Chabot Space & Science Center

A space nerd like me can have a great time here. Learning about astronomy, being close to the stars through the telescope viewing or just from the naked eye. The center has multiple telescopes with different angles and settings. On Fridays and Saturdays, visitors can show up for their free viewings. It runs from 5:30-10:30 PM PST on both days. Many schools also plan their students field trip for the viewings. The science center has a lot more to offer within their campus itself. They also have clean restroom facilities and ample of free parking space with accessible parking access and wheelchair ramps. It’s also a very nice secluded drive far from the huddle bustle of the city. You can enjoy both the green nature and the beautiful sky. It’s a nominal hike depending on where you park. I went there for the aurora viewings which happened on May 10, 2024. But unfortunately we didn’t see it from this place. While driving to Berkeley at around 12 AM on May 12, we could see the glance of auroras. Good visit if you are space nerd.

First time here after having a family membership for 2 months now. Tons of space for the toddlers to walk around, lots of interactive stuff and just a lot of touching and looking and playing and it was nice! Plus there are tons of parking and a parking garage and there are quite a few trails on the way up so we were able to stop and visit a few trails, a mountain bike park and a playground.

This place is truly a place to bring your family to inspire your kids to do great things. Also there is big telescope. Go for the big telescope.

My clients had an amazing time. Definitely a great place to take anybody that’s on the spectrum. 9 out of 10 Will definitely try again

Telescopes! This place has wonderful telescopes! I don’t care if museums are intended for kids, I love museum regardless! The planetarium is particularly fun and the exhibits have amazing space artifacts!

Incredible place to visit amd the staff super friendly and educated! Thank you so much to explain for us all about the telescopes and what we was actuallyseeing =)

Starseed’s fav! More stars can be seen on observatory deck here than down the hill in the city, together with engaging “Star Stories” time, with a talented narrator shooting a laser beam at the stars and telling the mythological stories. First Friday in October: Lunarverse show in Planetarium, dive deep in upcoming 10/14 solar eclipse, NASA showroom, Prototype lab, kids exploration on Mars simulation, moonscape, moon rock, “touch the sun”, and my favorite - colorful nebula🤩 Kid had fun! I lost myself in time too🔭🌟🌌

Amazing science center, highly recommend this to everyone. We loved learning more about space, astronomy and practical experiments. Especially loved the planetarium shows. The one about story of luna is fantastic. The kids loved it., Staff is exceptional, everyone is so kind and helpful. The telescopes operate only when the weather is good. There is a cafeteria inside. And a space outside for the kids to make rockets and see how far they can go up. It was pretty cool. Parking is free. Restrooms are inside on all floors.

Had an unexpected day off and decided to expand my mind so to speak. Where better than something in my own backyard? Did you ever have one of those moments where you think to yourself: "for God's sake, I live in the freakin Bay Area--People come from all over the world to this place to check out it's wonderful gems. So doing a minute or two of research, I decided to go to the Space Center--it is so cool! Pretty low-key, really great information and a fun planetarium show. I went in the daytime and was surprised to find a very good café, serving Mr Espresso coffee drinks and snacks. Super interesting displays about space. I highly recommend bringing the kiddos or just yourself to have a nice relaxing and informative afternoon. Was impressed to find the space suit from the first black woman who went into space And all the displays are bilingual. The planetarium show before the one I went to, was all in Spanish. It's a super inclusive place without being in yo face about it. Good job, Chabot Space & Science Center- I feel smarter having visited you!

I will be finishing my last posts now on Yelp.com. My name is Denise C. I came to San Francisco at a tender age and waited a long time to go out to Chabot Space center. It says it is a NASA visitor center..the man Chabot lived here and ran the observatory and telescope station..telescope and I watched a show at the planetarium. It was fascinating visit...the building must have had research and today I saw kids and parents..it's good on the weekend but I wish that people would greet people and spend more time together..better communities thrive..it's been a long time and this is a job.

