Love this place. Large buildings; rotating collection for the most part; and an outdooor area where large telescopes can be seen/looked through. Several planetarium shows/day (some are amazing, others seem to Require LCD to Appreciate. They’re creepy and it’s extremely disappointing that they’d waste such visuals on that migraine inducing nonsense - especially with a majority audience of families with young children.Bonus : you get to finish it off with a lovely hike through the redwoods.

Great place for taking kids on break day to get them excited about space and science. Place is located in a park setting and driving up to the place you will get nice views of the bay because of the location being on a hill. Planetarium shows are nice but would like more variety and different levels to cover beginner audience or very young kids. Project create is nice where kids can get hands on. Telescopes are great and we got to see Venus planet today. They have kitchen and snack bars. Elevators are available. Parking is plenty. Overall great place.

My friends and I had an amazing experience at Chabot Space and Science Center. We had a small group reservation at the outdoor observatory due to Covid regulations and the team at Chabot Space took such great care to keep us feel safe and comfortable, and enable us to enjoy the magic of our beautiful night sky. We saw Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings, Mars, the M15 star cluster etc. The outdoor deck is a beautiful space to safely connect with people, and reconnect with nature.

Such a wonderful place for the family, especially for the kids. I used to go here for school trips or sometimes go on a weekend. Here is where I learned my love and curiosity for planets, stars, the sun, and all that has to do with astronomy, and thats where I realized I wanted to become an astronaut. Even though its not something I will pursue now that Im an adult, but I am so grateful that I had that dream to become an astronaut by going to Chabot Space & Science Center. I will for sure bring my own kids someday here and I recommend for families to bring their kids and also you will enjoy it even as an adult. I want to go back here now as an adult once things are safe again.

Good place for kids to learn about space & science. They have a little laboratory for kids for fun. So so friendly volunteers. Show time 1PM-3PM and another 5PM. I love this place so much.

Great learning center. Good for those kids who goes on a field trip.

Wonderfull. Bring the kids Or bring a date. See whats really out there!

I had a very enjoyable tour of Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA. This was my first time here. Parking was easy enough. I love the modern feel to the building. There are biology, chemistry and physics labs for classes and learning. There is the Challenger learning center where you can experience space mission simulations. Thank you to the Chabot astronomers who were on hand to talk about the 3 telescopes on site. The observation deck was fabulous also.

Ive had a membership for the last two years and just renewed. My kids love it here and ask to go. They have exhibits, a kids specific play room with Legos and other blocks, outside space, hands on interactive exhibits, telescopes, a cafe, movies, and you can even bring your own food.Its great for someplace to go when its too hot, too cold, too rainy, or you just want to get out of your own home.There are also adult nights once a month and evening telescope viewings. A great place!

Great place to visit... Knowledge center about Astronomy... Parking space is good...Can spend entire day here...Can visit with kids...There are 5 shows starts from morning 11 for which we have to buy tickets... Telescope show is on Friday and Saturday which is for free...There are so many exhibition and scientific experiments which we can try and click nice photos..There is a cafeteria inside the center which is good and serves tasty and hygenic food..The center has free WiFi service..Most of the mobile networks will not work in that area...Summer camps are available for the kids for a particular period...

Great place to take young kids. Helpful staff and lots of exhibits to explore. The planetarium has a show every hour, lots of options to pick from. Also has live activity areas and interactive labs for kids. My 4 yr old had a great time here

Spent a beautiful day with my children. There is a lot to do and see. Kids had fun!

Wonderful to go around in this area!

Really cool and fun place for friends.

Had an absolutely phenomenal time at the Chabot Space and Science centre, the level of attention to detail is incredible. Furthermore understanding and celebration of milestones was very humbling. Here you get to experience human imagination come alive

Driving through the pretty hills of the East Bay to find this outstanding Observatory and center for Astronomy is one of the coolest places to visit.

Not only this place such a FUN place to take your kids to, but also this is such a unique + beautiful place to get MARRIED. Loved photographing this wedding here and would absolutely do it again!

