A magic sparkling gem of a museum hidden among the hills of California. Embedded in a row of houses on a mountain top, the Randall Museum offers science and art education for kids and adults alike. They have camps, weekend classes, outdoor activities like bird walks, even live animals. They also have a little café that opens daily at 9:30 AM. An amazing place to spend a day. NOT open Mondays. read more

Small but free, supported by donations. Interesting animal collection and great toy train setup. Especially fun to walk up Corona Heights right behind the museum. Great deck for just relaxing and eat some food from the nice cafe. read more

Randall Museum - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Free museum; can't complain! Fun for the whole family! Kids can see animals, miniature train motorized, learn about the ocean and redwoods, and more. Cafeteria is not bad, the coffee is strong which I like. Sweeping views of San Francisco downtown too! read more

Randall Museum - Makeshift private nursing space on second floor thanks to the museum staff! - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

For a FREE museum, can't really complain. However it only took us about 45 minutes to get through the entire museum. My kiddos loved the train room, they could have stayed there forever. I was excited for the animals but half the exhibits seemed empty and the aquarium area had no fish which was odd. Would come back just for the train room, but only because we live close by. read more

Fun museum run by SF parks and recs. Technically free, but there is an area for donations. Small but has fun things to keep a toddler occupied for an hour or so. They have a fun train tracks with different trains running. They also hold some workshops during the weekends read more

The Randall Museum is a fun place to visit and the price is right! You can see animals, there's a cool miniature train display, and there's even animal talks. I saw turtles, a raccoon, snakes, an opossum, a Swainson's hawk, and various different fish. My wife and I were lucky enough to see the desert tortoise getting cleaned and we were given the chance to pet the tortoise. Later we were able to attend the animal talk where we saw the museum's opossum and Swainson's hawk up close. Near the end of the talk we were even got to pet the opossum! All the animals this museum cares for are animals that can no longer survive in the wild. Admission is free. They do take donations. Overall, I had a good time and would recommend this fun and educational place. read more

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My father used to take us here in the early 1950s. Back then there was a gigantic collection of insects in the largest area and free classes on Native American sand-painting in one of the side classrooms. My family is still going here: When my sister saw a local raven in their recovery area who quickly ran over to say hello, it made her day. There are many other critters there too, and you're sure to feel a connection with them yourself. This is one of San Francisco's most overlooked and extraordinary treasures. read more

Even though it is free, the time you waste doesn't worth it. First of all, the museum is extremely small, you can finish it in 30 minutes. Second of all everything there is boring (except the train part) lastly half the things there don't work and water is everywhere service was not nice the staff was impatient. read more

What a wonderful spot! If you have small children this is a perfect place to take them. Tons of interactive things, a train room, animals, bug days, and gorgeous views. Absolutely free, and there's a parking lot for easy parking. It's practically perfect in every way. :) read more

There's a legitimate reason I've never visited this hilltop museum before. Like Trix, it's for kids. And I don't mean the inner child in all of us. I mean it's truly for kids because it's very much a hands-on learning center focused on science, nature, and anything else you were supposed to learn in middle school. It's like a tiny version of the California Academy of Sciences. Only it's free. That's a big differentiator as they offer classes in kid-friendly activities like woodworking, castles, and dragons. For free - though membership will allow your kid to move up in line. Of more interest to the more geriatric likes of me were the live animal exhibits like the various habitats they've created. I particularly liked the swimming turtles (video: https://bit.ly/3KBSskT). I'm easily amused. Speaking of which, there was a huge room dedicated to a model railroad landscape. If you haven't been to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento (review: http://bit.ly/2SJrfC4), this was the next best thing. We should thank Josephine Randall, the city's Superintendent of Recreation back in 1937, who held the vision of this museum. Ah, youth is wasted on the young. RELATED - Exploring the Castro? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2HrpFPC read more

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Why is this place free ?! This is such a great little museum for kids. While there is small parking lot at the base of the museum, we parked on the other side of the block and had to traverse over Corona Heights Park which was so lovely, with great views of the city and nooks of greenery. I wasn't expecting to be there long since it was free, but there was quite a lot for the kids to explore! They have an animal room that had crows, quails, turtles, a raccoon, mice, guinea pigs, etc when we were there. There's a train room downstairs where they have a large train town to look at, but also a separate little room with a train table to play on. You can rent a box of toy trains for $3 There is also an earthquake simulation with legos. One of the super awesome things about this place is the Saturday afternoon craft events which change weekly. When my daughter and I went last week, we got to make leprechaun traps out of various material ($5 each) and had a blast. We'll definitely be back for some upcoming events! The staff were also all very kind and helpful The other awesome thing about this museum is that Cafe Josephine is in the building and you can get actually very good coffee/espresso drinks, pastries, sandwiches, soups etc. EVERY kids museum should sell good espresso.... read more

