Reviews of Oakland Museum of California (Museum)

A C

I hadn't gone to this museum since I was a kid, so I was excited to see how they've updated it. I was really impressed with the breadth of both natural history of the region on top of the history you learn in school. It's definitely not too busy so if you want a quiet place to walk around it's a good option. It has easy access from BART but the parking was also easy. I also want to recommend going to their cafe. The food served is so unique and has depth of flavor that the price point seems like a bargain. I definitely felt like I had a gourmet experience when I was there. I might come back to try another dish some time soon!

Steve Guttbinder

Friday Nights at OMCA are where it's at! One of the best family friendly events there are in the bay area.

Tony Chang

There is a good variety of things at this museum. One floor is art, one floor is the history of California, and one floor is natural sciences. There's something for everyone and many of the exhibits have interactive elements. First Sunday of the month is free admission.

Brooke Sampson

Excellent California history exhibits and special exhibitions. Lots of interactive stations for guests of all ages to engage with the material. Museum shop and cafe both have great selections. A good outing for families.

Lablueeyez Moorehead

I like it cause my 7yr old i very entertained by the science exhibit and any of the interactive things.. I am bothered by the mislabeled baskets and things from Yurok hupa and misspelling of karuk tribal name.

aaron isaacson

Learned a lot about California history. Good place for kids, hands on exhibits that my 3 year old liked.

Noelle Boring

Been here twice, will go again! They usually have a special exibit that changes out. A lot larger than I expected the first time. Great survey of natural history and timeline of California! My favorite is the koi pond ad out door area.

Shamar Theus

Arguably Oakland's finest museum, covering an expansive area of California history and development. Visited most recently for the new Black Panther/Power exhibit which was recently added to the permanent collection and was very impressed with the quality and presentation of the materials. Great resource for the serious researcher and casual observer alike!

Tyoma By

Love this place.. Fun and interactive! Tickets are inexpensive.

William Hau

Good value in tickets. Was a rainy day in Oakland, so The OMC was a great choice. Lots of variety of exhibitions. Courteous staff. Easy to find.

Josephine P

The Queer California show was amazing, I really hope they bring this show back in some form. A total Oakland gem!

Erin Lamont

Cool history into the Oakwoods and the oak trees of Oakland

Elizabeth Johnson

This is one of the finest museums in the Bay area. It contains four separate sections: history, natural history, art, and a revolving exhibit. When I visited, the exhibit was on the history of queer populations. I learned so much on this visit and only wish I had time to go through all of the exhibits (I ended up skipping the history section). They're getting ready to remodel the large outdoor sculpture garden section as well.

DeAngela V

Enjoyed their rendition of Friday night at the museum

Guille Valdez

Lovely place to be. The museum is always wonderful with new displays and activities for all ages. My favorite thing is the Friday night music festivities.

Josiah Bragdon

Great museum with lots to see. You can spend an entire day exploring. The bottom 2 floors have lots of interactive exhibits that are great for kids. Friday nights at the OMCA are also a lot of fun!

Anna Leontine Ortiz

My first time here, came with my son and a few friends. Love this museum, many hands on areas. The layout was interesting. The employees clearly enjoy what they do and were eager to assist and explain certain things.

Estefani Jimenez

Awesome! Go Friday nights the have music and food trucks out front. Plus they sell booze!

Davey Wayvey

It's a great place to spend a few hours with lots of educational attractions. Must see.

Kaja Chavon Layton .

I forgot to post this... but I went with my dad, who was visiting from NY on a Friday night when they had the food trucks outside. Hands down, that's the best way to draw a crowd. The museum is wonderfully laid out, but we got distracted by all the things we didn't know about Oakland and the bay. The actual history section is very enlightening... some things ste very heavy and other things have long since been omitted from history classes in school.

Skylar Hayden

I come here with my partner nearly every Friday night for the Off The Grid gathering. So thankful for OMCA creating such a welcoming and fun community space on a weekly basis. Thank you! And of course we frequent the exhibitions, always excellent!

Zack Zlotoff

This is my favorite museum. They have permanent exhibits on history (my fav even though I'm not a history guy), art, and nature. They switch up the temporary exhibitions every few months and they're always great. Definitely worth stopping by here and/or becoming a member so you can go in and see the new exhibitions as they come in. If you're not a member, they have reduced prices every Friday night when they also have food trucks and live music.

Richard Lindsey

Fascinating, artifact filled, history of California, from original peoples through to modern day. Really enjoyed the cleverly designed and comprehensive exhibits and we all learned a lot! Parking lot was full but there was ample street parking on a Sunday. Museum also has extensive natural science exhibit and a very nice overview of Californa visual art. Highly recommended! Well worth a visit!

