Bay Area: The Tech Museum in San Jose (with Body Worlds)

I kind of have a thing for science museums. What can I say, I’m a sucker for hands-on educational outlets that are simultaneously super fun for my kids. 😉

The Tech Museum in San Jose is the perfect spot for all those things. When we went about a year ago, they had a great exhibit where you could build your own roller coaster and “ride” it in a simulator. They also have the Tech Studio, which has rotating STEAM projects, such as building various flying contraptions and sending them through wind tunnels. They’re constantly changing up the temporary exhibits, but they’re always terrific. There’s also a biology exhibit, a robot-building area, and a section on Internet security.

One of the best parts of the museum is a recent addition – the Body Worlds Decoded exhibit. It’s completely immersive and awesome for kids. The explanations are simply but accurately worded, and give kids (and adults!) a great overview of what the major organs do. Plus, it’s fascinating seeing examples of various plastinated human organs – my kids were especially taken by the blood system.

In addition to the physical organs and great explanations, The Tech has a great augmented reality system to travel “inside” different organs. It’s wonderful for helping kids who may be a little more reticent really get involved and interested in how the body works.

Entry is included with Tech Museum admission.

Finally, take a little break by watching one of the excellent IMAX films available. We saw the National Parks one, and it was so fun seeing the beauty of the country displayed on a huge screen.

The Tech offers reciprocity with a good number of other science and children’s museums around the country, so be sure to check if you have a membership elsewhere!