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Chabot Space & Science Center
Rating Details »
Categories: Museums, Local Flavor [Edit]
Neighborhood: Oakland Hills10000 Skyline Blvd
(at Joaquin Miller Rd)
Oakland, CA 94619
(510) 336-7373
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
84 reviews for Chabot Space & Science Center
Had a wonderful time at the Yelp party. It was an after hours event filled with DJ's and venders; All were fantastic. The Chabot Space and Science Center took really good care of us keeping all the exhibits open. I was glad they were even kept the telescopes open for everybody's viewing pleasure. One of my complaints about places in general, museums and the sort, is that they close too early, but this facility is open till 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays! Next time I go I'm definitely see the special screenings they have.
During my observations, pun intended, I took not that this place is well geared for adults, kids and families to have an educational fun time.
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Oct 30th, part 1.
Take a little this, a little that, spin it 'round, find a spark of combustion... *ta-dow*... a star is born!
Or in this case, a spontaneous and memorable outing on Halloween's eve. Thanks to Tetsu, Cobber, and Alli, we pieced together a serendipitous night starting with Chabot Space and Science. Having been there before for an East Bay Yelp Elite Event (Ligaya ROCKS!), I was eager to check it out again; yes, I geek, proudly!
The Space Center might be initially underwhelming upon first entering, looking rather sterile and sparse of exhibits. But don't be discouraged as most of the exhibits are in categoric area/rooms branched off of the main halls. In one area, the science of starlight amidst radiated colorful gases and waveforms. In another section, replicas and simulations of life aboard space shuttles and stations. Yet another area conveys the differences of stellar bodies, from gravity wells to nebulas.
All throughout, there are interactive and engaging displays and historic dioramas; from a space capsule simulation to Einstein's telescope.
The planetarium/theater hosts a few educational shows as well as a couple strictly entertaining ones. We were able to catch "Immersive Space" (much more enthralling than "Sonic Vision" which comes off a tech demo of the Planetarium's projectors).
The marquee draw of the center are clearly the three large telescopes that, on a clear night, can reach through a dark sky and bring a few of our galaxy's twinkling mysteries into view.
On this night, one of our foursome wasn't quite ready for 2 beers and a wine ($3 local brew/wine during this past weekend's event, "10000: A Skyline Party Among The Stars"), and we decided to take leave after our planetarium show and didn't get to see the telescopes. Short lived as this part of the evening was, it was still a fun venue and nice change of pace...
__________________________________
Ah, our romanticized Universe!
Like aphrodisiac for we nerdier types!!
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Chabot Space Center...
It does sound very flashy doesn't it?
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm on my way to Chabot Space Center."
Sounds impressive doesn't it?
My trip here was actually pretty good, it was a nice 3-4 story building filled with wonderful space equipment and gear. Some trivia on the walls and a show area for documentaries and such.
Of course you also need to check up on the main show pieces of the center which are the telescopes on the third floor. It was night time outside so we had to walk through the open area to the telescopes. Just a suggestion, wear something that glows. It will help your friends track you down since there isn't any light outside. Ended up bumping into cement stairs and barriers trying to get to the telescope rooms. Good thing there was someone assisting us on finding the telescope lens because I ended up bumping into whatever objects they have under it.
Also , remember the way out of the area, II actually got lost getting to the freeway. GPS wasn't seeing any signal when I left the Space Center. Had to make me go through 2 miles of bush-filled road before I go to the freeway.
Must be amazing to live out here since the sky is filled with all these heavenly bodies.
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A full 5 stars for that science geek in you!!
I used to volunteer here as a telescope operator. During the summer, usually showing up for my volunteer shift on Saturday nights around 6:30 or 7pm with the shift usually finishing up close to midnight.
As telescope operator, my main job was to:
1) locate the object(s) for the evenings viewing and set the tracking so the telescope followed the object.
2) the main part of this volunteer gig is 'splaining things to the public and answering questions as people viewed the object or waited in line.
3) actually, first and foremost, to ensure the safety of the telescopes and visitors.
One of the coolest parts of being a telescope operator (I was cleared to solo the 8" telescope, Leah and was in training on the 20", Rachel) was being able to take pictures THROUGH the telescopes with my digital camera after the general public had left for the evening. With only a 4 megapixil point and shoot, I got some pretty cool pictures, a few of which are posted here.