Louise Belcher

I don't actually go there but it sounds cool

Milford

A gem of a museum. Good access to BART and Lake Merritt. A good variety of content. I went for the Eames Exhibit and i really enjoyed the natural history hall with it's terrific dioramas and displays.

Elizabeth Burgio

always great things to see. a cute date spot.

Joshua Sanchez

Went for the Friday night food truck festival. The selection wasn't bad and their beer garden was decently priced. Shout-out to the docent that kicked me out. Sorry bud, I just assumed it was free. That's how we do it in SoCal. I would definitely come back if I had some extra cash. I do love museums and history.

Daniel Carvalho Pimenta

Not so big museum (compared to the Met) but a very fine collection. All three sections (history, arts, natural history) provides you a glimpse on what's that's all about.

Kyshadah Mc Gowan

Great new exhibits and Family fun on Friday nights the kids will love it and the off the grid food trucks be there too yummy

Joy Young

It is a great place to learn about the history of California and its native artists. There was a special exhibition on "The World of Charles and Ray Eames" when I visited. It seemed that most of the visiting patrons were viewing this exhibition.But there are other sections in this large museum dedicated to other topics. The historical part regarding the state was very enlightening. There was an exhibit featuring the works of the artist Ray Troll and paleontologist Kirk Johnson called "Cruising the Fossil Coastline" which was terrific. The Gallery of California Artists featured works by Californians. Another small section showed furnishings for homes.There are lots of moving parts in this museum. Spend some time going through all of them, if at all possible.

Brian Collins

Just a great local museum - expert staff, a good cafe, changing exhibits and a cluster of food trucks on Friday evenings.

Jack Dillé

What a lovely surprise this museum was. the exhibits were excellent and the architecture also quite refined. the cafe was reminiscent of a cafeteria but made up for it with a nice view of the little one outside. the California history exhibit was also quite thorough and informative.

Michael Hakes

Great museum and employees to help. Awesome exhibits and price

Rolando Rubio

Oakland Museum of California is one of the hidden gems of the bay area. They host fabulous exhibits that are always timely, interesting and highly educational. And on Friday durring the Off the Grid food truck event they host grate musician that provide a great sound track to a fun family friendly event. With half price admissions to the museum.

avery neal

This is really becoming a great museum. The art is great, the setup is nice, there's even places to sit and read. They have a cheap day that includes the special exhibit.

Ashley Everton

Went for Off the Grid on Friday dinner was a fantastic showing of trucks.

temi

There is great customer service because they are very welcoming and truly glad to have people at their Museum and Gift Shop. Many

Alexis Wah

Fun OMFN(Oakland Museum Family Night) every Friday night of the summer-live music, kid friendly activities

Andrew Stobie

Loved the history of rap and hop hop exhibit. The rest of it is a bit kiddy and lame. But man that hop hop exhibit is great to just walk through listen watch play chess

Joanna Roberts

Only got to the History party of the museum, but spent 3 hours enjoying the well presented history of California. I'll definitely be back! ♥️

C.J. Alicandro

The queer exhibit was formatted in an engaging way, had friendly helpful staff (thanks, Scotty), and kept my gaggle of gays interested for hours.

edgar botello

Fun Museum!! That's right, you hear it right, FUN! went on a field trip with my daughter's kindergarten class and they totally enjoyed it. Plenty of restrooms, interesting things, fun activities for the lil ones.

Avenall Simard

Lovely place to be.It is a great place to learn about the history of California and its native artists. Lots of interactive stations for guests of all ages to engage with the material. Museum shop and cafe both have great selections.

Hazel Mckinney

Excellent place to go on Friday night to eat at different Food Trucks and hear music.

Ruby Robertson

It is a great place to learn about the history of California and its native artists. There was a special exhibition on "The World of Charles and Ray Eames" when I visited. It seemed that most of the visiting patrons were viewing this exhibition. There are lots of moving parts in this museum. Spend some time going through all of them, if at all possible.

Elizabeth kubey

Awesome changing and permanent exhibits! Love the native plants in the garden areas

Warren Sampson

Went during the Eames exhibit, which was great. The exhibit on CA history was really enjoyable; it did a great job of transporting is through time. We loved it, our daughter loved it.

Jason Martin

A great and diverse museum that also offers free live music to the public every Friday evening.

Benjamin Chen

Local small museum with cool exhibitions every now and then.

TH3_R4ND0M_F4ND0M2 S.

Was fun seeing all types of stuff they got there, not just that but how much fun it was to see how people express themselves in different art forms, truly it's amazing

Michael Harrold

I loved the helpful staff and wide variety of curated content at this museum. From natural history to art galleries, this museum was amazing.

