Bay Area Cultural Field Trips

These bay area cultural field trip destinations have been recommended by homeschooling parents and kids. If you have a favorite that isn't listed here please call us at 650-365-9425 or E-mail Homefires Editor. While we hope that this information is accurate, please do call to confirm.

African American Art & Culture Complex

762 Fulton Street, Suite #300, San Francisco, CA
Telephone: 415-922-2049
Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday, 12 noon - 5:00 p.m.

Promotes and supports African and African American art and culture. Call for event schedule, fees.

All About Chinatown! Walking Tours

660 California (at Grant Ave.), San Francisco, CA
Tour Departs from Old St. Mary's Cathedral
Telephone: 415-982-8839
E-mail for Details
Hours: Tours depart daily at 10:00 a.m. (2-hour tour)
Fee: Tour only -- $28.00/adult, $15.00/child (ages 6-17);
Fee: Tour & Lunch -- $40.00/adult, $27.00/child (ages 6-17)
Children under 6 are free.

A behind-the-scenes tour of Chinatown with native Linda Lee. See a private Buddhist temple, unusual herb shop, fortune cookie factory, tea room, food markets, and a historical museum. 7-day advance reservation recommended.

Asian Art Museum

200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA
Phone: 415-581-3775
Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday; Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Closed Monday
Admission: $12.00/adult, $7.00/youth ages 12-17,
Children under age 12 free.
Free admission first Tuesday of every month.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian Art, with a collection of over 17,000 artworks spanning 6,000 years of history. Permanent collections showcasing arts of over 40 Asian countries. Traveling exhibitions too.

The Bamboo Garden - Japanese Cultural Center

Foothills College 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA
Hours: Open all from sunrise to sunset.
Admission: Free ($2.00 in quarters required for campus parking.)

Visit the gardens and learn about Japanese culture from the volunteer staff. The garden has been continually expanded and now contains over 70 varieties of bamboo planted on a two acre landscaped site. Bamboo gardens are open daily for self-guided tours.

Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA
Telephone: 415-986-1822
Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Center may be open at other times for classes or events.
Admission: Free.

Changing exhibits of Chinese art and cultural artifacts. Chinatown walking tours - call for fee.

Chinese Historical Society of America

965 Clay Street, San Francisco, CA
Telephone: 415-391-1188
Hours: Tuesday - Friday noon - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday & Monday
Admission: $3.00/adults, $2.00/students, $1.00/children (6-17).
Children 5 and under free.
Free to the public on the first Thursday of every month

The Society is the first such Chinese American historical society in North America. Houses the largest collection of Chinese American artifacts in the country. Traces the experiences of the Chinese American from the 1850s to the present. Features graphical panels with English and Chinese captions.

COPIA - The American Center for Wine Food & the Arts

500 First Street, Napa, CA
Telephone: 707-259-1600
Hours: Wednesday - Monday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Closed Tuesday
Admission: $5.00/adults, $4.00/students, children 12 and under free
Half-Price Wednesdays for Sonoma and Napa County Residents

COPIA discovery center explores, the benefits of wine, its relationship to food and its significance to our culture. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, COPIA offers visitors exceptional food tasting programs, art exhibitions and 3 ½ acres of organic edible gardens. The Edible Gardens are cared for using organic and biodynamic methods, without synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides.

Fortune Cookie Factory

261 12th Street, Oakland, CA
Telephone: 510-832-5552
Tour hours: Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Reservations needed for groups larger than 10.
Cost: $1 per person. No age restrictions.

Offers 15-30 minutes tour to see how a fortune cookie is made. The Fortune Cookie Factory, makes over 50,000 fortune cookies daily, shipping them to destinations as far as Australia, England, Japan and Hong Kong.

Hakone Gardens

21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA
Telephone: 408-741-4994
Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays; 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekends
Admission: $5.00/adults, $3.50/students (5-17), children 4 and under are free.

Considered to be the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. Created in 1917 by gardener who worked for the Emperor. Imported dwarf pines and maples, curving pathways that wind past 2 tea houses, stone lanterns, koi ponds, wisteria arbors. Self guided tours available.

Mee Mee Bakery

1328 Stockton Street, (between Broadway and Vallejo) San Francisco, CA
Telephone: 415-362-3204
Hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Reservations: Not needed.
Cost: Free

Small children must be accompanied by an adult on this 5-10 minute tour to see how fortune cookies are made. This is really fun in the cramped, tiny space. The proprietors do a heavy sales pitch to get you to buy cookies -- which is okay cause they are so cheap.

The Mexican Museum

151 3rd Street, (Fort Mason Center, Building D), San Francisco, CA
Telephone: 415-202-9700
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: $3.00 - $4.00

Houses collections and exhibits of the artistic expressions of Mexican and Latino people. The Mexican Museum is the only art museum in the Bay Area dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the work of Latino artists.

Napa Valley Museum

55 Presidents Circle, Yountville, CA
Telephone: 707-944-0500
Hours: Open Daily 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Closed Tuesday.
Admission Fee: $4.50/general, $3.50/students, $2.50/kids (7-17), under 7 Free.

Museum concentrates on the culture, art and history of Napa Valley and its people. Ongoing exhibit: California Wine: The Science of an Art integrates science, agriculture, history, physiology and wine technology, in a multimedia program.

Oakland Museum of California

1000 Oak Street, (at 10th Street), Oakland, CA
Telephone: 510-238-2914
Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Monday & Tuesday
First Friday of each month open until 9 p.m.
Admission Fee: $8.00/adults, $5.00/students, children under 6 are free.
Free admission the second Sunday of each month.

Houses major collections of California culture, history and art with an emphasis on environment and ecology. Public offerings include festivals, family programs, tours, symposia and lectures.

Sonoma County Museum

425 7th Street, Santa Rosa, CA
Telephone: 707-579-1500
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: $5.00/adults, $2/students, Children under 12 free.

Changing exhibits, call for schedule. The Sonoma County Museum is home to the largest collection of preparatory works in the nation by renowned environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Since the opening of the Sonoma County Museum in 1985, the Museum's collection has expanded from the original 3,500 artifacts to nearly 25,000 items.