This review is for Samantha who helps with the venue rentals. I was helping my family quickly find a space to hold a memorial for someone in our family who passed suddenly and Samantha was really easy to work with. She was extremely responsive, accommodating and understanding based on the tough time we're all going through right now. We ended up not booking here, but I just wanted to highlight her kindness and overall great customer service. If this was just the process of a potential event reservation, I can only imagine how great an event planning process and execution can go. Thanks again Samantha for your help. I greatly appreciate it.

I'm writing a review for Samantha, who is the Director of Strategic Sales and handles rentals for weddings. We did not end up going with Chabot, but I wanted to commend her for being so easy and thorough to work with. She put so much dedication and thought when creating the wedding rental info packages and Pinterest boards to help couples make a confident decision. During our call, she helped visualize how the event would proceed and empathetically made sure the venue would fit our needs. And she followed up in a timely and respectful cadence. Any couple would be in good hands with Samantha to host a wedding here.

This is the best planetarium that I've been. Is a such privilege have places like this around us for our kids and community. Very knowledgeable, needs to be visit at least once!

The drive up to Chabot is beautiful, great views. Nice parking structure as well. The facility is just beautiful as well. With Planetarium - hourly shows, I like how they specify the age ranges so we could choose the shows appropriate for our 6 year old. Exhibits - some real sized rockets which were cool to me. The Sputnik module was cool and being able to get into a Mercury module was really cool Interactive exhibits -the build your own rocket was really cool, the kids were assisted by volunteers to make a paper rocket and the volunteers helped them launch them. The paper plane wind tunnel was cool but the volunteer was attaching the paper planes at the wrong end, I saw the instructions and clipped it on the nose side and it worked well. The kids had the most fun at the "fashion" area where they dress mannequins/busts in different fabrics based on their properties to protect the astronaut from different conditions. Next to that is an earthquake table where they could build a block structure and shake it as well "rover" building area. Outside of that were the telescopes which were pretty cool to see though we could only look through the smallest one. The cafe was mostly light snacks and stuff but they had some small pre-packaged salads and eggs (stuff you could buy at Costco). They also had like pre-packaged max n cheese and ramen. Not too expensive in my opinion though I was still hungry. Overall it's a really nice facility with not a ton of exhibits but they are still well done. Probably 3+ hours if you're taking your time. A speed run would be 1-2 hrs depending on the planetarium show.

Our family had a great time here. It reminds me of going to Griffith Observatory when I was a kid. The facility is very nice and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. We spent over 4 hours exploring the exhibits and the trails around the grounds.

This is my favorite science center in the SF Bay Area. I especially love the phosphorescing light-absorbing wall/room that's hidden behind a curtain on the 2nd floor. And I love the telescope viewings. The volunteer telescope operators love to teach, and teach the public well (not too much jargon, and just the right amount of detail to understand a topic at any age). It's so cool to get to see stars in the daytime, as well as Venus, the moon with its craters, solar eclipses using a solar filter, as well as other special events at different times of the year. I believe Jupiter and Saturn are best viewed during the Fall season. I also love the meteor shower events and the helpful presentations that provide tips on how to enjoy viewing these better. I love that there's also ample free parking so it's easy to visit.

I wish they have the solar system room back, the one with all the planets. This is a great place for the kids. Phantom of the Universe was pretty good, felt like I was on a fun 3D ride at Disneyland.

We took our grandkids (5 and 8) to Chabot yesterday for a few hours and had a great time. For me, the highlight was looking through their 8" and 20" telescopes. Even in full daylight we were able to see Jupiter (in the 8") and Venus (in the 20"). The Beatles laser light show in the planetarium felt pretty dated, and the sound was up so high that it was distorted (and uncomfortable). I think the animated parts of it were fun, but too much of a good thing (psychedelic spirals and tunnels) weren't as special. The third floor interactive displays were the most popular for our grandkids... racing magnetic cars down a track, creating marble runs on a wall, simulations of planetary atmosphere. I personally liked inspecting a Russian escape space capsule. We're going to go back some Friday/Saturday night when the telescopes are open for free public viewing of the night sky. That should be fun.