While most of my time as a volunteer was spent on the observing deck, I have to say that the planetarium and the theatre are super cool! The exhibits are pretty neat too, but I dont know how often the exhibits are updated.
Finally, a couple of thoughts for the would-be astro-enthusiast:
1) If you've been bitten by the space bug, DON'T run out and buy a telescope right away. I've heard far too many stories about dusty telescopes in garages because people never learned how to find celestial objects in them. Instead, visit the center on a Friday night when they have the Telescope Makers Workshop. You can actually MAKE a very nice telescope cheaper and of higher quality than many store bought ' scopes.
2) Visit CSSC often for their FREE telescope viewing. Yes....FREE!! As part of the original agreement when Anthony Chabot donated money, TELESCOPE VIEWING SHALL REMAIN FREE TO THE PUBLIC on Friday & Saturday evenings. Check the weather before going up to prevent foggy dissapointments - otherwise your free viewing will be limited to looking at the telescopes instead of looking through them.
A great venue for families, kids or dates as well as corporate events. Have fun when visiting and remember, MANY of the people you see working at the science center are volunteers - be kind to them!
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Movie + admission tickets for 2 adults and one tot to see "The Living Sea" in the megadome, and marvel at the space suits and Martian mud in the museum: $40.
Seeing your four-year-old's face as 20-foot jellyfish soar by overhead: priceless.
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Recently went with my sister, boyfriend, and niece... we all had a great time! It is about $14 per adult so for little more than the cost of a movie ticket you get access to all the exhibits, two shows, and the telescopes (when open). On the night we went the fog was too thick so the telescopes weren't open but they have plenty of simple exhibits that are good for children and adults... the sonic vision show was different and cool but it's like watching a trippy music video for 30 minutes.
Anyways, take the family and have some good clean fun at a reasonable price
when i was a kid, there was nothing you couldn't say that would stop my fascination with the solar system, stars, atmospheres, and general space/science awesomeness. no, i didn't have a pluto-lost-its-planet-status party back when that happened, but the inner kid in me did pause for a moment.
i didn't end up following up with much study in astronomy (darn that math), but still appreciate a good planetarium show if i can find one.
best date idea to present date: a suggestion for one of chabot's special evenings- dinner, a show at the planetarium, and some glances from the rooftop through one of the telescopes at jupiter and its moons.
score.
i'm sure they do this pretty consistently, and if they do, you should go. it's not too expensive of a night, and it's well worth the random drive up through oakland hills. call ahead for a reservation, and you can get dinner right in the science center. dinner included: salad, your choice of entree, a glass of wine, and a dessert. everything looked tasty, and the roasted chicken was massive and delicious (and i happen to be eating the leftovers right....now.)
after dinner, you may have time to wander the science center before catching the show in the planetarium or you may need to wait until after the show is completed. either way, there is something very cool about being able to wander a museum after dark. you kind of feel like what's his face from mannequin with the crazy eyes.
anyway, being at the science center after dark is just cool. the planetarium show is stellar. it wasn't too crowded the night we went. so sit back, look up and gaze at the fake stars you can't normally see through the city's fog with your date.
afterwards, on a clear night, stroll upstairs to the rooftop and take a look at the real sights through one of the telescopes. it was too humid for the old telescopes the night we went, but there was a pretty powerful small little dude that worked just fine to see jupiter and clouds of gas circling it and its moons. pretty cool.
overall, chabot is pretty cool. the inner space nerd can get its geek on and you can impress your date with dinner, stars, science and romance.
score.
no matter how you take that.
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If you want to remember what your trapper keeper looked like in the 90's go to the Planetarium show where "Music comes alive!" and be warned things get weirder and weirder as the show progresses. I am not even sure being on drugs short of acid would make this show good.
I checked out the telescopes too. Be warned they really are not that exciting. Usually just light blobs. Looking at how big the telescopes are is the most exciting part.
As for the general exhibits? Not that great. Kids would have more fun at the academy of sciences or better yet the Exploratorium.
This place has ALWAYS been cool.
This was my neighborhood space center when I was a kid... and taking classes there during summer... one of the favorite destinations for field trips, and places where I would always ask my dad to take me at night.
I still remember there being a zip-line outside where the old guy would smack the little plane with the CO2 cartridge on the back and it would go flying along the wire.