Randall Museum - 1 rescued raccoon - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great little spot for the kiddos Lots to do - model trains, aviary, views of the city, little café, turtles, bees, hamsters, tarantulas, black birds, and so on Staff is great - we stopped Zac and asked a few questions -he was a wealth of knowledge and our grandson was mesmerized A definite attraction in the city ! read more

The Randall Museum is a history, science, and art museum geared primarily toward kids. But I came here to check out the exhibit Reimagine: The Art of Sustainable Thinking, and we enjoyed exploring the various sections of the entire venue, even without any kids in our party. The Reimagine exhibit is a collection of art pieces created out of trash and/or recycled materials. And the sculptures and artworks are scattered throughout the outdoor area and lobby area of the museum. There's not a whole lot and it does not take a long time to view, but reading about and seeing the quirky and imaginative creations in person is much more enjoyable than seeing photos online. My favorite piece was Sacrifice, the figure of a hand made out of toothbrushes. Right next to this exhibit is The Live Animal Exhibit, which is basically a medium sized room with different animals in their own little habitats, including one racoon, one rabbit, one duck, one bird, one owl, one tarantula, one snake, one lizard, one mouse, one or two chickens, a few turtles, and colonies of bees. The animals looked well taken care of, and seemed to have more than enough space, especially since they didn't really share living areas (except the chicken and bunny in the same pen). I had fun seeing all of the animals up close, through glass or in their enclosures. Downstairs, the museum has several other and more permanent exhibits, including Ocean (with a starfish), Riding the Rails, Model Railroad, and Collector's Corner. Again, a lot of this looks like it's designed for kids, but it can be educational even for adults I'd say. The Model Railroad was so huge and extremely detailed, with so many elements besides the trains and railroad, including restaurants, people, firetrucks and firemen putting out a fire, etc. It was really cool, one of the best model railroad exhibits I've seen. The Collector's Corner was pretty empty, and had a few odd "collections" inside, taking just a few minutes to browse, but I liked how the butterfly and moth collection was displayed, it was beautiful. Overall, this museum is small and simple, and yet offers a great variety of things to do and see (ie. they had "Bug Day" earlier in the day of our visit, before we arrived, with games and entertainment related to insects). I probably wouldn't have enjoyed my experience here as much without the Reimagine exhibit since I'm not a kid. But it looks like kids would have a blast here and learn so much, lots of interactive exhibits, and two or three employees/workers throughout the museum more than willing to share fun facts or answer questions. And because the Reimagine exhibit was really cool, and the place has free admission and a free parking lot, I couldn't give it anything less than 5 stars. read more

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Wonderful museum with a great view of SF! The best part is it is completely free, including the parking....it is bit hard to believe for SF! The place is maintained very clean. My kiddo enjoyed the little creature and moving train. read more

We visited the Randall Museum after looking for a place to spend an afternoon in SF. The reviews were good and it was free to visit, so we made our way over! It's tucked away into a little spot of SF I'd never visit on my own but since you're up on the hill, the view is great, as many people have said. It's a kid museum I'd say geared towards 2nd grade and younger but they have a little bit of everything- some animals to see, an exhibit on nutrition/eating a balanced diet, the ocean and conservation, a model train set up, etc. I was little surprised how small it was, we definitely saw everything in a little over 1 hour. Not a ton to see here but it's nice to have a place like this that has hands on learning activities for kids that is free! read more

Came in today 2/17/23 to check this place out. Remember to enter into the second entranceway because the first one is the exit . Anyway, it was a pretty walk up that includes stunning views of the city. They have 4 main sections, one is a little animal viewing center to the right, a children's play area to the left, on going to the basement they had a model train section and a sea-life exhibit. I think it depends on the season in which the animals come out so if it was now (February) the animals are probably still hibernating. Instead of the bunny exhibit they have Guinea pigs now so that was good. You can't go in to touch them so we just watched them outside. Overall it was a pretty fun place for the little guy and I to walk around and just spend some time with each other. read more

