hall need improvement, but the Chabot has an area for preschool-age children (the "Discovery Lab") which is outstanding -- it blows away the Exploratorium's offerings for that age group, in my opinion. The temporary Mars exhibit (Fall 2003) is also very good. And then there are the free telescope viewings year-round! Personally,... more

We were impressed when we first saw the building. The "Ask Jeeves" show which came with the price of admission was entertaining. But when we walked through the exhibits, most of it was not too exciting (not interactive enough, too much reading). There were other shows/attractions but they required additional fee. You're better off at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. more