Computer History Museum Reviews

Parking is very easy to find. The museum has so much interesting stuff that I wasn't even aware of it. If you are in Mountain View, You should certainly check this place out.

This was a lot of fun and I was wondering where my mother took my childhood gadgets. Now I know. I highly recommend doing this one while visiting or working there. Plan an afternoon or day to see everything.

If you are interested in computers, do not miss this museum. The collection is very well documented and curated and you will see some highlights from computer history. My only gripe is that it is a little hard to navigate. Definitely a must of you are in the area!

The museum is a great mix of artifacts, written descriptions, audio stations, and historical and documentary videos. The organization of galleries begins with the earliest calculators, proceeding through hardware and software history to the most current trends. I spent 3.5 hours there and was not able to finish in that time--I could have used at least another hour! It is especially appealing to anyone who works/ed for tech or used early computers and devices. Children would be less interested in the history, but there are some hands-on gaming activities in later galleries.

Very nice museum that's have a lot of nice and interesting items.
The only thing that was not okay is the noise level. The museum has a lot of videos and the run all the time, even when nobody is watching. The staff and guides are very polite and knowledgeable.

Having been in the IT industry for over 20 years this was fantastic! I was at an event here and got to see it for free which was a score! My favourite part was all the arcade games and consoles! It makes you feel so old!! Ha ha

Also really loved the section about robots

It takes about 2 hours of dedication to see a huge amount of very important equipment from the history of computing. The history documentation is very well done. It's worth seeing.

I spent about 4 hours there. I was involved from 1979 until 1992 in the computer industry so it was a great walk down memory lane. I was glad I went by myself as I think my wife would have been ready to leave in an hour.

I've been a member of CHM for a long time, and have attended many of their special events. The exhibits are well done and informative, but I wish that there was more attention given to open source software. The Museum is an excellent rainy-day activity

Husband and i both have IT backgrounds going back to the 70s, so we really loved this museum. It is well put together with good short oral histories. Amazing collection of IT gear and a good first section showing early calculating devices. Spent about 3 hours here and time flew. We had a superb carrot soup in the cafe afterwards.

I had some time to kill and stopped in. I learned a lot, they are very heavy on the 30s thru 60s on the beginning technology. One big thing I think they missed was the TI-94 computer!!!

This place is just great. You can see how the whole computer industry has evolved since the early days.
It’s interactive and you can learn so much.
People are very nice and helpful and can tell you so many stories.
Unfortunately I did not have enough time to see everything, so I definitely have to come again!

If you are a fan of history and innovation, then the Computer History Museum should be a place that you visit. Tons of detailed information about the early days of the valley.

There are also lots of examples of early devices such as phones, computers, and Microchips that really give you an appreciation for where we are today.

Visited with my 10 year old son, he really liked it as did I. Well organised and explained, lots of historic computers and company names from long ago. Funny to see Nintendo Gameboy as exhibit.

We went from my company for a team building event and it was a fascinating experience.
If you want to know about silicon valley, this is the place to be. The artifacts and history is well presented and will interest all levels

We have visited the South Bay area a number of times, but somehow we had never checked this place out. We're glad we did!

We visited on a Sunday afternoon. The only downside to that is that apparently on other days (Saturday?) they have docent-led demos in some areas (which someone else had recommended). The primary exhibits are structured around 20 rooms. Each one has a theme (the abacus, WWII code-breaking, 80's / 90's games) and each is pretty interesting. I tend to move relatively quickly through museums. I know people who take longer, certainly. That said, I felt like 3 hours here did not quite do it justice - by the mid-teen rooms, we were breezing through to get done.

Were I in the area again, I'd definitely re-visit to see what I missed and to check out some of the additional areas also. Highly recommended.

