Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose — Attraction in San Jose

Well we decided to go here for my daughters 1st birthday. Her mother(myself), her father, my father and his girlfriend. I remember visiting this place as a kid and remembering it being so big and the biggest rubber ducky I have ever seen on the roof. Parking is HORRIBLE!!!! We didn’t really know what to expect?!?! We started in the fossil type room, my father and boyfriend seem engage but the ladies weren’t impressed and same for the world market which has all the fake foods and veggies to pretend. Then was the star of the show where all of us lit up and had so much fun. My baby girl loves water and balls and this combines them in the most enjoyable way for a 1 year old! We couldn’t choose a favorite from the rain room, balls torpedoing down the center of a huge cylinder, balls being shot in the air, ball and water launch shooter, ball water balance moving section and so much more. It is was water fun times ten. All the ladies found ourselves having so much fun. My daughter lost it when we went to the wonder cabinet because we had to pry the ball out of her miniature hand. I asked the helper where a one year old should spend their birthday in this place and she said wonder cabinet and we all went. My daughter liked a few things here like the room at the top with a carousel of flashing lights. A cylindrical areas with balls at the bottom to be placed up to and watch the ball circle around until it falls in the hole. As soon as I pryed out her beautiful little hand she lost it once again. As we were exiting my daughter got her last dose of fun photo time at the fire truck and fruit truck and ended her time with the air shooting a call in the air over and over. My daughter loved this museum so much when I pried them out again she lost it for the last time but she enjoyed her sleep. Happy birthday to my wonderful 1 year old!!!!! 5 stars...

Absolutely recommend such a wonderful children's museum! We didn't even get close to exploring everything but there are so many fun things for young children to discover and enjoy! We only focused on the main floor for this visit. There is a fire truck, ambulance, car, and wagon that kids can climb into. They have large sturdy foam blocks and shapes that kids can build their own creations with. There is a large play food area where staff work to sanitize pieces in between kids playing. There is an interactive water play area (and a smaller one for kids under 4) where kids use balls to explore how water affects the movement of objects. There are tunnels with pressurized air that moves giant pom poms all around. There is an outside area where they have a beehive, garden, bubbles station, and an a tree playground with a slide and rope pathways bridges to climb on. And that's just the start of all the wonderful things they have. They also have special events to celebrate different cultures. We were able to visit during the mid-autumnal festival. Kids were able to make Play-Doh moon pies to take home and there was a lion dance performance that was fantastic!

Masks are required for everyone 2 and older inside. Also strollers are only allowed inside for children who are not waking (infants). If you don't have a membership you need to reserve tickets ahead of time (adults and children 1 and older are $15 each, seniors $14, children under 1 are free). Their play/ticketed times on the weekend are broken into two chunks 9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4:30pm. There are a variety of parking lots nearby with most costing about $7. If you have little ones you definitely need to...

Great experience! Anyone with kids should come visit here. I used to live in San Jose and remember when the children's museum first opened. At that time it was kind of sparse. You could spend an hour or 2 at the most. Now, you probably could spend a day and still not completely do it justice.

The museum has done a great job in embracing the whole concept of learning by play. For example, there's a great exhibit on bubbles with explanations on why bubbles behave the way they do; a water works exhibit where they can play with different fountains, spray balls, watch water cyclones; they even have an outdoor park area! That's not even the beginning of it.

My kids are 2 and 4 and had a blast here. Heck, I had a blast! I would pack some food and water, and plan on being here for awhile. The ticket price is $15 for anyone older than 1, but it's worth it.

Downsides - apparently it can get crowded. When I came with my kids it wasn't that bad but I can see it getting much more hectic so plan accordingly. Also, parking around the museum can be expensive, so do some research. I parked in the 303 Almaden building and they had a sign saying it was $10 on the weekend and ended up paying $20 because "prices can vary depending on the day".

Again - great experience. Best for kids 10 and under...