Fun for kids and adults. Come at night so you can do a telescope viewing. The interactive sections are great for kids.

Great planetarium! Magical location in the Redwoods and lots to see/do. Great upgrade to the Discovery Lab for children under 5. Covered parking, good for rainy days. Cafe is reasonably priced. My children love this place!

Best telescope space museum I have ever visited! Brings the kid out in everyone with there planetarium and amazing exhibits!

I took my two children there for a project from their schools and we really liked the experience. Talk about the view outside looking through a telescope. It was amazing!

Terrible drop off in displays and cleanliness over the last 5 years. A wonderful science room has been replaced by a rug and dress display. Ill never return.

Purely amazing. I thought my son knew just about everything about space, but he learned just as much as you could learn in an encyclopedia set!

First Friday nights are a really nice opportunity to discover the Space Center for only $5! For those interested in learning more about the vast universe around us in a funny and interactive way, this is a must.

There are a lot of interesting exhibitions there. There are a lot of volunteers, who are very friendly and helpful.Cinema is also very good.

Such a surprise to see a space center here in Oakland. The stargazing on Friday & Saturday nights is FREE, even when its overcast or too humid the volunteers will be there with the lights on, ready to talk & answer any questions. Ive taken my daughter several times & its so exciting to see what theyve pointed the scopes at!

We had a great time at the pinball exhibit. Lots to learn and test out. The volunteers were amazing and helpful. I loved the cafe too, great healthy fun food choices.

Its Okay. But I Love California Science Center by USC In Los Angeles. There Is More Everything. The External Tank Too.

I went here for a field trip and it was amazing! The bathrooms are clean, fun activities, the planetarium was amazing and super cool. I didnt any of the food because my school brought us lunch. We saw 5 different fire colors, and they made fire out of a powder! Totally recommend coming here

Wanted to try a couple new things while we were visiting Oakland and this was one of them what a great learning experience. This is definitely a must visit

We love it here. super kid and toddler friendly. Lots to explore and learn for all ages. Get there early on the weekends to beat the crowds. We got there when they first opened and had the discovery room basically to ourselves (big playroom for babies and toddlers)

Great place for kids and adults. Dont forget to go upstairs and try marble run!

This is a fantastic resource for teachers and parents. Chabot Space & Science center has many interactive displays for children as well as astronaut/cosmonaut suits and equipment on display. Even a space toilet. The planetarium was excellent in its seating arrangement and programming. Be warned some programs may be a tad loud for small children and infants.Take a break at the Bean Sprouts Cafe and check out the gift shop: both have actually thoughtful and tasteful things to offer. It will make your world bigger.

The Chabot Space and Science Center is an Oakland gem! Its got fun, hands on exhibits and educational, entertaining planetarium shows. Be sure to check out the free stargazing (weather permitting) on Friday and Saturday nights. Youll get to look through Chabots three huge telescopes and meet some dedicated amateur astronomers.

We were fortunate to be in Oakland visiting our adult son who lives there, on the first Friday in October. The Chabot is apparently open for the evening the first Friday of each month beginning at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $5. There were exhibits, demonstrations, a lecture on SETI by a UC Berkeley professor, a DJ, food, and the big telescopes were open for viewing. A really fun event for families, couples, date night, really anyone. Glad we were in town to catch it.

The museum is pretty small (takes an hour or two to see most of it) but its very scenic and theres a lot of cool stuff (especially the telescopes)

Must see venue!

For years, we knew this was the Best birthday party entertainment - Science is fun.We have had part one of parties at Chabot and then throw a picnic /party for kids and parents in the nearby park. We marvel at the staff - who are so engaged and fun and the kids fall on their every word

Great place to visit with friends and family

Brilliant place to visit with the family, another wonderful place in the east bay hills