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We had the best time here after visiting for the first time a few weekends ago. Love that it's free and has free parking-there is a natural history/animal portion, a very cool model train area, and science/earthquake simulation with Legos. There's enough to do but it's not two large/overwhelming of a space. The cafe was very good (grilled cheese, tuna melt, soup, etc) and they had a nice outdoor area for eating and a large grassy area. We didn't even check out the playground because there was so much to do! Beautiful views and wasn't too crowded even on a weekend. Wish we lived closer and could benefit from the camps and classes. We'll definitely be back! read more

Randall Museum - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place isn't huge but a great place to take a toddler for a morning outing to tire them out before nap. A good amount of animals. The guinea pigs are always a hit. Nice outdoor areas to run around and take in the views. They do art classes but you have to sign up ahead of time. As most people have noted, the museum is free! read more

Randall Museum - Turtles! - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The Randall Museum was closed for major renovation for so long. I lamented my little boy missing the museum's sweet spot appealing to toddler/preschool and early elementary school children. The good news is the wait was entirely worth it: The Randall Museum is not only beautiful and airy but much more inclusive of children of all ages and there are plans for offerings for older teens, too. Reopening just a few weeks ago on February 11, you won't believe your eyes when you walk in. It's a completely different space and it's beautiful. Unbelievably, they didn't add an additional building or wing; they just opened up the interior that apparently had a lot of under/unused areas and lots of cluttered storage. Now when you walk in, you're treated to a light-filled, airy lobby off which is a huge, glass-walled and natural wood-framed space housing California wildlife. Most of these creatures will live happily here at Randall since they were injured in the wild or raised as pets and unable to fend for themselves out of captivity. There are informative placards that give you more detail on native wildlife and docents and staff carefully showing visitors a close-up look at the animals and answering questions. Several glass-walled classrooms on the first and lower floors house Parks & Rec classes ranging from ceramics and painting to coding and building robotics. There's a beautiful, architecturally award-winning theatre and a sweet playroom for toddlers and young children to age 4. Downstairs there are more exhibits of ocean wildlife and interactive displays detailing earthquake faultlines, a computer station for children and a Lego play area. Outside there are spectacular views of the city from every angle carefully fenced from the steep hillside below. Wood benches all around the old growth shade trees and lush lawn beckon you to stretch out or read a book. Hiking paths including a moderate summit to adjacent Corona Heights Park encompass this lovely spot in the heart of the city, nestled between the Haight/Buena Vista and Corona Heights/Upper Market. Free museum entry and a moderately sized parking lot make it convenient and accessible to everyone. read more

My grandson takes pottery class here and loves it! The train was very cool downstairs also. read more

Awesome kids museum in the hills of San Francisco. Admission is free. There is lots of cool things to do here for children. My son loved the brio building area and the train set. Too bad there was no one operating the trains at that time so we could see more trains moving. Their animal exhibit here is just as awesome. Highly recommend the Randall Museum for a parents that have young kids at home read more

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I went to the reopened Randall Museum by walking over from Civic Center Bart. It's a long walk - I walked Market, then at 15th I went Left, but should have gone Right UP the hill. Saw sign that can't make Left on Roosevelt (for Cars), but if you're walking you Can! Left on Roosevelt, then Left on Museum Way. They have their own free parking lot for folks driving, also bus 37 stops nearby on Roosevelt. FREE small kid museum. I saw worker outside holding a Barn Owl, missed most of his talk, but still neat to see. Inside saw snakes, raven, crows, rabbit, guinea pig, chickens. Downstairs are separate bathrooms - more stalls now in women's bathroom, their's a woodshop area, earthquake area, and train exhibit. Nice views outside and at the nearby Corona-Heights Park. read more

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First time here with high expectations after viewing their home page but very disappointed in what we found. There were barely any animals. We saw one raccoon, a couple of guinea pigs, turtles & and snakes, but the rest of the enclosures were empty. The lego with the earthquake feature was cool, but the model trains were all behind glass & too high for our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter to see without carrying her. The whole display seemed more geared towards adult train enthusiasts rather than kids. All-in-all, there wasn't much to do or see & and it seemed to be not well maintained, so thankfully, it was free. The view of the city from here was spectacular, though. Won't come back. read more

Driving up the San Francisco hills towards my friend's son's birthday party, I realized I haven't been to this part of town yet. The Randall Museum is located on top of Corona Heights park and is a little trickyi to get to. It's owned and operated by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department with the support of the Randall Friends. There are a ton of science, nature, arts, displays as well as fun rooms for the kids to meet and interact. This birthday party had bag art painting & designs, a blow up bouncy house in the back, some animal presentations, as well as a visit to the aquarium. I had a lot of fun and it wasn't even my birthday. I'll be having a son soon in January so i'm sure when he's old enough, definitely will take him here. read more

