Exploratorium Reviews

The Event Manager and Event Team were so easy to work with throughout the planning process. They responded so quickly and accommodated endless requests. As a planner, I have worked at many venues before, and I've never had a team assist with unloading and loading my car like them. They never complained and were always willing to help. Everything ran so smoothly and was executed so effortless throughout the wedding. It is an amazing option as a venue, and you will not be disappointed with the quality of service provided.

The Fisher Bay Observatory & Terrace at the Exploratorium was the perfect venue for our September wedding. It was perfect for our outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour overlooking the bay during golden hour, followed by our indoor ceremony in a modern space with floor to ceiling glass windows showing the Bay Bridge lit up at night. We were looking for some place unique and fell in love when we saw the kids playing at the exhibits during our first walk through. Our guests had free admission to the Exploratorium prior to the wedding, and we had a fun time taking newlywed photos wherever we wanted after the museum closed. Most importantly, Katie, Billy, and Lauren had such close communication with us, our wedding coordinator, and all the vendors throughout the entire process, everything went so smoothly.

We held our 40th wedding anniversary celebration in the Fisher Bay Observatory on June 9. it was a sit down dinner for 130 people with a cocktail reception and then dancing on the terrace. The setting was SPECTACULAR!! So many of our guests commented on how beautiful the view was. The staff at the Exploratorium was so helpful and easy to work with. We've hosted a lot of parties over the years, and honestly, this was the best experience we have ever had with a venue. We will for sure have our next anniversary celebration there--the whole evening was beyond amazing!!

Great venue and staff! Made last minute changes on the spot , with a great attitude!

The Exploratorium team is so fabulous and friendly, and they do everything they can to be helpful and accommodating.

The venue is unique, memorable, and requires minimal decor/activations because it is, in itself, a fun and beautiful activation! Plus the views are exquisite. Highly recommend to couples looking for something different and interesting!

Our wedding at the Exploratorium was absolutely perfect! We knew we were looking for a unique wedding venue that let our personalities shine through and we found just that in the Exploratorium’s quirky vibe and spectacular views. After our initial tour, Katie and the rest of the staff really went above and beyond to make sure our event was everything we hoped it would be and more. Everyone on staff was incredibly responsive and communicative throughout our planning process. Katie recommended excellent catering and planning professionals that worked flawlessly with the venue and staff. As our date approached, we were able to tour our rental space with our planning crew multiple times so we knew everything would run smoothly. To top it off, Katie arranged for some of our favorite exhibits from around the Exploratorium to be brought into our reception space. The exhibits were a hit with the guests and got people talking who would otherwise never have struck up a conversation. We have heard from several guests that our wedding is now the gold-standard and that’s because the entire Exploratorium crew worked tirelessly to make our night magical. Thank you so much for an unforgettable wedding!

My husband and I have had the pleasure of being a part of several events at The Exploratorium. The absolute care and attention to detail is second-to-none. We are actually wedding photographers in real-life, and are fortunate to be a part of some very special gatherings around the Bay Area. The Exploratorium and its staff are something special. Not only is the location unique and one-of-a-kind, it is also located in one of the most convenient parts of San Francisco. The ability to have your guests arrive by Ferry, train, car, bus, or maybe even a rickshaw? It's one of those things that some couples overlook when they decide on a venue. On the Embarcadero you have all of these options at your disposal.
Another incredible plus is the preferred vendors they have access to. During every event we have attended, the catering has been superb, the decor trendy, yet classic, the florals stunning, and the entertainment top flight.
We encourage every couple considering a one-of-a-kind wedding to really explore everything these folks have to offer.

I had my wedding at the Exploratorium in September of 2018. The night could not have been a more magical evening. The staff were so accommodating, professional, and literally were one step ahead of every process. I did not have to worry about a SINGLE thing. The ability of their team to work together, and execute such a big gathering (with many moving parts, such as: tech, different set-ups for different areas, food, bar, ect) was exceptional. We had some family pieces we wanted to integrate such as wine collection being served. Each table had a selection which was a hit! They even saved some of the bottles for us to use as keepsakes. They also customized special drinks that we wanted and made a cute menu at the bar! The tech ability was amazing- we had a powerpoint going the whole time of me and my husband, we had wonderful lighting for each "vibe" of the event (i.e dinner, dancing, cocktail hour), and not to mention an amazing sounds system! The view is one of a kind. It was a full glass box looking out to the Bay bridge and Bay- it was sparkly and to this day my guests still talk about how spectacular it was. It was my dream wedding, and I couldn't of done it without the amazing staff and event team at the EXPLO. 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

My husband and I threw a wedding reception at the Exploratorium. We couldn’t have been more happy with the experience. Our guests still mention how extraordinary it was to be drinking and dancing at the museum, along with so many incredible interactive exhibits. When it came to logistics the Exploratorium team was so helpful and accommodating. We would recommend this as a wedding venue without reservations.

We loved having our wedding ceremony and reception at the Exploratorium!
- Space: The museum galleries were large spacious rooms that didn't feel too open where your guests would get lost because we could control the flow of our guests from one room to another so that they could experience all of the exhibits while staying close to the party.
- Exhibits: Fun and available throughout the night! Great reception venue if your guests have kids - we got a lot of positive feedback from our guests with young children who loved that their kids were entertained the whole night
- Ambiance: Along with our other vendors (i.e. florist, caterer, etc), the reception area was created to have a contemporary, upscale, warm feeling
- Service: Katie (the museum service/events coordinator) was fantastic to work with! Very accommodating (esp. when our family/bridal party needed extra space/rooms) and worked very collaboratively with our other vendors
- Views of the Bay and SF: Couldn't ask for a better location if you want beautiful views of the bay, the Bay Bridge, and the SF city skyline. Especially since we booked the Fisher Bay and Observatory Gallery which overlooks the water.
- Uniqueness: 10/10! My husband and I are both engineers who went to elementary school together and used to visit the Exploratorium (in it's old location) for field trips as kids. Getting married around the same hands-on science exhibits was perfect and unlike any other wedding we've been to!
- Location: Very close (walking distance) to hotels, the Ferry Building, other SF tourist landmarks which was great for our guests

The only negatives for us: - Timing! Because the museum is open to the public in the day, there is very limited/strict time for vendors to enter and exit to set up and break down. This means our vendors had to add extra resources to set up fast enough. Also, our wedding start time had to wait until after the museum closed which meant a late dinner (compared to other weddings if this is something you care about or if it's a problem for some guests). Lastly, we (and our guests) felt like the night flew by and we wish we had more time to enjoy the exhibits and everything the museum had to offer. Definitely recommend not having too many planned "wedding activities" (i.e. we didn't do a cake cutting and had a very short ceremony) so that you and your guests have time to enjoy the space. All things considered, we were willing to accept these limitations for all the great positives above!