Touted as the largest computer-history exhibition in the world, this museum has rotating exhibits drawn from its 100,000-item collection. Artifacts range from the abacus to the iPod, including Cray-1 supercomputers, a Babbage difference engine (a Victorian-era automatic computing engine) and the first Google server.
Computer History Museum
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.66 MILES
Since at least the 1980s, if you stroll through San Francisco's Mission District you've likely noticed the neighborhood's profusion of colorful murals and…
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23.93 MILES
Just over a dozen miles southeast of Pescadero State Beach, Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve is home base for one of the world's largest mainland breeding…
28.45 MILES
Stargazers will go gaga over this kid-oriented science and technology center in the Oakland Hills with loads of exhibits on subjects such as space travel…
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29.23 MILES
The breezy, grassland slopes of 475ft Bernal Hill are decidedly non-touristy, and hiking them on a clear day offers 360-degree city views, along with rare…
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28.14 MILES
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28.4 MILES
Every museum has an educational mission, and this one is dedicated to California. You'll find rotating exhibitions on artistic and scientific themes, and…
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6.79 MILES
Definitely the most interesting tech visitor center in the area. You'll be met by an army of Geniuses in red shirts offering information from how to use…
29.02 MILES
The Bay Area hits the big time here, with gallery director Ed Gilbert continuing Anglim's 30-year legacy of launching art movements, from Beat assemblage…
Nearby attractions
0.66 MILES
Though there are no official tours of the Googleplex, visitors can stroll the campus and gawk at the public art on the leafy grounds, where scads of…
5.01 MILES
A campus landmark at the east of the Main Quad, the 285ft-high Hoover Tower offers superb views. The tower houses a university library, offices and part…
5.18 MILES
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5.29 MILES
The Cantor Center for Visual Arts is a beautiful large museum originally dating from 1894. Its collection spans works from ancient civilizations to…
6.55 MILES
At Intel's headquarters, this museum has displays on the birth and growth of the computer industry with special emphasis, not surprisingly, on microchips…
6.79 MILES
Definitely the most interesting tech visitor center in the area. You'll be met by an army of Geniuses in red shirts offering information from how to use…
7. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
7 MILES
Nobel Prize–winning scientific discoveries have been made at this 2-mile-long linear accelerator – the world's longest – built in the mid-1960s…
9.61 MILES
This ridiculous yet fascinating Victorian mansion is filled with 160 mostly non-utilitarian rooms with dead-end hallways and a staircase that runs up to a…