I can't wait till my little one is old enough to have an excuse to go here on a regular basis!
"oh, no way."
"NO WAY!"
"oh my god! no way!"
"oh my god that is SO COOL."
"oh WOW."
that pretty much sums up 90% of the conversations that take place at the chabot space & science center, specifically whilst viewing the far reaches of outer space from their giant telescope named rachel. the first time i peeped through rachel's scope (ooh!) at saturn, i thought it was a sticker. alas no, that is actually what saturn looks like from earth. i immediately felt the crushing weight of insignificance that comes with realizing you are a speck upon a speck upon a minuscule speck in this life shrouded in mystery and wonder.
this is the reason why i hate space. while some dream of being an astronaut, the thought of space travel terrifies me. the lack of oxygen! the tiny, rickety spacecrafts! the fear of the unknown! but like a child touching a hot stove, i just can't resist the intrigue.
perhaps this is why the fine folks at chabot came up with the '10,000' party. get a bunch of oakland folks together, serve them micro brews, drunken them up a bit, throw in a cheesy band, a psychedelic planetarium show, and let them wander the center on a friday night. kinda makes me feel a little better about the possibility of a giant asteroid jetting towards earth to annihilate us all.
while they could beef up their exhibits a bit - the building is vast with not a whole lot of stuff inside - being able to play around in nasa helmets and take photos in a space station photo booth is a great way to get kids and adults alike interested in science. not to mention the locale is gorgeous and always blanketed by sexy, spooky fog. perfect for a first date.
so maybe space isn't that scary after all. but if i were you, i wouldn't put me up there anytime soon. i failed miserably at the moon landing simulator.
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Visited this place for the first time during a Yelp event. We had free reign over the entire place. There were so many fun exhibits and things to read and see. I will say the best part of the of the night was getting to use all three telescopes on site to see things you never knew existed. If you live in the bay and you have not visited this place, Shame on you!
If it wasn't for Yelp I would know nothing about this gem in the Oakland Hills. At the Yelp event, Space Odyssey 2525, a bunch of East Bay yelpers and I were able to explore the Chabot Space and Science Center after hours. To say the least, it was an absolute blast. At Chabot, kids of all ages can take delight in exploring the world of space. They have a planetarium, huge telescopes, and interactive displays. The planetarium show was so intense I got motion sickness, yet I thoroughly enjoyed myself nonetheless. This might sound like a bad thing, but really it just comes with the territory. The telescopes were also amazing. They take star gazing to the next level. Chabot is a perfect excuse to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, and to play like a kid.
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What Kylie L. said.
The dinner thing was noobish. But the tiramisu was yum! I wonder where they bought it.
I've always wanted to come here, I never had the chance to. Kim W. & crew surprised me by taking me here for my birthday. THANK YOU KIMMMM!!!!!!!! I know you're reading this.
This area, it looked so familiar coming up. I've gone the Roberts? outdoor swimming pool for a field trip and picnic when I was 6 or 7, kids got sunburned & peed in the pool.
We came for the 10,000 theme Dinner, A Movie And the Universe event. We watched 2 shows, one about dinosaurs & a planetarium show. Both were about 45 minutes long. The projector dome was cool, but that was about it. The videos were boring and looked sort of outdated. I prefer the planetarium at the Academy.
There are 3 buildings total...the entire place was surprisingly small and empty. We arrived around 4PM and saw most of the center within a couple of hours. We didn't have a chance to see the telescope building, it was closed when we went in, they told us we could go back at 7:30PM. Later on, we didn't have enough time to look at the stars, maybe next time.
Taking pictures in space while you jumped was cool. That was probably the coolest thing here, since there was a line to take your picture.
We also had dinner here at the Celestial Cafe, it looked fancy but lacked the service I would have liked. Had reservations for 8PM and were seated about that time. Ordering and getting food took forever, didn't seem very professional, what I assume a Hell's Kitchen experience would be like. For $15, there was a lot of food but the waiters, chef, & staff could have been better.
Menu included:
Bruschetta
It came with 3, one artichoke tasting, one cheesy, and one with salsa.
choice of:
Spinach salad w/ walnuts, apples & raspberry vinaigrette or Caesar Salad
both had a bit too much dressing
Caesar salad had sliced cheese, that was the only thing I liked about it
Spinach salad tasted similar to the McD's walnuts & apple they had before, I'm not sure if they still do
Entree:
Salmon with ginger and soy sauce, hot but I'm not a big fish eater & tasted like something I could make at home.