Went here on a Sunday with my family and genuinely enjoyed our time watching the various films and experiments in the room. I love that they are encouraging young kids of diverse backgrounds into STEM. For those with Cal Fresh, you can get General Admission for $2 for up to 4 people. Just show them your EBT card and ID. Highly recommend for family fun and learning.

This out of the way magic place is a wonderful wander for kids, adults, everyone. Go for a walk in the Redwoods on the way there while you're at it.

Wonderful wedding venue! Chabot was absolutely incredible. We searched for cool wedding venues in Oakland, it was the first result to pop up, and we locked it in. The space is absolutely amazing and the guests loved being able to wander the exhibits and socialize, experience the Planetarium, dance around a rocket, and enjoy the general ambiance and magic (feedback is that it was the coolest wedding they had ever been to). The team, Rasheda, Chelsea, and Alex, were wonderful to work with. They were super communicative and organized, helped us stay on task, and were always available for questions from us and our wedding planner. The bonus is that the cost of the venue goes back into the STEM program for kids! It doesn't get more magical than the wonders of space surrounded by a redwood forest.

Visited the Chabot Space & Science Center on September 3rd, 2023. As a member, I tried to use my membership discount at the cafeteria during lunch. I presented my membership and a digital photo of my driver's license as ID proof. To my surprise, the cafeteria staff reacted rudely, telling me that I needed a physical ID in the future. When I sought clarity and asked to see an official policy about this requirement, neither the staff nor Khiry, the manager of visitor services, could provide one. I understand the need for ID verification, but if there's a specific policy, it should be communicated clearly and politely. The lack of professionalism and courtesy left a sour note on my otherwise exciting visit. I value my membership and have always enjoyed my visits to the Center. However, this incident was disappointing. Hope the management addresses such issues in the future.

I attended the adult only Slumber with the Stars event, yesterday and left what mixed emotions. The check-in process was very quick and easy but it wasn't clearly communicated when and where the cocktail reception would happen and that our gear would just be sitting along the wall until it was time to turn in. The cocktail reception came with the science project, which I expected. The drink options were beer or wine and there was a small cheese and meat platter for the group to share. Dinner consisted of four salad options. I overheard other guests commenting they expected something more substantial and thought the salads were just the starters. Despite it being extremely overcast and preventing the use of the telescopes, the night activities were delightful. Guest astrologists guiding us through the sky, we created our own bath salts and then had two shows in the planetarium, followed by dessert. Since it was chilly I opted to sleep inside while others camped outdoors. Cots were provided and had the option to sleep anywhere within the building. Bright and early the next morning started with guided yoga on the observatory deck followed by breakfast that consisted of bagels, cream cheese, coffee and orange juice. There was a final show in the planetarium and then we were given the option to explore the center or head out. Overall I'm happy I tried this experience, and met some wonderful people in the process.

It's cool that we have something like this in the bay area, but I have some mixed feelings since we were able to get through the center and gift shop in about an hour and a half. First off, this is located in the Oakland hills, so the drive up the hill and through the trees was beautiful. There is also a great view of Oakland and the bay on the way up. Parking in the structure/garage is free and entry for adults is $24. Make sure you check the planetarium's schedule in advance of your visit - we were able to catch the last one of the day. Lunaverse was a 15-minute show that was a creative and engaging way to teach people about the moon. It was my favorite part of this trip. There were some some cool replicas of space shuttle stuff and hands-on learning activities. A volunteer taught us how to identify meteorites vs. Earth rocks, which I enjoyed. We were also able to use the Leah telescope (the 8" one) to see Venus. It was only a white speck on the telescope lens, but still cool nonetheless. I was disappointed, however, that the other two telescopes in the observatories were closed that day. If I lived in the bay area, I would probably come back for the free telescope viewings that take place on Friday and Saturday evenings. But I probably won't be back anytime soon since I live in Sacramento. If you have young children, you may have a more fulfilling experience at the space center...there were many hands-on activities that we skipped since they were meant for children.