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Secluded free museum with plenty of parking. Small facility and great for young children. Can finish exploring in under and hour. If you go at the right time they have animals you can pet. Great views of Sf. Quaint cafe on site with decent food. read more

What a beautiful and lovely museum for kids! My 3.5 year old nephew loved looking at the animals, marine displays, exhibits, and especially the basement train sets! The views are beautiful and the museum is really clean and well designed. Bring your own Thomas trains to play on their tracks in the basement or rent some for $3 (30 minutes). I can't believe that parking and entrance are free. They accept donations at the door ($1 per person suggested). I would definitely come back...as we were leaving my nephew happily said "this was the best train set ever!" read more

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This is a magical little museum tucked away in the middle of Corona Heights. Expect to see native birds that are being cared for as well as a resident racoon, Buddy, who has been there 10 years. There is a great little cafe where you can look out over the city while surrounded by huge cypress trees. They have classes for adults and kids. read more

This is mostly geared towards children and kids. It's a local museum and it's hard to find. I got lost trying to follow my GPS and the signs that say "Randall Museum." I finally found my way to the museum. They do have parking, but it was filling up. It's an older museum and it's not for looking at detailed exhibits. It's a beginner museum and it's cute. It's for families and field trips. It's near Corona Heights and Twin Peaks. They have classes and workshops for kids mostly. I wanted to look inside. I took some pics. They had some fossils. It feels like a 1970s/80s museum. It's a community effort. read more

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In addition to all the educational & creative activities regularly offered, there are 3 annual special events. Bug Day, Halloween & Holiday Crafts Day are fun family events with hands on crafts & live performances in the theater. The pumpkin carving during Halloween included a pumpkin & all the tools! The ghost bubbles were super cool! The cafe has a limited menu that's filled with delicious choices. The day I visited, I enjoyed a turkey, bacon & cranberry sandwich, yum! I like that the lemonade is unsweetened. Amazing views of SF from the museum grounds. Plus there was a home nearby that was all out decorated for Halloween - great pic spot! read more

This is truly a hidden gem in the center of San Francisco. I heard about Randall Museum so many times but hadn't had the time or chance to make it out there. Even though it is geared more towards children, anyone is welcome to stop by and visit, for free! Even though Randall Museum might seem small in terms of exhibits, it is definitely educational and facinating to see especially all the animals. Heard that some of their animals are rescues that cannot be released back into the wild. You'll also find a small petting animal area with guinea pigs, domestic rabbits, and a few chickens and even a duck that likes to follow people. Only a maximum of three people are allowed in the area at any given time and I don't believe a volunteer/employee was present at all times to supervise the little kids (if their parents/guardians weren't controlling them). But overall, it's a pretty nice location in San Francisco to check out. read more

This is a great children's museum and a great way to spend a few hours with kids. Love that it's free (although please donate!) and there's ample free parking in their lot. The train exhibit and the earthquake exhibit with Legos were my son's favorites. The petting zoo was a little limited. We were there during the animals' nap time, so no petting was allowed. The raccoon was also napping (presumably despite living in a museum, he/she'd still be nocturnal). But my son still loved seeing the animals, even if he couldn't touch them. This place is great for younger kids. I plan on coming here for years to come with my little ones. read more

Posting this just in time for their grand re-opening on February 11th. My son has been taking a weekly Robotics class here for the past month, which he's really enjoyed with teacher Joel. We practically lived here for his third and fourth year. The Randall Museum houses many classes through SF Recreation and Park, and he took art, woodworking, ceramics, and gardening. Most of these programs are 6-10 weeks with classes lasting 1-2 hours per week. I've included some photos of what the revamped Randall looks like now. It's glowing! Admission to visit the museum is free. Register for the classes through SF Recreation and Park.h read more

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Definitely 5 stars. It's free fun and interesting! Right next to Corona height park , hike up for the best view of the city after museum , what else can be better ! read more

Randall Museum - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

We have came here many times and tried to use the cafe's bathroom today. My 11 year ago had a bathroom emergency and we were literally told to go down the hill. Meanwhile there were white children inside the museum. So LatinX children can't use the bathroom but white children are clean enough to use it!? This is part of a wider racial disparity issue in the Bay Area. read more

What a best kept San Francisco secret. Art, nature, science plus classes. Beautiful small theater. Look forward to returning soon.

