Frequently Asked Questions

The museum and carousel are both open Friday-Sunday from 10am-4pm. We are also open on various holidays and school breaks throughout the year. Click here to see our hours & admission page. 

Our museum is located in beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens. There are grassy lawns for picnicking, benches, and some tables and seating available right outside our doors or near the Gardens Esplanade. (See a map of Yerba Buena Gardens).

We are located in Yerba Buena Gardens, across the street from the new Central Subway MUNI station and two blocks from the Powell Street BART and MUNI station. If you are driving, we are located just off the I-80 in downtown San Francisco. Visit our Maps and Directions page for more information.

Stop by the front desk for Lost & Found or contact us at info@creativity.org. Items are kept for two weeks before they are donated.

The museum is ADA compliant and we have an elevator and ramps to the second floor. Educators can assist with identifying the best activities to serve visitors of all ages with special needs. We also have sensory packs available for check-out at our front desk. These packs feature noise-reducing headphones, sensory toys, and more.

There are a number of garages in the neighborhood including Fifth and Mission Garage and Museum Parc (Folsom Ave). Limited street parking is available in the neighborhood and meters do not operate on Sundays. Visit our Maps & Directions page for more information.

Admission is $20 per person. Children 12 months and are under are free.

Our access programs provide free admission through Museums for All, San Francisco Museums for All, and Blue Star Families. Members of ROAM, ACM, and ASTC institutions receive reciprocal discounts and admission benefits.

Museum visitors also receive a discount on carousel rides.

We offer reciprocal discounts to members of museums who participate in ROAM, ACM, and ASTC. Visitors must show their active membership card(s) at the front desk to request reciprocal benefits. Benefits may vary based on membership tier and other factors.

We offer a number of access programs that provide free museum admission and free carousel rides. Families with EBT, Medicare/Medical, and CalFresh cards visit for free through the Museums for All program. Active military families also enjoy free museum admission.

Members receive free year-round museum admission, discounted carousel tickets, guest passes, reciprocal benefits, invites to special member events, and our exclusive member newsletter. Become a member today!

You can purchase carousel tickets at our front desk or directly at the carousel! Be sure to show your museum admission stamp to receive a $2.00 discount off each carousel ride.

The Creativity Museum provides hands-on arts-and-science experiences for children aged 2-12 and their caregivers. Our FutureBuilders exhibition invites visitors to tackle challenges and build prototypes with bricks, paper, fabric, and much more. Throughout the exhibit, you’ll see examples from visitors and professionals.

FutureBuilders invites you try:

• Mystery Box Challenge! A prototype is a first model of an invention that lets you test out your design. Now you’re the inventor - grab a Mystery Box and a challenge card and start innovating.

• Build The Change How can we make San Francisco more welcoming? More accessible? More friendly for the planet? Use LEGO bricks to design a San Francisco for the future.

• Emoji Making Interact with emojis in new ways by designing new emojis, mixing and matching existing emoji elements, and interpreting famous works of art using only emojis.

• ReInventions No invention is ever completely brand new. Take inspiration from current inventions to innovate and design the next (better!) version.

• Weaving Wall Weaving has been used to create shelters, clothing, and even tell stories. Use colorful fabric and your imagination to add to our community weaving.

• And more! Interactive Magna Tile walls, and DIY craft stations.

As is typical for other museums, families often spend 60-90 minutes here. Some children become so engaged in their creations that they stay all day with just a break for lunch! Families can get a hand-stamp at the front desk to enjoy in-and-out privileges all day.

Our brand new Early Childhood space is designed for our youngest visitors. Crawl, feel, explore, and play in a space designed for tiny hands and expanding minds.

In Lil’ Critter City we invite you to try:

• Telbi Intl. Airport Experiment with different objects and discover what sinks and what soars in our air tunnels.

• Fort Zump Our magnetic felt panels aren’t ordinary squares of fabric. They can be castles, or race cars, or robots. Stack, arrange, and build to bring your imagination to life.

• Birdles Park Explore our soft space for gentle play designed especially for crawlers.

• Aha Public Library Grab a book, get cozy, and dive into a good story.

• Rockto Theater Bring stories to life in the theater. Use costumes, props, and puppets to recreate a favorite book or tell your own st

All of our galleries offer art and design challenges for older children - just ask our educators for a prompt! Older children especially enjoy our Animation Studio where they can create their own stop-motion video and the Making Music Studio where they can record their own digital soundtrack.

Many family-friendly options in our neighborhood offer sandwiches, pizza, tacos, ramen, salads, boba, and more! See a listing of food options.

The Children’s Creativity Museum is located in the vibrant Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood at the heart of San Francisco. We have a high concentration of museums, culture, food, and shopping within walking distance. This Yerba Buena guide provides information on the area and local events.

Yes! Click here to book your party today.

The museum and theater are available for private functions. Learn more about our event rentals.

Yes! The Children’s Creativity Museum is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization (EIN 94-3178735). Gifts to support creativity are gratefully accepted.

Your gift helps nurture creativity and collaboration in all children and families! Make a donation here.

Our volunteers make huge contributions to the museum. Read more about our teen and adult volunteer programs.

Click here to see a list of our current job openings.