It's really unfortunate that this place has a fraction of the displays and educational material it once had. I'm not sure if they've lost major funding, and subsequent material due to COVID, but you won't find much going on other than some really basic displays, and a handful of kids activities. It's a shell of what it used to be, and that's a shame. I'd skip this and head to Lawrence Hall of Science instead, unless you are there for a star gazing night which I recommend.

I'm torn because I feel that as a museum, the Chabot Space & Science Center is not great, but as a venue for special events, it's fantastic. I, along with everyone else, love the free Friday and Saturday night telescope viewings. It was tricky to find the first time, and we ended up wandering into a pretty cool robotics lab. The staff who work the telescope viewings are so kind and clearly passionate about space, which was great to pump up my nephew and the other children in attendance. I haven't had a chance to attend other special nights such as the wine and hike (forget what it's actually called) or sleepovers, but I appreciate how creative they are about getting people to come up to the Space Center. When I went to the actual museum with my best friend, we were both disappointed by the limited exhibitions and activities. Part of one floor was closed entirely. We finished viewing everything - without rushing - in just over an hour. I didn't realize that seemingly half of the building is dedicated to classroom/research space. Unless you have a child who is obsessed with space (like my nephew, the aspiring astronaut), I don't think there's enough substance here to sustain the attention of an adult.

My 6 1/2 yr old loved this place! He didn't want to leave. He loves space and this place was everything. It's basically a NASA museum that inspires the process of scientific discovery by showcasing hands on exhibitions. What i really appreciated is that the science demonstrations and activities are led by teens. I feel like the thought of working for NASA seems more attainable to children when they see teens showing them things they think is brilliant. There is a awesome full-dome planetarium. They have showings every hour, on the hour. Show schedules do vary day to day. We had the pleasure of seeing Forward To The Moon. Shows range from 10min - 35min, so keep that in mind when planning your visit.

Great interactive museum with lovely trees surrounding and free night viewing The Chabot space and science museum got a NASA renovation during COVID and is now open again with limited hours The interactive nature of the museum makes it a must- do with kids. We went with college children and they still enjoyed it There is a small indoor eating area with limited items for sale. You could bring your own provisions as well. Outdoor seating is ample and beautiful on several levels Movies here are NO extra charge. You can come watch all of them ( about 6-8) with your admission purchase Night viewing when weather allows is free!! Bathrooms are clean and accessible. 2 gender neutral restrooms are on the second floor main circle. Climb in a space capsule, build gadgets, learn science. It's a great museum.

I'm a physicist and have lived in the neighborhood since before the center was built, but never went to the free telescope viewing they have on every clear Friday and Saturday night. Until last night when I was looking for something to do with a group of 15 STEM college students visiting from the Midwest. Wow, this was great! Just show up, no reservations required. There's a cool volunteer community who just loves this stuff explaining what we are looking at. We saw nearby stars, distant clusters and the moon through 3 large telescopes, plus a variety of smaller ones set up on the patio. Everyone should visit! Enjoy, ask questions, hang out.

Absolute gem in the Oakland hills. Do these things and you'll have a happy time. Drive with your windows down and take in whiffs of the pines. Visit on a Sunday and arrive right at opening 10am. Low crowds. Lots of space to roam. Park smart. Pull in backwards so you'll be able to see little kiddos running excitedly through the parking lot towards the building. Pack a lunch and snacks. Little guests get too excited to eat. Have food handy to refuel. Stop by various tables set up and do fun, free activities. Kids can learn about pH levels, constellations, vacuums, etc. You may even leave with a handmade souvenir. Pay attention to the Planetarium showtimes. It's an amazing experience. Visuals and sounds all on point. Stop by the gift shop for astronaut ice cream! Bathrooms are clean! Wash your hands. There's lots to touch here.

What a wonderful family day! We saw two shows in the planetarium, participated in several experiments, ate a delicious lunch and had free parking. We arrived just after noon, found easy, free and close parking all after a beautiful drive up the hills to Skyline. They weren't too crowded and that was nice. We got excellent seats in the planetarium and watched a movie about dark matter. Super interesting. Next, we toured around, participated in several experiments and then grabbed lunch. My young friend then requested another movie in the planetarium--this one was about the Beatles--kind of cool. We had a great day, learned a lot and had fun outdoors around the Space Center. We will be back for sure.

