CuriOdyssey
A nonprofit science museum and zoo at Coyote Point in San Mateo, with native wildlife and hands-on physics.
Acerca de
Coyote Point juts into the bay just north of San Mateo, and at the end of Coyote Point Drive, past the marina and the county park's eucalyptus groves, sits CuriOdyssey, a nonprofit science museum and zoo. Public histories date the institution to 1954 as the San Mateo County Junior Museum, with decades as the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education before the CuriOdyssey name arrived in 2011. Laurel Miranda is the vice president on file for this listing.
Animals, physics and a playground
The zoo side keeps about seventy live animals, most of them native California wildlife that cannot be returned to the wild. The science side is hands-on, anchored by Whooosh!, a physics-in-action playground where children move air, water and objects to see forces at work. Around those run the programs the museum lists: summer camps, school workshops, animal presentations, First Friday Nights once a month for evening visits, and Sensory Sundays with reduced noise and crowding for neurodivergent visitors. Memberships cover repeat visits, and the museum takes part in Museums for All, which offers reduced admission to families using EBT.
Planning a visit
Check the museum's website for the day's hours and last-entry time before you drive out, since the point is a dead end and there is nothing else to fall back on. Ask about the day's animal presentation schedule when you arrive; they are the reason to time a visit. Strollers and wheelchairs manage the site, which the museum says was laid out on universal design principles, and the playground is accessible. Bring layers: the bay wind on the point is steady even in summer. Teachers should ask about workshop dates and school-group booking well ahead, and anyone with a sensory-sensitive child should ask which Sunday is the next Sensory Sunday.
Coyote Point and the Peninsula
The museum is inside Coyote Point Recreation Area, off Highway 101 on the bay side of San Mateo. Families come from Burlingame, Foster City, Belmont, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Carlos and Redwood City, and it is a common school-trip destination across San Mateo County.
The museum answers 650-342-7755, the same number that appears on its website, where tickets, camps and membership are handled.
Servicios
VerificadoAbout seventy live animals, most of them native species that cannot be returned to the wild, in habitats along the point, with keeper talks and animal presentations on a daily schedule.
Hands-on physics exhibits anchored by the Whooosh! Physics-in-Action Playground, where children push, pour and launch things to see forces, air and water behave.
Week-long summer camps for children and curriculum-linked workshops for visiting school groups, booked through the museum's education office well ahead of the date.
Designated Sunday mornings with reduced noise, crowds and stimulation so neurodivergent children and adults can explore the exhibits and animals comfortably.
A monthly evening opening with the exhibits and animal areas lit for after-work visits, aimed at families who cannot make daytime hours and at adults without children.
Annual household memberships covering repeat admission, plus reduced-cost admission through the Museums for All program for families using EBT benefits.
Detalles
Ubicación y zona de servicio
San Mateo, CA 94401-1002
Preguntas frecuentes
Típico de este tipo de negocioWhat is there for a toddler versus a ten-year-old?
Toddlers gravitate to the animals and the accessible playground; older children get more from the Whooosh! physics exhibits and the animal presentations. Ask at the desk for the day's presentation times and plan the visit around them.
Is the museum good for a child with sensory sensitivities?
The museum runs Sensory Sundays with lower noise and smaller crowds, and says the site was designed on universal design principles. Ask which Sunday is next and whether quiet spaces are available on ordinary days.
How do school groups book a workshop?
Through the museum's education office, which schedules curriculum-linked workshops and self-guided visits. Book early in the school year, and ask about bus parking at Coyote Point and the group check-in procedure.
Can I get in at reduced cost?
The museum participates in Museums for All, which offers reduced admission to visitors who show an EBT card. Members enter on their membership; check the website for current admission and last-entry time.
Antes de contratar
- Check the day's hours and last-entry time on the website before driving out to the point
- Ask for the animal presentation schedule on arrival and time your visit around it
- Bring a windproof layer; the bay breeze on Coyote Point is constant
- For school groups, book workshops early and ask about bus parking
- If reduced admission applies, bring your EBT card for Museums for All
Resumen en español
Museo de ciencias y zoológico sin fines de lucro en Coyote Point, en San Mateo, CuriOdyssey reúne unos setenta animales vivos, en su mayoría fauna nativa de California que no puede volver a la naturaleza, con exhibiciones interactivas de física como el parque Whooosh!. Ofrece campamentos de verano, talleres escolares, presentaciones con animales, noches de First Friday y los Sensory Sundays para visitantes neurodivergentes, además de membresías y admisión reducida mediante Museums for All. Consulte el horario y la última entrada en su sitio web antes de ir. Recibe familias de Burlingame, Foster City, Belmont y Redwood City. Teléfono 650-342-7755.
Los datos marcados como verificados se comprobaron el 29 de septiembre de 2026 con curiodyssey.org. Los demás datos vienen de registros comerciales públicos o describen lo típico de este tipo de negocio, según se indica. El negocio aún no los ha confirmado.
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