Historical or fun Burlingame museums offer a great place for residents and visitors to learn about the past, different cultures and fun topics. Although Burlingame is a relatively small city, the area is alive with history, which you can find in both Burlingame and the surrounding towns. You don’t have to go all the way to San Francisco for fun attractions. Whether you want to explore the history of Burlingame or your own past, these museums are the perfect attraction for you and your family.
Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia
214 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 347-2301
Website: www.BurlingamePEZMuseum.com
Opened in 1995, this family friendly museum features a vast collection of memorabilia from pop culture and candy icon PEZ. The now ubiquitous PEZ dispenser has been dispensing candy for more than 60 years, and during the course of those decades, PEZ has created 900 unique characters. The museum showcases all of these characters and has a gift shop so you can purchase pieces from a unique selection of new, vintage and European PEZ dispensers for your own collection. The PEZ museum is a must see for PEZ lovers and collectors.
In 2004, the museum expanded to also include the Classic Toy Museum. This museum exhibits the classic and beloved toys of the 20th century, such as Tinker Toys, Barbie, Erector sets and Slinkys. While visiting this museum, you can also see the Banned Toy Museum, which features toys that have been pulled off of store shelves for a variety of reasons, from being politically incorrect to dangerous. The museum offers free admission for children under 4 years old, $1 admission for children 12 and under and adults 65 and older. Regular admission costs $4, making it an affordable activity for the entire family.
Burlingame Historical Society Museum
290 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010
650-340-9960
Website: www.BurlingameHistorical.org
The Burlingame History Museum is run by the Burlingame Historical Society and is open on the first Sunday of every month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. If you would like to visit on a different date, the museum is open by special request to groups of five or more. The museum is part of the society’s mission to promote and preserve matters having to do with the history of Burlingame and the neighboring town of Hillsborough. As the sole repository for Burlingame’s history, the society has gathered and exhibited artifacts, photographs, documents, audio tapes and films that reveal the area’s diverse and rich past, including Teddy Roosevelt’s 1903 visit and the wedding dress of the 1935 Miss Burlingame. If you want a complete and in-depth history of the area, there is no better place to visit that of the historical society.
CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point
1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 342-7755
Website: www.CuriOdyssey.org
Located in the nearby town of San Mateo, CuriOdyssey is worth the drive. Open every day of the week, except Monday, with admission at $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors and $4 for children, this museum is a place of discovery for many families. A children’s science center, CuriOdyssey draws from the foundations of the former Coyote Point Museum, with interactive science exhibits, encounters with wildlife and science education programs. By letting children interact with the subjects in hands-on environment, the center hopes to foster a lifelong appreciation for science.