Nice afternoon to explore indoor and outdoor exhibits. Easy free parking. Good for all ages.

Loved seeing all the space stuff here. Very informative videos and got to see the moon through their telescope at night! Its a fun place for kids and adults alike.

Always a fun time here. Came for first Friday event. The kid in me came out all over again. NASA loaned a couple props to the center and those are always worth seeing. On loan was a Moonrock... Can't say I've seen any of those lately. of course if you have children, this is the place for them! I do and they are almost 30 years old and I brought them. They had fun. First Friday features a lecturer in the industry, which was very informative. Of course you can go into some of the theaters for planetarium the planetarium experience. Sadly, it was overcast and not available to look through the telescopes. Use them before and plenty of staff to describe what you were looking at. Love this place. Parking got a little dicey though. Maybe I am not attuned to the different lots.

I didn't know that the Chabot Space & Science Center can be used as a venue for parties and weddings. I came here for a wedding, located in the Oakland Hills, it's in the outskirts closer to Highway 13 and pretty high up, it can get foggy at night. Came here during an August night, it starts a little later because the center is open to the public during the day. The ceremony was at their auditorium where the seats recline to watch the shows in the sky laying down, it was quite dark but not very friendly to those that are older, not as comfortable. Then after the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour on the second floor and it was open bar, that was cool and you could check out the different observatories. Then finally the reception was on the first floor and the dancing/Photo Booth area was in the entry way. Dinner took a little bit longer to serve but it wasn't really set up for a huge party so it was kind of tight. Very different type of wedding space but enjoyable!

My 14 year old grandson loves science especially astronomy, so I was anxious to take him here. We went on a Sat and to two of the planetarium shows. We saw few docents and nothing was mentioned about buying tickets or activities regarding the NASA Ames Visitor Center. We looked all over the building and saw very few interactive stations. I looked online before we went and didn't see any information about connecting with NASA Scientists or activities unless these activities are geared to younger children.

There's nothing to do here. Seriously, you make a paper airplane, you handle a smoke-filled soap bubble, and that's about it. You can look at the Planetarium, which isn't a proper Planetarium showing the stars - they use it to show super wide screen educational movies. There's also a bunch of models. 1:10 scale models of a Saturn V rocket, that kind of thing. Just a waste of time. I got two free tickets from the Discover & Go program, and just paying for one ticket I still felt ripped off. You'll have a much better experience going to the redwoods nearby at Reinhardt (or somewhere). Or, the Lawrence Hall of Science in the Berkeley Hills is a much, much better museum for kids.

I hate to write a negative review for a museum, and especially a space museum. Just like what others have posted, for the ticket price you are not getting much. There really was not much to see or do. The kids activity room was almost empty and didn't have much activities at all. Just lots of empty space and not enough exhibits or things to learn about. I was quite disappointed.

Dropped to 3 stars as the number of exhibits seems to have decreased over the years and many interactive exhibits were out of order. Disappointing for the admission price. This place seemed to be much better 4-5 years ago. Still ok for the 3-5 year old age as there are stem activities on the 3rd level for them to engage in.

Wow!!! We went this weekend, and what a brilliant re-opening and re-launch. NASA Ames Center is an important new partner that has helped, but credit goes to the staff! The experience is completely transformed with new exhibits, lots of hands on opportunities, and lots to keep young and old occupied. We recognized a few of the older favorites (space suits and the space capsule (mercury?), but it was the re invention of the education space that was most impressive. Lots of young people, available to help guests. Can't say enough about the potential for CSSC to be a place where kids will want to come back again and again. A new thing for me, was that the big public telescopes were open, and we got to observe a star during the day!!! Who would have guessed?

Went here for an event and the structure with the layout of this place, is quite galactic. It's an exhibit and it's good to stroll what this place is all about! It reminded me of a spaceship when perusing through! Parking is adequate in the parking lot and it took some time worth the uphill to get here!