Chicken with tarragon, sort of dry but bearable and sauce was good.
Roasted Veggies
with veggies, & a choice of garlic mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes
garlic mashed potatoes only had a hint of garlic, not very warm, it could have been hotter so I added butter and pepper to it
roasted potatoes were good
Dessert:
Keylime Pie
Cheesecake, tastes like cheesecake from any place, nothing extraordinary & doesn't stand out
Tiramisu, pretty good tasted sort of familiar but couldn't figure out what
and one more which I forget...
I saw tables of 2 with tables that could fit 8, they need more small tables.
I'd rather go to the Exploratorium and Academy, there's more stuff to do there and see. Coming to Chabot today (or yesterday) was an experience I won't forget.
Oh yeah, another plus is that they have FREE PARKING!!!
WOW! what an outstanding place! I have lived in the east bay my whole life and have never ever been to this gem we can call our own. I went to the Yelp Elite event there last night (9/20) and was blown away by all of the info available, the location, the telescopes all of it. I loved the planetarium show It was outstanding. I can not wait to go back and take the littles for space center fun!
Review for 10000 - A Skyline Party Among the Stars
Celestial Cafe - We ate ate the downstairs portion where they have sandwiches, soup, pizza, etc. Not so good....then we discovered the nicer dining area upstairs with a much better menu....FAIL.
We missed our first planetarium show about space but experienced the Sonic Vision show. I'm going to have so say it was really wierd, the kind of show you would enjoy if you were on something.
The place seemed to lack some content. The exhibits were nice but seemed few and far in between. The most notable features about Chabot are three giant telescopes. However the fog rolls in very quickly so there was a very small window for viewing. Sadly, we missed this window. One can still appreciate the magnificence of such inventions. The building & the view are also very beautiful as well.
Watching people make the telescope lens was also really cool, takes lots of time and work to make one. Everyone was very enthusiastic about their lensmaking. The lens of the newest telescope was actually made by someone who started off in this program. nifty.
Pop fiction was a pretty good cover band. They were very enthusiastic and had a lot of variety in their selection of music.
All in all, 10,000 was a nice event. We had a good time.
Take a little trip, take a little trip, take a little trip and see....
If ever you decide to get away from the cacophony sounds of the city and wish to be closer to the stars instead....
Whenever I go visit the Lawrence Hall of Science I always know i'm in for a treat. The trip up the mountain, the fresh smell of the forest floor that drifts and finds it's way to the road i'm on is welcome. If you have a decent since of direction locating this place should not be difficult at all, even at night. Though some nights are foggy-er than others, it still makes for an awesome little journey.
So, the hall itself is grand to tour or if your like me and fancy the movie exhibits than I definitely recommend seeing the Black Hole or the Sonic Vision shows, oh and the Cosmic Voyage show is awesome as well.
This is a place for all peoples, whether it's a group of friends or family, or even a date at night. I highly recommend going to this place, getting away from the city for an hour or so, and go experience the things that perplex scientist and amaze those who still believe in dreams.
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Disclaimer: Trip and I are not astronomers nor are we prospective astronauts... please to enjoy our review.
Holy crap we love the Chabot Space and Science Centerrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! It is super cool. You start out in the main lobby area where you buy your pass for the day and choose the movie(s) you want to watch. You get a free movie from the planetarium and then you can pay extra to watch one in the megadome, which sounded amazing, but little did we know the planetarium was way more A-list.
Sitting in the megadome show left us feeling like fat little hamsters in a too-small exercise ball. Plus the movie we picked was narrated by Meryl Streep and the soundtrack consisted of famous UK export Sting's greatest hits. That movie was supposed to be about the freaking ocean! Voice over should of been done by a Jonny Quest impersonator and music should have been like...Hawaii Five-o.
There are lots of awesome exhibits and Trip's favorite is across the courtyard and up the 500 flights of evil stairs in the "Solar Go Round" area. There's a push button display where you can recreate sandstorms on the surface of....Ma-?....Jup-?....Mercu-?....MARS. (Please see above disclaimer or my backside if you have complaints)
I had tons of fun "torturing" Trip by having him spin the 4 inch wheel on the tornado exhibit so I could get a picture of it. It was REALLY hard to get the tornado going and I didn't have a sports bra on...I feel bad...I justified child labor...but come on...look at him! He loves it! I had to drag Trip away from the dry ice exhibit, because every photo I took just looked like he was attempting to get high off a giant black bong. Don't do drugs!