Overall it was very good. Not everything was amazing, and partly I felt like I want to move forward faster. But I recommend the Randall Museum and think that you need to check it out at least once. read more

The Randall Museum is this fabulous little natural history museum nestled within a residential area atop a hill in the Castro District. It is a true gem with permanent exhibits featuring: - A small zoo which houses animals which can no longer survive in the wild. Some are injured and others are abandoned pets. - A model railroad system (open Saturdays only) operated in conjunction with the Golden Gate Model Railroad Club. - An earthquake exhibit - the Toddler Tree House and scale Caboose for little ones The Randall is free (donations appreciated) and offers classes in art, woodworking, gardening, etc. Some are free some require a nominal tuition. They also have a theater and party rooms which can be rented. The museum grounds include a decent walking trail which will afford you sweeping views of downtown SF, the Bay, and Oakland. I primarily recommend the Randall for families with smaller children (10 years and younger). The museum recently acquired major funding for facility renovation and so some of the building may be closed off once the work begins. On a side note, you do have to traverse part of the Castro to get here so you may have a chance sighting of some of the native wildlife. These creatures are identifiable by their scant plumage and black leather trim. Do not feed or touch the wildlife! read more

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shhh! This is hands down the best place in San Francisco for a killer view...that nobody knows about! So when we stumbled upon this place New Years Day 2011 we were blown away. And then the wheels started turning..could we get married here?! The answer is yes! My husband and I had our reception here October 16, 2011. The weather was in the low 70's, sunny, and no fog. There is ample parking for all your guests and enough room to easily have a sit down dinner outside for 120+ people. We had about 90 total and it was fine. Room for dancing, prep space, and anything else you can imagine too. But the best part about this place (aside from Nathan who is fabulous) is the breathtaking views. Our out-of-town guests were in awe. And even some fellow San Franciscan's too ;) Word to the wise though- be ready to do a LOT yourself. This is a children's museum, not a wedding venue, so everything, and I mean everything, is up to you. They provide the space, the bathrooms, the garbage, and the electricity and you will provide the rest. If you are up to the task, it's totally worth it. Also- their hours/days when the space is available vary. We had our wedding on a Sunday so that we could have the space for 24 hours so if you were planning on a Saturday wedding this may not be the best space. I believe you can do a Saturday wedding, but the times allotted are just narrower. Check out our wedding on Stylemepretty.com/california-weddings to see pictures of the space in action! read more

My little guy had a blast exploring the Randall Museum. When we arrived- two women were letting the king snakes slither in the grass. They were nice enough to let my boy touch one.We didn't get to check out the toddler tree house, but my little guy did have lots of fun playing with the earthquake plates. The kids can build with Legos on these plates and then push a button to start the shaking. The only complaint that I have is that I wish someone would have taken some Windex to the play area. My little guy really loved looking at the different birds and creatures as well. The grounds are a gorgeous spot for a picnic. You can see so much of the city. The employees are all helpful and glad to answer questions, as well as give information. I will definitely be back! I am especially looking forward to the Halloween celebration! read more

My husband and I have been visiting the Randall Museum for awhile now. Mainly, we love the view--it's a stellar way to see the city, and a unique one at that. It's so peaceful just to sit up there and stare at the city! The museum itself is a true undiscovered gem, and just writing this review makes me cringe--I don't want too many people to take away the specialness of the site, but more people should definitely know about it! When it came time to plan our wedding, we debated between the Museum, the Film Center in the Presidio, and a space up in Marin, but the Museum won our hearts. We love living here in the city and felt that the Museum expressed all that we love in a nutshell. Our entire wedding was outdoors on a lovely Sunday afternoon. The ceremony faced south, and I felt so relaxed as my fiance (now husband) and I stood below the giant, billowing trees. We had cocktails, passed apps, and lunch on the southern part of the lawn, and we also opened up the animal room for our guests. Your fee to the Museum is mainly for the space. You pay extra for any exhibits you want open (We had the animal room open, and everyone loved it. In fact, the first thing I did after proceeding out of the ceremony was pet a bunny!), and you (or your wedding planner) coordinate everything from caterer to rentals to musicians. I used a caterer who had worked several RM weddings (jenniferlunch), and she really helped manage the day-of tasks, which was incredibly helpful. If you decide to rent the Randall Museum, you'll have a lovely event. Really. Just be prepared for some quirks like a potentially dusty prep space (I brought clean sheets to cover anything that I didn't want to get dirty during the prep phase!). And I rented a standing mirror (about $26) to do my makeup and get ready. There was also a rehearsal in the theater, but this didn't affect us. The space has ample parking and bathrooms, and if guests want, they can even walk to the top of Corona Heights. read more

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