We went on November 18 and it was a great disappointment. The planetarium shows online did not match what was posted once we arrived there. 1/2 hour later they changed back to the online schedule so very hard to plan your visit. Lots of screaming babies and children. The Native American show was a complete disappointment. One hour and 40 minutes of watching someone reading on Zoom in a poorly lit room thanking people and places without showing any pictures or views of who and what they were talking about. Extremely boring and everybody walked out after 20 minutes Need to do a better job!

I was excited to learn about space and even more thrilled to look at telescopes, but neither of those things really happened during my visit. All the telescopes were closed for viewing so there honestly wasn't much to see after 30 minutes of being there. The center had 3 shows. I watched 2 of them; one about astronauts and their suits (made in 2003...) and one about Mayan celestial, which focused more on story-telling than actual facts and science. The space center is definitely more for place for kids, which is great, but a little disappointing for two adults who wanted to be better educated and challenged in the subject. Little side note: I couldn't get any signal/reception while being on top of the hill that the space center is on. Good and bad thing.

Chabot is amazing! Come to the science center with your kids or to star gazing nights with your sweetheart (check the website first for humidity levels - they won't open the roofs over a certain level) and enjoy the view and the knowledge you're getting. A shout out to all the volunteers who make the free telescope viewings on Fridays and Saturdays so amazing!!!!

We paid $67 for 3 people ($24/person + $19 for our kid). I don't think it's worth that much tbh. We were done in an hour's time and there really wasn't that much other than NASA's AMES Center and the Planetarium. I feel that it's gimmicky and hyped up!!

3rd time here and they always manage to entertain. This time the exhibit is Luminous Moon. On the third level of the building across from the main entrance you will find this exhibit. My husband was hoping to see the Gemini capsule again, but we think it's gone. :( Not to worry, the exhibit is a glorious picture gallery, several interactive exhibits and let's not forget the Planetarium. We saw the 360 degree movie Astronaut. The CGI wasn't the best, but it was still fun anyway. Located in the Redwoods Regional Park adjacent to the Joaquin Miller Park you will be surrounded by majestic forrest and more great places to go for a walk, hike or bike ride. We picked up some Astronaut food before we left, getting freeze dried ice creams and fruits. The strawberries were my families favorite. Free parking and plenty of it.

Watching all the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing reminded me that I did indeed visit this interactive museum a few months ago. It was a visit that came about rather spontaneously as I was hiking in Joaquin Miller Park and noticed the planetarium dome from a distance. It had been quite a while since my last visit at their old location on Mountain Blvd., probably in high school when I was recreating the solar system with spray-painted styrofoam balls. In the meantime, as an almost-astronomy major, I had been to the Rose Center in NYC and the Griffith Observatory In LA to get my space fixes over the years. Perhaps unfairly, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the exhibits here, realizing that the target audience is really the impatient kids who come expecting stimulation along the lines of Nintendo. I was hoping for a richer history of the space program or archived footage of the Apollo missions, you know baby boomer stuff. But no, it was more about hands-on learning centers, tactile stuff that would probably throw out my back. I came an hour before it closed. The upside was that it was half off the regular $18 admission, but the downside was that the planetarium was already closed. Oh well, I may come back to see Luminous Moon, a gallery of fifty lunar images, which runs through September 5. A few months ago, I got to see the moon through a telescope in the Wadi Rum near Petra in Jordan. Well, la-di-frickin-dah! RELATED - Lost in Oakland? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ

They really have ridiculous pricing. $20 for a child 2 and over!? Not much there to warrant that charge for anyone under 7. A senior is $20 as well. Wonder if these prices are so ridiculously high to subsidize those who I call the "freeloaders." So tired of paying for those who can't take care of themselves. Wonder why your PG&E is high? Ppl apply for low income status and it isn't really checked. So play the game. Lots of pushing for "equity" which we explained was different from meritocracy and being actually qualified for a job or college. Kids got it.

