Address
557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito, Ca. 94965
Phone Number
(415) 33 3900
Date Visited
12/31/2015
Website
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Description
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is locaat 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito, California. It is located at Fort Baker, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Note that Google Maps provides the best directions when you input Bay Area Discovery Museum, not the Reynolds Road address into the search field.Handicapped parking is located in the first row of the paved parking lot, close to the Entrance Pavillion. If parking is not aavailable in the paved section of the lot you hhave to park on the grass.
Paths and walkways are paved, and fairly flat. Some play areas are grassy. The Entry Pavillion, as well as all buildings are easily accessible by steps and/or a ramp.
Multi-stall, handicapped-accessible restrooms, with baby-changing stations, are located in the Entry Pavillion, Tot Spot, Exhibit Hall and next to the Art Sutdio, across from the Cafe.
Benches can be found both indoors and out. The Bean Sprouts Cafe offers healthy, kid-focused food. There are also outdoor picnic tables near Lookout Cove.
- Surface of lot: paved
Distance to venue: close
Transportation to venue offered: no
Terrain: flat
Places to rest: not outside of venue
Paths and walkways: paved
Doors: street-level, double doors
Number of floors: one floor in each indoor venue
Elevators: no
Ramps: to all buildings
Steps and staircases: some buildings have steps
Width of aisles: plenty of room
Places to sit: benches througout
Location of restrooms: at Entry Pavillion, Tot Spot, Exhibit Hall, next to Art Studio, across from Cafe
Type of restroom: multi-stall, handicapped-accessible
Ease of entry and exit: OK
Baby changing station: yes
Available food services: Bean Sprouts Cafe
Friendliness of staff: Very friendly and helpful
New Year’s Eve day (12/31) brought us to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We had expected it to be fairly empty, but much to our surprise, the parking lot was packed! So full that we had to park on the grass (muddy from the rain), and a good distance from the entrance. If you have a handicapped permit there are spaces in the first row of the lot, close to the entrance.
Had I taken Destination:Accessible’s advice and checked the Museum’s website before going, we would have known that the Museum celebrated the New Year at noon (Noon Year’s Eve) on that day with a kid friendly celebration, bringing a lot of members to celebrate. As it turned out it was fun to see. While music played, a large ballon ball and confetti dropped at noon from a second floor balcony in the center of the main area. Mark and I thought, “Quite cute,” but our twenty-month old granddaughter was not ready for such festivities. She was not at all interested. Maybe next year, or the year after that.
2016 celebrates the Museum’s 25th anniversary. The converstion of a series of abandoned Army buildings in historic Fort Baker was turned into a “one-of-a-kind, indoor and outdoor facility under the Golden Gate Bridge. On 7.5 acres of National Park land, the BADC facilitates child-directed, open-ended, inquiry-driven learning through hands-on exhibitions, rich activities, and risk-friendly challenges designed to ignite creativity, as well as STEM skills and critical thinking. With an emphases on learning through play, the Museum works to ignite and advance creative thinking for all children. ” (website)
We made our way from the parking area to the street level, double-door Entry Pavillion, where everyone must stop to purchase tickets. We also found the gift shop. Our young charge promptly sat down ie of the kiddy chairs that were for sale and refused to get up. Guess what we purchased?
We got a map of the area, which helped us get around. Our first stop was the “Tot Spot,” a building and outdoor area for toddlers under 42″. This is the only exhibit that is for a specific group based on height. The outdoor splash area is grobably great for warm days, not so great for the the cold, cloudy day we had. If you are planning to stop there think about having a second set of clothing for your toddler.
After drying off from the water play, we checked out some of the other pavillions. “Bay Hall” has trains and boats on the Wharf. “Lookout Cove” is a great outdoor area that Ivy will surely like as she gets older.
We saw the art studios, “Discovery Hall, ” Discovery Theater,and stopped for a snack at “Bean Sprouts Cafe,” The variety of spaces and activities seem to provide a great many things fords to experience. As we walked the paved “”streets”” bubbles were being blown in a variety of locations, one could stop and play the drums , one of several xylophones (Ivy loved these), or even try a maze.
There is so much to see and do here, but sure to check out what’s doing on their website.
Multi-stall, handicapped-accessible restrooms, with baby-changing stations are located at the Entry Pavillion, Tot Spot, Exhibit Hall, and next to the Art Studio across from the Cafe.
The Museum says that their “mission is to ignite and advance creative thinking for all children. Let your child lead the way as they play in the exhibitions.” (website) We followed that advice and had a great time!
We can’t wait to go back, hopefully on a less crowded and warmer, day.
Oops, almost forgot, there are seats throughout the venue and outdoor picnic tables by “Lookout Cove.”
As always, we at Destination Accessible advise you to check a venues website, www.baykidsmuseum.org, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”
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