Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
180 Woz Way
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 298-5437
www.cdm.org
Built on the concept that children learn better when they’re active in the process, this museum has a lot of interactive exhibits, ranging from technology to the arts.  The purple building is hard to miss in downtown San Jose.

Intel Museum
2200 Mission College Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95052
(408) 765-0503
www.intel.com/museum
The Intel Museum focuses on the history of both the Intel Corporation and Silicon Valley as a whole.  One exhibit explains the creation of a computer chip.  Admission is free.

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
1342 Naglee Ave
San Jose, CA 95191
(408) 947-3636
www.egyptianmuseum.org
This museum has one of California’s most extensive collections of ancient Egyptian art and artifacts. There’s a replica of a tomb, a garden of palms and papyrus, and a few mummies on hand.  There’s also a planetarium that focuses on ancient astronomers.

San Jose History Park
1650 Senter Rd
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 287-2290
www.historysanjose.org
The museum has twenty-five acres of exhibits outdoors focusing on San Jose and the Valley’s history, including a replica of San Jose’s original Main Street, a fire station, and a working old-fashioned ice-cream parlor. The site also boasts an exhibit gallery and hosts special events.

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
110 Paseo de San Antonio
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 971-0323
www.sjquiltmuseum.org
This downtown museum is the oldest quilting museum in the country.  It has a rotating display of international textiles both antique and contemporary.

Tech Museum of Innovation
201 South Market St
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 294-8324
www.thetech.org
This museum has all the bells, whistles, and then some, all in a bright orange package.  Lasers, robots, bobsled simulators, and more in a bunch of interactive exhibits, along with an Imax theater.

Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 321-1004
www.moah.org
This museum has a ton of popular American memorabilia with interesting info about who and how they were created.  Tinker toys, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, and more get profiled.