Louis Salerno

Always a good fun enlightening as well educational experience ...staff, including security, the exhibits and the first Sunday's make it truly worthwhile !!!

Rene

Currently Oakland has a queer exibit that is really good. Give yourself about 3 hrs and plan to watch a movie or two during the visit. I went to the art and history exibits also.

Dominic Strain

Great for a family, their Friday night live music events are amazing.

Dave Polanco

Enjoyed this giant museum. Could takes days if you plan to read all the info though

Jeremy Leo

Really great place to bring the children. There were a bunch of interactive displays and different areas other than just art. my boys got in free and I only had to pay my entrance. Before we knew it we had been there for over 4 hours and still didn't get to see everything.

Victor Brown

Great place to go! Love the events on Fridays too! Great vendors and sellers as well.

Jules Scott

Gorgeous museum with so much to see! Great for a day out, and the year membership was so adorable, especially in comparison to other museums. The LGBTQ exhibit was beyond words incredible

Audrianna Caldera

Very interesting. Very light foot traffic on weekdays, though you may run into school field trips. All California based history, nature and art. My son is 9 and loved it.

Maurice Simpson

Only been to the California history floor so far...you need at least 3h to fully take on that floor alone. It was way more informative and compelling than I anticipated. No matter how the other floors of Natural Sciences and Art turn out, it's already a win if you go.

Uriel

My visit was great. There was so much to see. There's a cafe and an outdoor area. it's also very accessible since it's only a short walk from Lake Meritt BART Station.

Anthony Lockhart

What an adventure! History and learning made fun. One of Oaklands greatest attractions.

DrAllen Amaro

Very educational. Fantastic historical displays. The interactive science experiences are very well designed. Highly recommended for ages 3 to 110!

Alam Fernandez

I love going to the OMCA on Fridays for their "Friday Nights at the Museum". My favorite floor is the California History Section. It's really eye opening to track the history of California, from tribal life to our civilization today.

Noam Ben-Ami

Creatively curated. A surprising gem and important community hub.

Calypso O'Reilly

I love this small, intense museum. There's great, illuminating interactive science exhibits and mind-opening art. Check out the rooftop sculpture garden, with views of the city and Lake Merritt.

Stacey Rosenfeld

Didn't explore the museum, but went to first Friday and it was awesome - great music, fun dancing, and chill vibes!! Highly recommend! (Wish there were some vegan food trucks, though)

Vinita Garnier

Great place for everyone. Love Friday nights at OM

jgtbraz Braz

Whenever I visit a new place or city I look for the local map to find out where is the best place to visit, including public places such as parks, streets, buildings and natural places such as beaches, rivers and lakes. . In the city of Oakland one of the places that everyone must visit is the Oakland Museum of California at Oak Street, 1000, Oakland, CA 94607, which is located in the middle of urban Oakland, east of downtown City. Tourists and locals walk through the Museum's different rooms and environments, observing the variety of items and things that showcase the arts, history, and habits of former city and state dwellers. It offers a solid and entertaining introduction to the art, culture, history and natural history of the state of California. The museum is well maintained and indeed offers good opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn and interact with the exhibits. The BART train station located near the building is also a good reason to visit. So, go and enjoy.

smui mui

Great educational place for the children. A good amount of interesting displays. Beautiful grounds to walk around. Natural history, art, photography... Prepare to spend half a day there.

Paul Gallivan

It has changed much since we were there 15 years ago. We really liked watching all the kids interact with the exhibits. And we still loved our adult learning.

Mark Sension

This is is usually the first place I take visiting friends and family. It offers a solid and fun introduction to the art, culture, history, and natural history of the State of California. It is superbly curated and provides opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn and interact with exhibits. Museum parking is cheap with validation, and it is easily accessible by BART.

Bi L

Came here for the queer California exhibition. It gave a pretty good comprehensive look at the lgbtq movement in California within the last century. Recommended for anyone that's interested in learning about this piece of history. Otherwise the museum itself has an interesting permanent collection. Food trucks available right outside. Oakland Chinatown food options also available 10min walk away.

Paul Pommells

It's a great museum. It has three floors. Visitors can see exhibits on California's natural history and learn how the land was formed. Califormia has seven different land regions which are beautifully photographed and explained. Visitors can also look at exhibits on the people who have populated Califormia. It is very informative. The history starts before California's colonial period. Exhibits include pictures and artifacts from tribes that lived in Northern and Southern California. Posts next to the exhibits detail the history of what happened to the people. And amazingly the exhibits on history even stretch into modern times. There are pictures and memorabilia from the 1950s, as well as the Civil Rights era, and from California's technological boom. And no visit to this museum would be complete without a stop at the third floor where visitors can gaze at a massive collection of art created in California. The art is inclusive of different peoples, media and time frames throughout the history of California.

