This wonderful location must be the best kept secret in Northern California…read more Upon entering this old train depot building, I was immediately greeted by several nice club members. They gave a fantastic tour of all the levels of this wonderful model railway. It's far more complicated and sophisticated than I would have thought. These are smart people who obviously love their hobby. This is one of the more interesting things I've done in recent years. Thanks for making this such a wonderful asset to our community

I checked out the San Leandro Historical Railway Society during their open house on Sun 12/6/15…read more It was 2 days: Sat 12/5/15 and Sun 12/6/15 from 10am-4pm. Donation of $2 the sign said, Up to you what you want to give them there is a box you can give them some money or not. They have one main area for the model trains. Only the members can use the remote so the public can only watch the trains go by. Upstairs is for members only too. Another room is where they have some museum items: old typewriter, some old dishes, and some train items. Outside there's another area for trains, but because it rained a tiny bit they weren't running them. Boo for me. FREE parking in the lot and it's next to a park.

Who would have thought that this little gem would be tucked away in Hayward? I've got to say, I was…read morequite surprised! The Hayward Historical Society is a local Hayward history museum that features 4 different exhibits. There are two permanent exhibits (History exhibit and children's exhibit) and two that are rotating (the community exhibit and the special exhibit). The history exhibit is filled with tons of old Hayward artifacts, photos, historical excerpts, and replicas of what daily life and activities were life in Hayward back in the day. I was really fascinated by their Hayward Community exhibit and I loved watching snippets of the documentary at the mini movie theater. The children's exhibit is very interactive and features a vintage cash register along with a mini grocery store with fake vegetables and other items for sale. It's a recreation of ancient Hayward civilization and I was impressed with how they were able to incorporate this into a kid's play area. The two rotating exhibits were quite intriguing as well. During the time that I attended, they were displaying both a risqué exhibit and a women's rights exhibit. I thought it was ironic that they displayed both of these exhibits at the same time since they kind of contradicted each other, but I thought that it made for a great juxtaposition. The risqué exhibit was known as their special exhibit and no photos were allowed for this one. Admission is $5 and you can easily spend over an hour exploring the museum in its' entirety. They have a parking lot located behind the building and there's also a small cafe, but of course, so food or drink is allowed while inside. All in all, I really enjoyed learning about the history of Hayward and I encourage anyone to come out and visit to get informed (especially if you're a Hayward local!).

It was awesome but kinda sad that they didn't have the kids play area anymore but over all nice…read morequiet place to look threw history

This is a very well-run entertaining and informative local museums of the Hayward area…read more They bring in special speakers on a regular basis primarily Saturdays for information of Interest in the local area. A very diverse selection of artwork that are all some local artists. This is some of the most popular artists in the East Bay Area. They also have a focus for children's activities for entertainment for education and enjoyment.

There have been MULTIPLE instances where I have passed by this museum every time I visited Fremont…read moreand each time I asked I was told, "nah, it's not for you. It's really only just for kids and not really for adults", so I've never had the opportunity to go until recently and I'm glad to say that it's NOT just for kids, but it's definitely a GREAT place for kids to come and learn about the local natural history. The workers there are extremely kind and welcoming. Super helpful and I loved my entire time there. You can tell that this museum has been a staple to the community and that it's well loved by all those who visit. There's a scavenger hunt for little kids and big kids with a prize at the end (we got the big kids one, lol), an arts and crafts room, an electricity show (sad that we missed it!), lots of interactive exhibits that aren't too overwhelming (not a fan of touch screens and tablets everywhere, so a lot of the analog and hands on stuff was really, really nice), and a gift shop. There's also meetings rooms and such, probably for the field trips that visit. First off, the gift shop. I LOVED IT SO MUCH! The fact that there are actual items that are under $1 and that a child can purchase with pocket change is amazing. It's not junk either since you can get various shells, minerals, stones, and toys/items that are tangentially related to what you see going through the museum. Definitely got a bunch of souvenirs here and I really wish that I went during the school year cuz there's lots of small trinkets and knick knacks that would have been great for my middle school class! For all those crystal/gem people, it is definitely and INFINITELY much cheaper to get the crystals here than at any new age healing shop, just a side note haha. They also had a section with some lab items that are sold at a cost that is MUCH, MUCH cheaper than what I've seen on some STEM teacher supplies catalogs. There were even some free Periodic Table mats as well. Amazing! But now onto a review of the actual museum! The exhibits are on the second floor along with the arts and crafts room. If more time permitted I can easily spend hours here as there is a lot to look at, read, and engage in. As mentioned above I really like that this museum isn't like so many of it's more modern counterparts. It was nice to focus on what was in front of me and actually pick it up and interact with it (the ones that you are allowed to touch of course), especially in a matching and sorting sense (great way to get that pattern recognition thinking and learning for kids and adults likewise) without being overwhelmed by touch screen voices/recordings, etc going off at once. There's also something very nostalgic, familiar, and heartwarming about how aged some of the décor and how obviously homemade some of the stations are. Once again showing the love and care that went into everything. Now, I have to say that I am IMMENSELY impressed from the standpoint of a STEM major and from someone whose gone a decent amount of museums by the VAST collection of fossils, specimens, and REAL pieces of history that they have here. ALSO, from the standpoint of someone whose worked with zoomers before, very, very impressed that so much of it is OUT IN THE OPEN for the public to view. I've been to the LA Natural History museum and this children's museum has things that that huge museum does not and that is mind blowing for sure. I have never seen a taxidermy river otter, koala, or bear cub before. They had so many marine fossils and specimens of crustaceans that I have never seen preserved in such a way either. The 2 things that amazed me the most were the pieces of local natural history such as the fossils of prehistoric mammals that were found in Fremont or nearby and what may potentially be two real human skulls on display (how they got there, I REALLY wished I asked but completely forgot). If there's an opportunity to, I would LOVE to go back and learn, interact, and explore some more (and go shopping in their gift shop again).

