Get a Sneak Peek of San Francisco's New Exploratorium

The Exploratorium, San Francisco's famous hands-on science museum, is moving to a new location on the Embarcadero. We got to follow along as employees packed up exhibits in the old location at the Palace of Fine Arts near the Golden Gate Bridge, and began to settle into their new spot at Pier 15. It's scheduled to reopen April 17.

The Bay Observatory is in a newly-constructed part of the building. There are views of San Francisco Bay on one side, and the Transamerica Pyramid on the other. (David Livingston/EHDD)

Packing up exhibits at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium's former home. (Joshua Cassidy/KQED)

There will be outdoor exhibits on the pier, portions of which will be open to anyone -- you won't need tickets to the museum to see them. (Courtesy Zum)

Pier 15 used to be a commercial pier, and it holds onto that character, including signs painted on the wall by previous tenants. Below is the mostly-glass Bay Observatory. (Courtesy Exploratorium)

Exhibits in the Bay Observatory emphasize the world around the museum, like this "landscape scope," an iPhone mounted on a spotting scope typically used by birders, that brings the Bay Bridge up close. (Jenny Oh/KQED)

Read and hear more about the move and the Exploratorium's new building.