Bay Area Discovery Museum and The Ocean

There's this fantastic children's museum just off the coast in Sausalito. It is one of the Bay's greatest kept secrets if you ask me. The location is breathtaking. The environment is perfectly suited and geared toward children under 8. And, the admission was under $11. I got the kids and myself in for half price, though, thanks to an online special. Grandpa Bob took the day off from work and joined us for the fun.

This is the view from the parking lot.

Tide pools that actually spurt out water every few minutes like on the beach.

This was the prehistoric area. Emily climbed right in the dinosaur nest and made herself at home.

Even though the entire place is specifically designed for the 8 and under crowd, they also have a dedicated area for toddlers.

 After spending most of the day at the museum (which is kind of a misleading name since it's more like an interactive discovery zone), we drove down past Seal Point to the beach. The girls were so excited, but also a little nervous. They kept asking if we were going to eaten by sharks. So I told them, "Grandpa Bob will protect us. He's spent a lot of time swimming in the ocean and he's never been eaten by a shark. Sharks won't bother Grandpa Bob."

Grandpa Bob defending the older girls from sharks. As you can see, Emily isn't worried in the least.

In fact, I had to stop her from running head first into the waves.

Is there anything better than the sand in your toes?

You can't tell here, but Addie was in hysterics the whole time. She hated the sand and was terrified of the water. I think I managed to capture the .2 seconds she was willing to stand on the ground.

Being there made me realize just how much I missed the ocean. I had this odd sensation to run out into the sea and catch a wave back to the shore like I did so often as a kid. It felt really good to be back.