We ended our trek through the space center at the souvenir shop where I SERIOUSLY thought about buying the air-tight astronaut ice cream sammich...but decided against it. Maybe next time overly aggressive souvenir shop guy! Trip and I had lots of fun, we both love the stars, and if you do too you should come to the Waterfront Flicks at Jack London Square where they're playing JAWS under the stars (http://www.yelp.com/ev...).
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"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars - mere globs of gas atoms. Nothing is 'mere'. I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination - stuck on this carousel my little eye can catch one-million-year-old light. A vast pattern - of which I am a part... What is the pattern or the meaning or the why? It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little more about it. For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined it. Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent." -- Feynman
Think on that when you visit.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/31/2009
A playground for the brain and a feast for the eyes nestled in the gorgeous Oakland Hills.
I'm… Read more »
REALLY?!?!?!?!
Did I go to the wrong place, or just on a bad day?
First of all, the paid employees are downright RUDE! The only helpful people were the volunteers, and the high school kids were sweet and entertaining.
Secondly, the prices were fine, IF the exhibits actually WORKED! OMG, all the computer "simulators" were down and some of the exhibits were just ancient!
Thirdly, they closed half of the building (the half with the main exit) mid-day without any notice or signs or announcements... and then the manager barked at me when I walked through a barrier to get to my car... HUMMM... maybe if you had told be how else to get out, we wouldn't have gone through the barrier, JERK!!
Fourth... The Dinosaur film that the lady recommended for my 8 yr old son was BORING!!! AND about 15 minutes TOO long... really, do we need that much scientific info?! Bring it to a kids level so that kids aren't totally bored out of their minds!!
Fifth, the food.... ewww... 'nough said
OK, with that said, they did have one telescope working pointed at the sun, that was kinda cool, and the gas exhibit on the 3rd floor was where we spent most of our time.
Save your money and hit the Exploratorium in SF instead. This is NOT worth the $$ at all!!
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Ok, I will admit it. I am a geek...sometimes. The planetarium always has interesting shows and the exhibits and telescopes are great as well. If you are remotely interesting in science and astronomy, you have to check it out. I love this place!
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Chabot Space & Science Center
First off, if you are planning to go with you kids, you probably want to ignore my review.
So on Saturday I went to CS&SC with a couple of friends. I've been wanting to go for quite a while, but I never set the time aside to go. My main reason in going was to get the smashed pennies from the 2 machines that they have (which I did) Other then that, the Center was a disappointment.
The admission is $13 which lets you see the displays and also a ticket into one of the planetarium shows.
The Displays:
They were few and far between. There are basically 3 rooms. The first has info about light and stars. The second about planetary formations and the third has Soviet space apparati. All of them were fairly interesting, but the main problem is that most of the displays have recorded information that you can hear by pressing the button. Unfortunately, the jolly candy-like buttons are too much of a temptation for the little ones, so when you're about halfway through the recording, some shorty will run up and hit all the buttons. (This happened on multiple accounts.) I gave up.
Out back they have three telescopes that are you can look through on Friday and Saturday night- weather permitting. Today- weather not-permitting. Although it was nice to see them and the employees/ volunteers that were around were happy to answer any question. Thumbs up to them.
The Planetarium show:
I went to a 3pm viewing of "Search for Life" which is narrated by Harrison Ford. "Search for Life" takes you from the ocean depths to beyond our galaxy. The half our show was the highlight to my day.
Finally I stopped off at the gift shop and picked up a couple of bags of astronaut ice cream. You can not go to a space museum and leave without it.
Maybe I should have went on a school day. Will there be a next time? Hmmm, we'll see.
(I guess my negativity stems from all the kids and not from the museum itself.)
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We've been meaning to go here for years since it opened in 2000 and what a great place. I took my 4- and 7-year old kids, who were skeptical at best ("space is boring"). We left four hours later! They have a great lineup of movies that are shown in a planetarium theater (free with admission) and lots of wonderful interactive exhibits. We were there for the 40th anniv of moon landing, so lots of focus on moonwalks. They have a cute little discovery lab that had enough to keep both age ranges happy for a while. In fact, the whole place seems to have enough for a really wide range of ages, young and old. Space is no longer boring.