Our son was researching the stars for his school project and this center was one of the places we decided to visit because of its telescopes and its studies on astrophysics (stars, planets, our own planet, etc.).  The day we traveled to this center, traffic wasnt bad and driving through the hills and seeing the trees made it a pleasant trip up.Parking also wasnt an issue because we arrived just as the center was opening and the crowds hadnt arrived, which wasnt the case a couple hours later.The center itself has a myriad of activities and exhibits to see and do.  As you work your way upstairs which has the three large telescopes your constantly stopping to see the exhibits they have on display to the hands on stuff for the kids.Our kids had the most fun, I think in the centers Climate lab where everything is hands on and challenged you to accomplish different tasks.We were able to see the Tales of the Maya Skies in their Planetarium.The culmination of this trip was to see the telescopes out on the Observatory Deck, which were impressive to see and hear about.  Of course there were many questions from our children regarding the telescopes and how they were built which was answered by the centers friendly staff.  We also didnt get a chance to view the stars because it was the afternoon by the time we left.The kids had a good time and my son was able to obtain the necessary information for his research paper.

Like the concept. Like the mission. But the place was just beat up. Don’t know if there are funding problems but about half the exhibits we looked at didn’t work.

Great place to bring the family

Excellent experience for space-loving kids. The exhibits are generally geared towards younger children (5-12). The planetarium shows are very well done and are lots of fun with a strong educational component. There were space-themed arts & craft tables all over the place, which were very accessible. Will definitely go back, perhaps on the evenings where the telescopes are open for public viewing.

Absolutely amazing planetarium and exhibits. The Cardboard Rocket planetarium show was really good. We also spent nearly 5 hours walking around the different areas and my 7 year old son had a blast.The cafe was even pretty good and reasonably priced. Fantastic way to spend a Sunday.

I went to the First Friday event a few days ago, my first time here in many years. I stayed for The Stars Tonight and then I left. The Zeiss planetarium projector (a multimillion-dollar investment that was allowed to rot for a decade) has been resurrected, but its planet projectors are still broken. There are no Omnimax films in the theater built for that purpose. And overall, the facility retains its weary utilitarian vibe that fails to reward the visitor who has motored up winding roads and then hiked a quarter-mile from a remote parking lot.

Do yourself a favor and get some of your friends, the more the merrier, come visit this really fun science center to have a great time!

I dont understand the reviews by other adults praising this organization. Maybe these individuals havent really been exposed to much space stuff. The exhibits are basic, tacky and, frankly, falling apart. The science on display is super simple and feels like it hasnt been updated since the 90s. Other than the Soviet/Russian equipment on display, not much to see here.If you have kids, like really little kids, I can see this being fun for them. But, then again, really little kids can have fun doing pretty much anything.If you dont have kids, stay away. This was the most underwhelming experience maybe of my entire life. My friends and I still laugh about it.

It is a decent location that relates to science in the bay area. The planetarium is good but the Maya video was terrible. I recommend watching Einsteins Gravity Playlist (I watched 2) . Otherwise, the museum doesnt have too much but if you come at night they have huge telescopes.

Once a staple destination for my elementary school fieldtrips and YMCA summer camp outings, the old Chabot had its charm, but it was always the same routine: you unload out of the school bus, the guy in the lab coat bangs the little rocket on the cable with his hammer, then they file you into the tiny planetarium.This is not your fathers Chabot anymore. The new place is a state-of-the-art facility with much more to do. The exhibits are always interesting and the kids love it.But the best experience at Chabot is on those clear Friday nights when all the amateur astronomers are set up and the big scopes are locked and loaded. Theres no better place in the Bay Area to go stargazing with plenty of experts to explain exactly what youre looking at!

Spatial history, interaction with children, fun and much more.

Pretty fun local museum. The telescopes and planetarium are the coolest things here I think. It always fun to see the early Cosmonaut and Astronaut gear. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable! The best part though has to be that on certain nights they have themed events!!

Really nice place, fantastic telescopes, amazing planetarium.

Love First Friday event. Telescopes are open for public! Awesome!!

There are not that many exhibits as the size of the museum would suggest, but what there is is well put-together. They have a temporary exhibition on pinball machines, which while feeling somewhat out of place is refreshing. The real highlight are the telescopes, where helpful staff is keen to discuss with visitors. Overall though, the museum seems rather more geared to school groups than to individual visitors. The cafés food is unimpressive, although the coffee is decent.

