Lookout Cove

This 2.5-acre outdoor, interactive exploration area features natural, cultural and built icons of the Bay Area, as well as five site-specific artistic works commissioned for the Cove.

The Fishing Boat

Children climb aboard the Bonnie, an authentic fishing boat, to imagine trips around the Bay and out to sea.

The Lookout Trail

Families hike this trail to travel around the natural bowl that holds Lookout Cove for incredible views of the Bay and the Bridge.

Everybody Builds

Children can add to or climb into oversized nests made of branches, or imagine being a spider weaving a web or waiting for prey.

The Shipwreck

Inside the shipwreck’s hull, children scramble over pieces of debris to uncover artifacts and analyze the significance of their finds.

The Rocky Shore & The Sea Cave

Rock basins fill and empty slowly, like the tides. Children ducking into the Sea Cave discover life at a rocky shore community.

Golden Gate Bridge Under Construction

On and under the Golden Gate Bridge, where each tower is 23-feet high, children don construction vests and hardhats to add to our bridge under construction.

After the Landslide

A 700-square-foot pile of gravel representing the after-effects of a landslide poses a fun challenge for little diggers.

Lookout Cove Artists

The Museum commissioned site-specific art work from five artists for Lookout Cove.

Goodbye Haywire, Hello Peekaboo Palace

The magical willow maze Haywire in Lookout Cove -- a temporary living sculpture by the artist Patrick Dougherty -- has lasted three times longer than we expected. In the spring of 2011 it was time for us to say goodbye to the maze for a little while. While we were sad about removing Haywire, we are also very happy to have Patrick Dougherty's latest work reside at the Museum, Peekaboo Palace. In January 2012, the Museum commissioned the artist to return and build a new willow maze.

Creativity Grows Here

Learn more about how we nurture creativity at the Museum and how you can help your child explore, discover, immerse, imagine and connect with tips from Lookout Cove.