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I've been wanting to check out the Lunar Lounge social night that they used to have every last Friday of each month and I finally made it yesterday for a what they now call "10000". They also have a dinner and a movie thing. Live band was great and awesome music! Food is a little pricey. They serve alcohol and other drinks, too. $20 regular admission comes with two shows at either the planetarium or the megadome. I picked the last two shows at the planetarium (DomeFest and Sonic Vision). Music and sound effects are amazing. There are times that I feel like I'm in a bubble and flying through wonderland or that I'm floating inside a lava lamp, or getting centrifuged or in a roller coaster ride in a video game or just surrounded by all these psychedelic, abstract lines and waves that you see in your Real Window Media Player when you're playing a song and you have the visualizer turned on. If you want a full-blown experience, get enough buzz to set your brain wild! It's amazing though, awesome!
The outdoor telescopes are free Friday and Saturday 630-1030pm, if the weather permits. Unfortunately, it was foggy that night so we only had a chance to look at a smaller telescope and check out the moon. One of the volunteers told us that the best time to view the skies is mid-August to mid-October. So, will definitely check back later this summer. The fog really adds character to the outdoor setting though. It was kinda nice to just hang out outside and still be able to hear the live band music play.
There's a lot of interactive stuff to do inside, which makes learning fun. Also, there are a lot of other things to do around Chabot Space Center. There's the Joaquin Miller Park and there's archery, botanical garden, swimming pool, etc nearby. I just love its location and everything around it.
Originally built in 1883, the Chabot Space and Science Center (CSSC) sits atop a 13-acre site in the Oakland hills. The 86,000-square-foot facility houses a state-of-the-art planetarium, a 70-foot dome-screen theater (the "Tien Megadome"), two giant telescopes, hands-on interactive science and technology exhibits, a multimedia center, teacher training, student labs, public science programs and a gift store featuring astronaut ice cream. Take a guided tour of the night sky in the Ask Jeeves Planetarium, then top it off by gazing through the country's largest refractor--known as Rachel to her friends--in the Observatory. Rachel's companion, an 8-inch Alvan Clark refractor named Leah, was donated by founder Anthony Chabot in 1883.
Chabot has to be my favorite science museum. It's got so much to do and is a nice facility with primo location for star-gazing. Staff is super nice and the flight simulation is uber cool! definitely recommend! and be sure to check out the state-of-the-art planetarium!
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Really, not enough people go here and they should! It's great for kids and adults. Not only do you learn a thing or two, but you can really have a good time. It's great for a rainy day or a starry night. Our kids LOVE the Mega Dome Theater. I have to say I think it's pretty cool too. What's not to like. A movie that makes you feel like your soaring through the air or diving deep under the sea.
The exhibits are fun too. Probably the only place to see a "space toilet" or sit in a space capsule.
Friday and Saturday nights, you can take a look through the telescopes and see the stars up close.
Check it out a real Oaktown gem.
Another hidden treasure in Oakland. My husband and I go here as often as we can. We take out of town guests here as well. It's such a wonderful jewel in Oakland that words fail me at this moment.
I don't get to the actual planetarium much but for those who don't know Chabot has three huge telescopes (one fairly new from 2001 and the other two are much older) in which to be able to see through on a clear Friday or Sat. night for free. The volunteers have the telescopes trained on something and they explain it to you.
My only problem is that I take this for granted and when I remember that I want to go it's either a) too late or b) really bad weather.
I love going here and then heading to Fenton's for ice cream. Yum!
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AWESOME!!!!AWESOME!!AWESOME!!!
i love space!!! even though i may not be the smartest astronomer around, i really enjoyed the interactive exhibits...
we did show up late and missed out on the planetarium movie we wanted to see due to selling out...
the kid at the front desk thought he was to cool for school and a wanna be gangster which it seems that he like to make things more complicated than it had to be...
the telescopes were awesome, but there is a line and it gets stuffy inside...
im going back!!!
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I wanted to do something special for the little ones and came across the Chabot Center through Yelp. Because the Mister and I are extremely fond of space and science ourselves, this was a perfect getaway for the day.
It is a beautiful drive on the way there. Please be on guard for the many bikers and trail runners that cross the paths especially when it's only one lane up and one lane down.
