Perched in the hills above the UC campus, the Lawrence Hall of Science is both a hands-on science museum and the place to come for bay views that most tourists never find. Founded in 1968 to honour Ernest Lawrence — UC Berkeley's first Nobel laureate, who invented the cyclotron — it is aimed at families and school groups but engages adults just as well.
The exhibits cover biology, chemistry, astronomy, robotics, and Earth science. There is a life-sized fin whale model hanging outside the building, a planetarium, and Science on a Sphere — an interactive globe that displays real-time Earth data in ways that are genuinely illuminating. The Insect Zoo keeps things visceral for younger visitors.
The views from the terrace outside are as good as anything in the Bay Area. On a clear day you can see from the Golden Gate to San Jose, with the bay laid out below you. Bring a picnic.