I love the Mars section!

Always fun to wander around here, for any age. Learn something new or just play around with all the interactive exhibits. Telescopes for viewing stars & planets. Surrounded by hiking trails.

Great place!

The number of exhibits has gone way down some exhibits are not working correctly the saving grace is the telesopes being open to the public now.

Teaches so much science so great service and great gift shop lol

Wow seems like it wants to sell you more stuff them teach you about space and NASA stuff. Overpriced and overrated I wont waste my money or time of travel which was 3 hours to get there to go back. Heavy door slammed on my hand and caused an injury. Staff is too busy to try to find or talk to too. Gift shop overpriced. If you want to learn about NASA stuff and space go to San Francisco to the Exploratorium its worth the price.

What can I say about Chabot?Pros:-its a surprisingly short drive down 580 (about 25min from the bridge metering lights, give or take traffic)-Set among the beautiful Redwood Reigonal Park-has quite a few huge telescopes-as much historic retelling of Man in Space as much as it is interactive and educational.This is a great place to spend a day with the kids.

A wonderful center. Full of subject knowledge n nice auditorium n pictures over the subject

I took my three year old here and thought it might be a bit too much over her head, but the place was set up for all ages. They have a great playroom, awesome interactive exhibits, and easy parking. We will be coming here a lot I think, enough to spring for a membership.

I wasnt enamored by my visit here for a couple of reasons.First and foremost, it seemed to be a museum about white people in space. I was struck by the lack of people of color in ALL exhibits--even the CGI people in the film were all white! There have been quite a few black astronauts - - where were they mentioned in this whole museum??Its also quite small...And only catered to children. Which is nice, but not engaging for myself, a childless individual!Still, it wasnt terrible. It had cool exhibits and the film about what astronauts need to live/survive in space was very cool.

Our kids had an overnight here with scouts. They had a great time. Great planetarium and other learning exhibits to engage children.

We liked.the participatory exhibits/installations on the second floor, although several were closed or not staffed. And while many (space suits for example) a lot feels otdated. I know that it is a matter of money. The greatest disappointment was the planetarium. The show was a almost ridiculous, even for our 6 year old. In the credits it was made in 2006. Certainly that could be fixed without a big expense. This took place in may or June.Im commenting today because I hoped to get viewing information about the lunar eclipse tonight. Unfortunately, nothingBut still support Chabot!

Fun place to bring the younger kids. Staff are friendly and helpful. Drive to the center is nice and scenic. Areas near center for hiking.You maybhave lack of cell service in the building depending on carrier.

Ill have to agree with the other reviewer Reese about this place. For kids, its great but for an adult it is underwhelming. The displays are pretty old and honestly there is not much to see especially with a $18 entrance fee (personally I think it should be $12). Two of the three telescopes were closed. The shows in the planetarium looked ok. I saw the cardboard box which is for kids. Look into the other ones for adults.

Wonderful place and great staff..loads of things to see..mayan show was great.

This is a great museum for kids to have fun and learn. Many interactive exibitis and has free planetarium showings. On clear nights visitors have access to the observatory.

Probably the most fun Ive ever had at a science museum. Bonus - on clear Friday and Saturday nights, you can look through the high-power telescopes on the roof!

With the redwoods in its backyard and a telescope on its roof, this is the place !Ken Klincko

Really disappointed! This place is for kids im pretty young and I really didnt like it except the fact that we can see Venus through a big telescope it was the only interesting thing I DO NOT recommend this place!

Awesome place, theres a lot to check out here. The hikes at night are really neat.

Pretty good museum, mostly space focused. Some exhibits are dated. Lots of friendly staff. Not too crowded.