Brad Bogus

This museum is INCREDIBLE! So much to see. We spent over 3 hours here and only got through half. Can't wait to go back.

swetha prashanth

Cool Friday nights at museums and lot of food, drinks , music and dancing! Art is natural and loved the photo booths free photography

Nikole D

Love coming here. The vibe, atmosphere, and community is so profound when you come here.

Douglas Chan-Wing

Great place to host a wedding and party all night

Wilson Wong

Great little museum. A true hidden treasures

Lindsey Meyer

If you live in Oakland and haven't been to this museum you're really missing out. There is sooo much to look at here. Everytime I come here with my husband & son we end up staying from opening until closing time. It's kinda sad that people don't take advantage of this wonderful museum....it's never been busy when we've gone even on a Saturday & the prices are very affordable...I really recommend visiting

Jacob Sloop

Super cool, went during the queer histories exhibit, such a beautiful thing. Also the rest of the museum is pretty great.

Dean B

Great place. Will have to go again to see everything

Helen Duffy

Wonderful interactive exhibits and family friendly Friday night dance scene.

Ron Silliman

The Queer California show was remarkably thorough! The history rooms likewise are good

Guyana Hand

Great selection of exhibits covering California history and culture. Their Black Power and LGBTQ exhibits were a highlight of my visit.

Rich McCartney

It's a very good California Museum. They have good period signs, but are lacking in specific item marking. Admission is quite reasonable. Has a cafe and beautiful grounds with gardens and koi pond.

Oscar Bermeo

OMC's California history feature is the standout with interactive and updated exhibitions on California's natural and social history. Great place for big and small groups to hang out. Off the Grid also has a Friday food truck party with revolving food choices, open air dancing, live bands/DJs and some exhibits available for free.

Pat Oungpasuk

A wonderfully curated museum that is fun, interactive, and engaging at all ages. The special exhibit is always interesting and relevant. And Friday Nights at the Museum can’t be beat with the food trucks and vibe.

Looper Dixon-Jenkins

Met this great guy a few years ago and ran inyo him by a mural that was painted in homage to the good deeds and acts of kindness he has become known for.

Tyler Richendollar

I was here for a community event, which, and this is a great thing, overlapped with at least two other community events. First, getting to the museum is incredibly easy. There's a BART station a block away, and a large, multi-level parking garage within. For a Friday night event, I paid $7 cash to park from 5:30 - 8:30pm. That is amazingly affordable. Once I arrived and parked, I walked toward my main event in a large auditorium. However, on the way, there was an Off the Grid food truck smorgasbord, a small community-based craft and gift sales, and live music. Since I was early, I got to enjoy those fun things of which I was completely unaware. The auditorium's event space was very nice. Quality sound system, comfortable seating, and good lighting. The event went smoothly with prompt support from museum staff as needed. After the event ended, the security staff let us know 10 minutes were left before the museum closed for the night -- I wandered by a couple families going into a rain forest exhibit right at the announcement, and I checked it out briefly. What a great place for kids and community! Would definitely go back for more events, especially if they have music and food trucks.

Ned Soares

Plan on spending more than 2 or 3 hours to appreciaye the depth and breadth ot the many displays.

Yesenia Cisneros

Great experience. I recommend looking at their website for more information about their events, especiallly on Friday's.

Ray Kuryla

I went to the Oakland Museum of California specifically to see the Eames exhibition (photo uploaded). Being interested in design of objects, I knew it would be interesting. I was glad the museum had the exhibition. The layout of the museum is nice, however the rest rooms are a little hard to locate. The museum is very conducive to family and school groups. The menus in the cafeteria could be placed better; depending which way you come in, you don't see them until you're in line, which slows things down for people there for the first time. Overall, the museum is very informative. NOTE TO MILITARY / MILITARY VETERANS: Ask for the Military Discount. It's not on the "Price of Admissions" list at the ticket counter. (It should be.) Very easy to get to by BART: less than 2 blocks from Lake Merritt Station.

Kent Sweitzer

A rich tapestry of California's past & present..immigration, artist's nature culture..enjoy

Chinua Green

This is a great museum: art, history, and social sciences. I didn't make it to the social sciences section. It provides a great overview of the history of Oakland, the Bay Area, and California that is kid friendly, interactive, and inclusive. The art section provides more of a cross-section of various art forms and movements, featuring many local artists. They also have exhibitions and a lovely garden area.

Elsie Militar

Great exhibits and events. Easy to access by BART.

Kevin Minney

An amazing combo of art, science and history, with a sweet cafe to boot!

BigBadDaddy Bob

Cool place I helped the artist who did the chrome spiral tower in the front install it years ago. Love the sign that says please do not lick the art