We drive in and a major plus goes to the free parking in a parking garage. Michael assisted us as we purchased our tickets. First question he asked was, "How did you hear about us." "Yelp" I said. That's when I noticed the beautiful red sticker marked "People love us on yelp" and I got all giddy inside.
The place is lovely. Displayed with a lot of hands on exhibits perfect for the adults, a little too advanced but still interesting for the 2 year old. Not at all satisfying for a constricted one year old in a stroller.
At 11:15 we were attending a movie called the Secret of the Rocket playing out of the planetarium. Just when you think things were going great, you have a feisty one year old wanting to roam freely. Ten minutes into the show we step out and call it a day. Each of us, glad to have a changing table in a men's restroom, take a child into the restroom for a diaper change. Just as we finish, a gentleman carrying a tot walks out of the planetarium. The Mister comments to the gentleman, "She's not quite ready for it either, huh?" And the both of them chuckle from understanding.
Before leaving we hit the Chabot store for souvenirs. I, Neapolitan space ice cream, he, a harmonica, and the tots, glitter wands.
To lengthen our trip, we sat at the bench outside of the center and ate the lunch I prepacked that morning.
Make sure you know your way back home or you might be stuck on a one way, windy road for half an hour until you hit a freeway.
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This place is so cool it makes me want to cry. It's also cheap to enter or just to get a yearly membership with unlimited access.
I love the planetarium and I bet the theater is cool too. You can also wander around outside and look through all of their telescopes which is really fun on a summer night.
It's very peaceful up in the hills where they are, I always feel like I'm entering some magical quiet clean air zone. Love it!
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When I was a little girl, one of my favorite places in the world was the planetarium at Cal Academy. When I was starting to show interest in boys, I always thought that a planetarium would be a very cool date. A few years ago, I felt like a little kid again when I was in awe of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I'm a nerd ok? Get over it!
I always forget about this place and I never got around to checking it out until yesterday. Had it not been for the 125th anniversary flags around the lake, I still would continue to forget about this place. Thank you flags! I finally got my chance to bring a date to the planetarium.
Admission is $13 for the general museum and the planetarium. Shows in the megadome are extra. The museum itself is cool enough. However, those who have been to the Smithsonian will be a bit disappointed since the Smithsonians are a) incredible and b) free. However, the planetarium is CERTAINLY worth the price of admission. There are four shows to choose from and I highly recommend the "Life on Other Planets" or whatever one that is narrated by Harrison Ford. But seriously though, you could've left me in the damn planetarium all day. The megadome theatre is worth the extra charge. It is like an IMAX only more overwhelming and impressive. I liked the dinosaur one and I could have easily been coerced to see some more.
If you do go, go on a Friday or Saturday night when you can look out the observatory. You actually don't have to pay for the observatory itself; but the museum is open later on those nights. In addition to the observatory, you will see the other amazing part of the experience...the most incredible views (day & night) of the Bay Area you could possibly imagine. The drive to the museum alone is incredible. And, if you really want to make an eventful day of it, hike some of the trails nearby too.
I felt like I was twenty years my junior all day! And, let's be honest now, what woman doesn't want to feel twenty years younger? If you both happen to be into that sort of thing, I was right about it being a fun date. Oh yeah, kids will like it too. ;)
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Super cool find if you've ever wanted to be an astronaut, or just wondered about what they eat, how they go to the bathroom, what is inside a space suit, or what a Soyuz landing capsule looked like.
An absolute must if you have kids. They have some really fun hands on things just for the kids, and they have a mission control simulation room (but I think you have to book it in advance or for groups).
The "Black Hole" planetarium show was pretty good, and they had some other ones I wouldn't mind checking out.
We didn't stay late enough to use their giant telescopes to watch the stars. Definitely will come later next time (they stay open until 10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays), just for that. That should be super romantic.
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Visited the center today (Thursday) while it was crawling with kids on school trips. It was like a blast from the past field trip for the adults traveling outside of the school groups, especially when one of the movies at the dome was made in 1985 before these kids were born, narrated by Morgan Freeman and yet was still awesome & fun. I was highly impressed with how organized the volunteers were from what I saw and the number of classrooms they seemed to have to accomodate the kids. My favorite part was when one little boy actually had to show me how to work one of the exhibits after the two of us grad school students couldn't figure it out. Just shows that adults can learn too.