I came with my girlfriend and my service dog to visit and have a family time but we were kick out for having a Pitbull even though that she is a service dog the level of disrespect and miss treat was awful I feel very bad for all the put Ulla owner that they decide to come here to visit because any other dog is okay but not Pitbull

Great place for kids. Lots to do. Bit pricey. But, great experience.

Fantastic too-notch science center, with a focus on interactive activities for kids along with a wonderful planetarium and three huge telescopes (with night viewings!). But they also have some impressive pieces, including a real re-entry Module and a replica you can crawl around in, as well as astronaut space suits and a real moon rock. Since they remodeled and reopened just recently it's quite nice and state of the art. The food court is not bad, with catering from Farm Kitchen in Oakland. The new NASA Ames touches are nice and this is another Oakland gem.

I had my 50th birthday party out back with one of the telescopes. It was a great experience that the guests felt was unique. The staff was helpful referring us to catering and other services to make the party special. The astronomers that operated the telescope were entertaining and knowledgable. It is something I'll remember forever.

We went in the second day of re opening after the long Covid closure. It felt so special. Staff/ volunteers were apologetic about things not be all ironed out and some areas being closed or restricted access. Personally I was grateful for the interaction the use of the amazing space , the incredible patio, the smile of the gentleman working the (expensive yet) yummy cafeteria. You can bring your own food and drinks and enjoy the suspended patio. I was not keen on the make your own encampment on Mars. But my 7 yo felt it was genius. Is looking through the telescope and seeing Venus in broad day light with my own eyes (and a massive x120) telescope, that is was special and humbling.

So nice. ASTC member. NASA was on hand to tell us and kids got to make cool stuff. Don't miss the show at the planetarium during your visit, really brings things together. Need car, up a hill.

Had the best date night looking at the stars. Highly recommend checking out the free telescope viewings. I believe it's Friday and Saturday's and depends on the weather. Not sure if it's a seasonal thing but it's definitely a cool drive and experience. We were lucky and saw a Pink Floyd laser show so if you're into that sort of stuff highly recommend planning a night out. Also the staff is very friendly and helpful.

I hate to say it because I have fabulous memories of all of my many prior visits to Chabot, both alone, with friends, and with my kids. But on this last visit, we paid $62 and there really was not much for the kids to interact with this time. My kids were all excited, as were their friends... they ran from room to room, looking for cool things to do and check out. But almost every room was either empty, or no longer had the cool thing that used to be there, or was empty like they were waiting for something new to be constructed. We brought friends and had told them how cool it was, and I left there feeling very badly to have told them that. They (and we) are on a tight budget due to how bad inflation is right now, but this was the one thing we decided to bring our kids to do over Spring Break, and it was just so disappointing. Definitely not worth the $62. In the past, there was a kind of rocket ship cockpit area at the bottom of the stairwell, where kids could manipulate some visuals with buttons and steering wheels. Not there anymore. There used to be a room where they could lay down and just see stars and swirling colors move all around them. Not there anymore. There used to be a play area with lots of large foamy blocks for the kids to climb on and create with. Not there anymore. There were areas with projects and things to fidget with in the past. They did still have one area with this, but the items to fidget with were not as compelling. Also, the whole place was VERY cold, the water fountain was not working, and there was only one person working at the cafe. She was very nice! But not enough staffing when the most interesting thing to do there this time was get a snack. The planetarium, as always, was awesome. But our kids didn't even want to stay, so we only got to see one show that was 16 minutes long. Not enough to justify how much we spent and how far we travelled. Again, hate to leave a bad review for this special place. I have had many fabulous visits there in the past. I hope it will return to a more interactive experience once again.

This is a very nice museum but if you are deaf, there is no closed captioning in the Planetaria. Such a disappointment.

We had wanted to visit but never seem like a good time. We finally found a deal off Groupon around half price. The center is well maintained with lots of hands on activities. I would say this place is great for kids age 7-15 that wanted to learn about space and NASA. But as an adult the hands on was not as interesting. Definitely lots of little activities and leaned for school kids to do.