Rainy days provide occasions to visit indoor educational venues. San Francisco has much to offer in that respect. Visit the Musee Mecanique to explore and learn about its collection of mechanical musical machines and old arcade games. Bring the kids to Zeum while all of you learn about technology and the digital arts. Not only can you fit in educational trips, but you can also relieve some pent-up energy by rock climbing at Touchstone Mission Cliffs Gym.
Technology Museum
Zeum is a hands-on museum for children, providing opportunities to learn about technology and multimedia arts. Although geared for children, the many activities will also interest parents. At the Animators Studio you can learn about animation and create your own animations, which you can bring home on a DVD. At the Music Production Lab, you can choose from more than 2,000 songs to create your family's own unique music video that you can also bring home to share with neighbors and friends. Children get to explore the world of digital creations at the Digital Workshop, where they use eMac computers to design their own illustrations and manipulate photos. You can paint with light at the Roundabout Theater. View various visual effects while you dance at Studio Z.
Zeum
221 Fourth St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-820-3320
www.zeum.org
Mechanical Machines Museum
Escape the rain at the Musee Mecanique, one of the largest privately owned mechanically operated machines collection in the world. The collector's name is Edward Galland Zelinsky. Over the years, he has collected more than 300 machines, which range from orchestrions to small bird boxes. While walking and exploring the museum, you can see all sorts of mechanisms, ranging from turn-of-the-century hand-cranked music boxes to modern arcade games.
Musee Mecanique
Pier 45
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-346-2000
www.museemechanique.org
European and Ancient Art
The Legion of Honor is part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the largest arts institute in San Francisco and one of the largest in the United States. It offers you the opportunity to learn about European and ancient art. Notable exhibitions include Rodin's Thinker and the Skinner Organ. Rodin's Thinker was first conceived around 1880 to depict the poet Dante. But as it evolved, it began to represent all poets. The Skinner Organ was built in 1924, with pipes as long as 32 feet and as short as half an inch.
Legion of Honor
100 34th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121
415-750-3600
legionofhonor.famsf.org
Learn About Earth
The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to find ways to protect and explain the natural world. As you explore and walk around the vast 412,000 square foot institute, you will learn about underwater life at the aquarium, the universe at the planetarium, the rainforest at the four-story indoor rainforest and history at the natural history museum. In addition to providing a public venue for learning about Earth, the Academy is also an international leader in scientific research and education. This living museum was built with renewable resources, including a 2.5-acre Living Roof, a solar canopy, a water reclamation system, and recycled blue jeans used as insulation between the walls.
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr.
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-379-8000
www.calacademy.org
Rock Climbing Indoors
The Mission Cliffs gym is the original gym built by Touchstone in 1995. This Touchstone gym offers great physical exercise indoors with its 50-foot-high climbing wall. You don't have to be an expert to climb here, as the wall has different slopes for different levels of climbers. There is a gentle slope for beginners and a steep slope to challenge experts. Not only can you climb at this gym, but you can also do some weight training and indoor cycling.
Touchstone Climbing & Fitness
2295 Harrison St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-550-0515
www.touchstoneclimbing.com/mc.html
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