Such a fun place for kids to see and observe fossils, learn about local paleontology, and do a…read morescavenger hunt with a prize at the end all for $3 per person! What a steal! It's a very small museum in a very old office building. But it's a hidden gem. Probably best for kids at least 4-5 and up. The artifacts are fragile and kids need to be able to follow directions to not touch things that shouldn't be touched. But there are hands on activities as well. Highly recommend!

This museum, run by members and volunteers, showcases a small collection of materials from various…read morebus companies as well as actual buses guests can explore on site, some inside the garage and some parked outside on display. I checked out a few of them, and the staff was nice enough to unlock buses by request since I was the only visitor there and only a couple of them had their doors open initially. He also shared the history of some of the vehicles, such as the Pacific Greyhound Lines #1945 which was originally a General Motors coach (Missouri Pacific Stages #821), used in films (just like several others on site) converted into a motorhome, and restored before being donated to the Pacific Bus Museum. There was plenty of interesting details to learn about each, and I enjoyed viewing the posters and ads inside the buses too. There's a $5 donation fee for adults, and free admission for kids. I purchased a pull back toy bus from the gift shop for my nephew before leaving. They sell pricier model buses too (around the $75 range), as well as printed shirts. I'm not a fan of the limited and unpredictable hours of operation, but altogether I had a positive experience at this unique museum.

Never knew this place existed. Very cool collection of vintage buses and most if not all of them…read moreare in full working condition.

"Wow!!" "This is so cool!" "I love this!" - me the entire time I was walking through Coyote Hills…read moreVisitor Center After completing the hilly loop at Coyote Hills, we stopped by the Visitor Center in search of a restroom before heading to our car. Talk about a hidden gem! I've been to Coyote Hills so many times but always assumed this was just a building of offices for the park rangers. I didn't know it was a whole interactive museum! Granted, it's a small museum but still. There's tons of educational exhibits that are both visually interesting and super informational. I love how much the exhibits really honor the land and the tribes that were here before. They also have displays and dioramas of the wildlife and what the land might've looked like before we had all of the buildings and technology, etc around. The staff was super helpful and did a great job helping us and all of the very curious kids there. She even brought out their snake for us to pet (you know, just me standing in a line behind all the kids because I was stoked to get close up with a snake lol). They also have a garden that is the perfect place for someone looking to just sit and enjoy the nature in a quiet space. It was a bit of a rainy morning when we stopped by so the garden was wet but I bet it's really beautiful in the spring. There's lots of picnic tables outside so this could be a fun, free adventure for families or friends/couples. So cool that they have so many planned activities too. If you're ever at Coyote Hills, def consider stopping by and donate to support!

Great Visitor's Center, just keep going past the first parking lot and it will be on your left in…read morethe back area with more interesting hill trails and closer access marsh trails. They have an outdoor garden called the "Nectar Garden" that has a small butterfly aviary but a much larger selection of indigenous and foreign plants. Throughout the garden are small fountains and different frog and animal statues which are fun for the kids to find. The plants are labelled and we enjoyed the large white lilies next to the the trumpet tree which has a similar pink bloom like cherry blossoms but are much larger. Inside are some dedicated exhibitions to the indigenous Ohlone, Bay Miwok, and Delta Youkes people which are very well done and informative. There is a 1:1 Tule Reed Boat, videos on keeping Ohlone crafts alive, and an impressive scale model diorama of a village. Drawers can be pulled out and more details can be discovered about tools and crafts from this area's earliest people. Before we came in, my oldest asked us what kind of animals lived in the marsh and all the answers were in the visitor's center. They have models of all the native plants and animals and there are even replicas of the gross but necessary sand worms and their egg sacs.

Staff is very knowledgeable, museum is kid friendly and interactive. Train layout is spectacular…read morewell detailed.

This is a tiny museum in the Niles Town Plaza, with extremely limited days/hours of operation…read more(select Sundays 10-4pm), so we had to take advantage on Sunday afternoon while I was in the area for Charlie Chaplin Days and the steam engine train ride nearby. This place offers the opportunity to learn about the history of the Niles Depot and several displays to explore related to the trains and railway, including the top section of a Southern Pacific semaphore signal, pot-belly stove, departure signs from 1909, old photos of passenger trains in Niles, model trains, dvd's, Niles dispatcher, old phones and typewriters, and a train that visitors can control (for a fee). There was also a model railroad which was cute, and it had a drive-in theatre which I've never seen before in similar exhibits, so that was cool. The museum pretty much consists of just two rooms, so it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to check it out, though if you have a kid who's going to play with the train, it may take longer. Also, free admission.

Hours aren't correct. Came on Saturday at 2 and they were…read morenot open. There's no phone number listed to verify before coming. I also emailed and didn't get a response. Drove 45mins here for nothing....

Who knew the UC had a museum! Actually to be honest, I have seen it many times over the years but…read morenever got a chance to visit until yesterday. I was at the farmer's market and was strolling after and decided to check it out. It is small and has a lot of history regarding UC. My favorite one was a newspaper clipping from the 70s that was about a cop who went undercover as a student at Logan and busted some drug dealers. 21 Jump Street is based on a true story!!!!!! 5 stars for effort and intent and being FREE.