Bring the kids or go on your own when you want to bring out your inner science geek.
Tip for college/grad students: bring your college id to get 3 bucks off.
I bet it is pretty nice on evenings when they have a bar and the telescopes open for viewing.
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LOVE the planetarium shows.
i also saw that ocean video 5 times.
i loved the mars exhibit, and i'm normally not that excited about mars.
i think saturn and neptune are my favorite planets.
i love how sunny it is.
however, it gets hot in there.
sucks because it's closed on mondays.
other than that, i love this place!
: D
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OMG. This place is fun and educational for all ages. I'm not too smart when it comes to astronomy but after purchasing the family plus memebership for a year, I may be ready to go into orbit..lol..ok maybe not. There are so many hands on exhibits and learning tools that we didn't get to see everything in one day, hence the membership that pays for itself within 2 visits. Not only that, the fee is tax deductible..POW... music to my ears...lol... They have 2 theaters the megadome (dome shaped) and the planetarium which is like and IMAX screen. We didn't get to see the famous telescopes this time which is ok. OH and the coolest part is that they have the "Challenger Learning Center" where you learn in a simulated enivroment. They have different missions for you to choose from. On the weekends they are open til 10pm so you can stargaze, how fun does that sound? To end the day we bought some astronaut icecream and enjoyed it on the way home...yeee and no mess for me to clean up!!! YEEE!!!
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Nice place to go with older kids, not toddlers and may of the exhibits are above their level. This is not the children's museum. Educational exhibits, are excellent, visuals are great, and the programs are good. This is an underutilized place that is a gem in the Oakland hills.
I visited for the first time in 15 years this past Sunday afternoon.
I was pleased by:
. Not crowded and less expensive than Exploratorium.
. The film "Astronaut." It focuses on what living in space does to your body, etc. They're finally going beyond the perspective of "we live on earth and oh, my, look at the constellations." Oh and...Ewan McGregor narrates it (*sigh*).
. Living in Space had some cool exhibits. I always wondered what was inside a space suit....
. I might be tempted to come back for the free telescope viewing Friday & Saturday nights.
Could use improving:
. Pluto is still a planet. Seriously?!?!
. Most permanent exhibits aren't terribly exciting for adults, but it's still better than what I saw at Yuri's Night at NASA Ames Research Center last year.
. Unless you're there with kids, don't bother with the first floor exhibits.
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A really cool place to visit ! The drive up there is beautiful, and the views from the top are also breathtaking ! Be sure to check out the schedule of the shows online before going. The egypt show, and the immersive space is awesome ! I also like the dinosaur movie. So for 14.95 you get one planetarium show and one big screen movie. Also, afterward, you can stroll out in the telescope viewing area and see some cool planets etc from the 3 giant telescopes they have. All in all, its a great experience. They also have tonnes of displays inside, its set up like a space museum, fun for all ages !
These days saturn is visible, so check it out if you get the chance, highly recommended !
Went here to today with one of my kiddos, and it was a great place to go on a rainy day. I think for my daughter (3yrs) the displays were way above her level. The artifacts from the Russian space activities was good, but the movies in the dome theaters are worth the price of admission. My 3 year old sat for almost an hour, in silence, and watched the movie about oceans. For a rainy day adventure, this place is great.
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I was one of those kids whose biggest wish was to go to Space Camp. I even forced my family to reroute a vacation so I could go to the Kennedy Space Center. My inner astronomy geek self LOVED being here.
I was here for a special event screening with Timothy Ferris. After watching his Seeing In the Dark movie and some Q&A (in the planetarium - which is a great space) we got to the REALLY exciting part of the night. The telescopes.
I freakin' saw the rings on Saturn. I saw the moons. I saw a white dwarf. I saw the Clown Face nebula. Never have I had the chance to check things out through more powerful telescopes than I could buy at a local science supply store and set up in my backyard.
Plus there were tons of volunteers walking around just excited as can be to share their knowledge with you. Some guy with a PhD in astrophysics spent a long time talking to us and pointing out interesting things in the sky and explaining why stars twinkle and planets usually don't.
Even though this place is hidden waaaaayyyy up in the hills there is still a fair amount of light pollution. It's still cool though. Extra bonus points for the three telescopes being open to the public on Friday & Saturday nights (weather permitting).
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