Palo Alto, an international leader in technology and innovation, is found in California’s bustling Santa Clara County. Along with dozens of parks, miles of hiking trails, and five libraries, Palo Alto offers a wide range of cultural and educational attractions. Covering subjects from aviation to zoos and including fine arts, history, and technology, there are countless museums and galleries to explore in the area. Volvo Cars Palo Alto created this list of six significant museums to visit near Palo Alto.
Hoover Tower
Hoover Tower is a distinctive landmark on the Stanford University campus. The tower stands 285 feet tall and offers panoramic views of the campus and local landscape, making this a popular location for family outings and scenic photos. Guests can visit the tower’s Library & Archives reading rooms, exhibition galleries, and the 14th-floor observation deck, which houses the famous Belgian carillon.
Herbert Hoover founded the Hoover Institution Library & Archives inside the tower before his presidency. The library stores documentation regarding global political, social, and economic change and contains nearly one million volumes of reference materials.
Hoover Tower’s current public exhibitions are Bread + Medicine: Saving Lives in a Time of Famine and Hoover@100: Ideas Defining a Century.
Parking lots are a short 10 to 15-minute walk from Hoover Tower, and parking rates are $4.46 per hour or $35.68 by the day.
Location: 550 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford.
Hours: Exhibition galleries and Hoover Tower are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reservations are required for entry.
Price: Free (parking fees may apply).
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, known as the Cantor Arts Center, is a museum on the Stanford University campus dating back to the university’s opening in 1891. The Cantor Arts Center features art galleries, sculptures, and over 15 special exhibitions annually. The museum offers free admission, tours, presentations, and kid-friendly activities.
You can easily spend a whole day exploring the art center’s permanent collection of over 38,000 international artworks dating from ancient to modern times. Exhibits include Indigenous American, early European, Asian, contemporary art, and other categories. The Cantor Arts Center also has a remarkable collection of Rodin bronze sculptures, including the outdoor Rodin Sculpture Garden.
Join one of the center’s free docent-led tours of the museum’s highlights, outdoor sculptures, or Auguste Rodin’s works, or explore the exhibits on your own.
Location: 328 Lomita Drive, Stanford.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
Price: Free.
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
Image via Palo Alto Junior Museum
Children of all ages will enjoy a trip to the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. Kids will be able to see over 50 species of animals, including the giant African spurred tortoise, raccoons, and flamingos. Along with traditional zoo exhibits, the museum also has hands-on science and nature activities.
Birds fly overhead within the zoo’s spacious netted enclosure containing a giant treehouse with rope bridges, ladders, and climbing platforms. The exhibit hall features interactive and kinesthetic attractions like ball machines and a log that children can crawl through right into the center of the meerkat exhibit. In the Wildlife Circle exhibit, guests can chat with zookeepers, learn about the animals’ lifestyles and habitats, and participate in feedings.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
Location: 1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
Price: Tickets are $10 per person, and infants under 12 months old are free. Limited complimentary passes are available at Palo Alto Libraries.
The Museum of American Heritage
Palo Alto is in Silicon Valley and immersed in the world of technology. High-tech enthusiasts will enjoy The Museum of American Heritage (MOAH), which explores the evolution of technological innovation between 1750 and 1950. The MOAH’s goal is to share artifacts demonstrating the influence of innovation on the modern world, and it has thousands of fascinating items in its collection.
The family-friendly museum features exhibits, programs, and events. Several permanent exhibits include an early 20th-century kitchen and general store. The current temporary exhibition is Around the World: A Collection of Vintage Global Artifacts.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday.
Location: 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto.
Price: Free (suggested donation is $5 per person).
Hiller Aviation Museum
Stanley Hiller Jr. was an inventor and leader in helicopter design who founded the Hiller Aviation Museum in 1998. The museum displays aircraft and aviation exhibits and offers a variety of programs for children and adults. Visitors can see vintage aircraft, prototypes, and futuristic designs throughout the museum. You can also explore hands-on exhibits like a first-class cabin section and cockpit of a Boeing 747-100 or a flight simulator of a Wright Model B aircraft.
On weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., kids can put their creativity to work in the Invention Lab, where they can participate in scientific activities like programming and robotics. Both children and adults will enjoy special programs like the sky show or drone workshops.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Location: 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos.
Price: Admission fees are $19 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, and $12 for youths ages 5 to 17. Children 4 and under are free with a paying adult.
Moffett Field Historical Society Museum
The Moffett Field Historical Society Museum is a volunteer-run non-profit aviation and aircraft museum. Moffett Field was an active military base until 1994 and today displays hundreds of relics depicting the development of aviation and Moffett Field’s military history.
Popular exhibits include a USS Macon airship and Hangar One display. Other exhibits feature the development of electronic warfare, WWII, Navy officers’ messes, and a historical uniform collection. Visitors can arrange a guided tour in advance with one of Moffett Field’s docents.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
Location: Building 126 Severyns Ave., Moffett Field.
Price: Adults are $8, seniors are $5, and youths ages 13 to 17 are $3. Children 12 and under are free.
Here’s our list of the museums to visit near Palo Alto. What do you think of our suggestions? Let us know by submitting our short form online or give us a call at (650) 353-4700. We’d love to hear which museums are your family’s favorites and what other attractions you enjoy in the Bay Area.