I went with my 6 year old and both she and I were very disappointed. It was a Sunday. She was all excited that she will be looking through some telescope and in a space center there were no real telescopes available even to touch. The solar telescope should have been there from their website but was not operational because, as told to me experts to use it were not available and it takes too long to set it up!We attended 3 shows in the planetarium. All 3 were terrible at best. Those could be watched at home in TV. There were almost nothing about planetarium like in those. There were hardly much of any planets or stars or anything exciting. Both the Astronaut and Mayan.. shows were mostly some kind of cartoon or 80s primitive graphics based shows. Most kids were bored and I could see no excitement in any adults or kids eye as they got out of the shows..The Laser show is the most rip off out of all. They charge $14 per person and it is one of the most pathetic laser show I have ever seen. As we entered there were only 6 people in the whole theater for show, that should have told me something. I guess most people know I how terrible it is!. It is JUST not worth $14. *Shame* on Chabot management for charging $14 to the science inspired, curious parents and kids who come to visit the space center.Many of the exhibits in the kids are were not working either.. all in all the place got amazing set of buildings that’s all. Okay to be fire they have a couple of space capsules for kids to sit and mess with the broken switches. Many kids seems to have fun with that’s pretty much it. May be they got good amount grants from the state to build it but current mgmt is mediocre at best. I did go the reception and express my disappointment at the shows and overall condition. But the lady laughingly admits that it is bad and seems like she is used to people complaining and she is happy she has a job!!May the place has good telescopes, I will go another Fri and Saturday evening to observe. But rest of the science center and especially the planetarium shows are pathetic. Save yourself time and money by not visiting this place.I had high hopes before I visited this place.. I liked the location, over all facility. But I truly hope the management improves the exhibits, shows and becomes an inspiration to the kids who come to see this place about space and astronomy and not bore them and the parents.

Great place to come on the weekends when the telescopes are open to the public. Also has great views of the bay and excellent trails surrounding it.

Fun jaunt in beautiful surroundings. Brings the science nerd out in me.

Great day with the pre-teen set. The movies in the dome are also well worth it!!

Wild Russia

This place is awesome and is great for families with childlren. A must experience for anyone to check out.

Good selection of space related artifacts including real Soyuz and Gemini capsules, space suits from different eras, and planetary scale models. Features several childrens play and exploration areas.

We just love this place. The space and science center is fun on any given day but the first Friday events are D Shizznit! You get access to everything the center has to offer daily PLUS pop up interactive exhibits centered around a theme. Weve created robots, had terrifyingly large bugs crawl on us at the bug petting zoo, played Giant Jenga and Giant connect 4, designed our own pinball machine and played more pinball than the law allows, watched international animated short films, and danced our booties off to the dj/light show. The giant telescopes offer amazing views of the cosmos....My son always asks are we going to view Uranus? And we havent yet But Jupiter, Saturn, The moon, and a globule of stars were available for our viewing pleasure last friday! All of this for only FIVE DOLLARS! But wait... Theres more. Beer, wine, and cider!!!! Its a win win... Nerd out, have a drink, be amazed by the universe... dance, play...and if thats all a bit much, you can just chill out and see a show in the planetarium or the megadome. I hear there are also night hikes, but have always been too busy to actually make it out doors for one. AND... If youre into geocacheing, you can do that too.I chabot space and science.P.s. did I mention how awesome the volunteers are?

Great place to explode your brain with sparking syanpses like a super nova of all things fun space fun facts. Planetarium, telescope observatory, and museum.

I went there for a school field trip and it was one of the best, but my favorite is the California science center in LA, CA

Engaging exhibits good for many ages. Really good, healthy food at the Café.

Very well put together. Awesome gravity well with ball bearings.

Its amazing inside but kinda pricey but not when its about to close

Amazing, the first time i went was amazing!

Nice and kind place

Cool spot definitely gotta check it out 1 time....

Suitable for all ages, very cool and beautiful, I love it here.

Learn so much by talking to volunteers there at observatory stations

Awesome kids programs. Little tikes rocks!

I was underwhelmed by the exhibits. The telescopes are amazing, though.

Lovely science center.

The place is mainly targeted for kids but the shows, telescope and some of the exhibits can be enjoyed by everyone.

Amazing

You should be here on the first Friday of a month. Surprise, suprise!