The town of Mountain View is in many ways the cradle of Silicon Valley. After all, the first silicon semiconductor devices were manufactured here in the 1950s—the seeds of the blossoming tech industry. It’s logical, then, that Mountain View is the home of the Computer History Museum, which invites you to explore the origins of computers and the Internet—not just in the Bay Area, but around the world and over the centuries.
Exhibits at the Computer History Museum
Start by walking through the exhibit Revolution: The First 2,000 Years of Computing, a 25,000-square-foot space with 19 galleries that traces the history of computing through 1,100 objects. Check out an abacus and learn about Colossus, an electronic code-breaker device developed by British scientists during World War II. Then, admire the first calculators, giant mainframe computers, and early-day video games. Look at pictures of the pioneering tech companies—like Apple Computers, which Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded in the Jobs family garage in 1976.
The Make Software exhibit, meanwhile, examines seven groundbreaking developments, including Photoshop, texting, and World of Warcraft. The newest exhibit, Chatbots Decoded: Exploring AI, drills down on the game-changing technology by letting you interact with some of the first chatbots and a chatbot-powered robot.
Explore the exhibits on your own or check the calendar for tours and demos, which are free for groups of fewer than 10 people. Have a docent guide you through The First 2000 Years of Computing, or watch live demos of the IBM 1401 computer or early video game Spacewar!, both from 1959 (the museum even hosts Spacewar! competitions on the fifth Saturday of the month). Then head to the Learning Lab to engage with hands-on tech activities for all ages.
Eat and Shop at the Computer History Museum
Refuel in the museum’s Cloud Bistro café, which serves sandwiches, salads, pastries, and Peerless Coffee, the Oakland roaster that’s been around since 1924. Then browse the tech-themed clothing, games, and gifts at the CHM Store. Keep exploring after you leave by listening to the museum’s own podcast, Decoding Tech.
Things to Do Near the Computer History Museum
Located between San Jose and Palo Alto, Mountain View is a key stop on any tech-loving tour of Silicon Valley. Walk the grounds of the Google campus—check out the quirky statues in the Android Garden and browse the gift shop—or head south to nearby Cupertino to explore the Apple Park Visitor Center, which has its own café and gift shop. In San Jose, The Tech Interactive museum offers more interactive exhibits—say, learning about robotics, Internet security, or virtual reality.
North of Mountain View, Palo Alto is home to both Stanford University and the photo-op-worthy Hewlett-Packard Garage, a California Historical Landmark, where two Stanford grads launched their Silicon Valley company in yet another famed garage.
Plan Your Trip
You can easily build a whole trip around exploring California’s STEM-related attractions. Take the Tech Tour road trip around the Bay Area, or the Family Learning Adventure that travels from San Francisco to Fresno and includes more museums plus a world-class zoo. Also, add these family-favorite science centers and museums to your list for more educational enrichment.