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Location
Visitor tip
Leave your personal camera at home and focus on enjoying intimate encounters with the animals. The owners provide professional photography and videography throughout your visit and send you high-quality photos/videos afterward, allowing you to be fully present in the experience.
Visitor tip
Arrange a private VIP tour directly with owners Liz and Bob for a personalized, educational experience. They provide refreshments and snacks, and tailor the tour to your interests (e.g., foxes, lemurs, or other exotic animals). Complimentary refreshments are included.
Visitor tip
Plan for close, hands-on interactions with exotic animals you won't encounter elsewhere—hold genets, swim with skunks, hand-feed lemurs and foxes, and interact inside enclosures. This is a unique, intimate experience rather than a traditional viewing facility.
About Oakland Museum of California
State art, history & natural sciences. Artifacts & interactive displays in a modern building focusing on state art, history & science.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Natural History Museum
- Main Galleries
- California Art, History, Natural Sciences, plus rotating exhibitions
- Special Features
- Garden, OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace, Friday Nights events with live music
- Recognition
- 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipient
What visitors say
Our group from the NAACP Merced County Branch recently visited the Oakland Museum of California, and the experience was outstanding from start to finish. We traveled in through the Amtrak Gold Runner partnership from Merced, and the…
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland I’ve been here many times especially when my daughter was small, now I come here with my nieces and nephews. The museum displays changes often, so there’s always something new to see. I usually…
(Review for the kids place) Fun place to take your kids. It can get a bit busy, but plenty space/activities for the average day. For any special events, it gets a bit loud (even for kids). The museum exhibits around the kids place…
From 3,635 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- Safari Bob's offers visitors the rare opportunity to swim with skunks, an unusual hands-on animal interaction not commonly available at typical wildlife facilities
- The facility allows guests to carry genets in purse bags during close encounters, providing an exceptionally intimate interaction with this exotic species
- Safari Bob's is owned and operated by Liz and Bob, who personally conduct VIP private tours and directly interact with visitors during animal encounters
Other Children's Museums in Oakland
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