As a side note: the cafe here, though small, is quite good (IMO). They are located in the atrium/lobby area between the ticket counter and the gift shop. Their menu, while not extensive, seems to cover a lot of choices. They also have a few pastries, salads, chips, etc. I guess I was even more impressed as I'd been really under-whelmed by the cafe at the de Young Museum, so this was a pleasant surprise. They also appeared to have a semi-shaded outdoor area if you preferred to dine al fresco...

The Computer History Museum was excellent; the docent was not. The docent loves movies so he imposed on us his excitement about how computers were portrayed in movies. That is NOT why we came here. We wanted to learn about the history of computers. The museum ought to do one of two things: 1) Either educate this docent (Joe?), or assign him to some other task.

Except for the movie docent, the quality of the museum’s history of computers and calculators was excellent.

The museum taught us about women in the history of computers and calculators that I did not know.

I liked the offerings of very interesting books in the book shop that had information that I did not know so I bought two books on the history of women and computers.

The museum is clean and well laid-out.

The lunch at the museum was awful. Yuk. I do not recommend it.

There is pleasant outdoor seating if you bring your own lunch or just want to rest.

We took the guided tour before looking on our own. I recommend the tour - very informative. Allow a couple of hours.

This place succinctly shows the fascinating history and evolution of the computer age in which we still live. All ages will enjoy and see remnants of the machines and concepts that have brought our digital-focused civilization to where it is today.
Highly recommended!

We went to San Jose for the Science Fiction WorldCon. One of the panels was by Christopher Garcia who work there (LOL - Alien Queen!). He was so interesting we had to go see the museum in person. It was so fantastic! It's fun to see where it all started and how much of the technology I have actually seen in person before! One of the things I really liked is they have these U shaped bars on the floor and they have a soft covering, and it allows you to lean on them while you look at the exhibit. That was such a great thing for me because my knees don't like standing still. I wish more museums had that. We went fairly early, and then ended up staying till they closed. My husband had such a great time and so did I. Thanks for a great trip down memory lane as well as a lot of learning!

A lot great exhibits and very educational. I had a great time learning about the evolution of computing and computer over time. Love it.

This place is cool.

I'm old enough to have punched cards and used terminals when I was at college. Really cool to go down memory lane. My teen aged son enjoyed it, but was puzzled why Dad kept stopping to look at all the "old stuff".

Wish there were more of the "old games" to play, but that isn't the mission of the museum.

Well worth adding to our trip.

I got free admission with Bank of America's Museums on Us program which was a bonus. But I would have gone anyway since I started learning to program computers back in the mid 70's. So many items reminded me of experiences I had with early computers. Good docent tours and some nice demonstrations are available. Tesla car owners can use the Superchargers around the back.

My boss took me here, as he understands my appreciation for technology :) We got the Super Geek package and I love my binary shirt! The gift shop had some neat trinkets and the cost is about average.

We started our walk through with the opening video and proceeded to the exhibits. I liked how the floors were marked with arrows to indicate which direction you should go first. They have a guided tour option that is free of charge, but I think it's only twice a day. If you are interested in this, I would find out what times they start.

I also enjoyed the many videos they had available; very informative. The WoW section was interesting, as well as the Google car.

I would recommend visiting this museum if you have any interest in technology or gaming.

Every time I visit the area I go to museum and always find something new to look at. Make sure you do a little bit of research before you go as certain days some exhibits run and other days they are not manned, example the early IBM computer.

If there's one thing you do make sure you pick up one of the many tours during the day with the docents. Each one has different first-hand experience.

There is a small coffee shop we can get snacks and refreshments as well as a store for gifts

Well worth a stop. Recommend timing it for one of the docent guided tours - check their website for schedule. Many interactive exhibits. You don't have to be a nerd to enjoy yourself but it helps.

Interesting exhibitions and we also took the 45 min tour (which went slightly overtime and was a little repetitive towards the end but still worth it). Some of the expo is interactive which I really enjoyed and found it to be suitable for both kids and adults.

If you love computers, this is a must-see! Lots of artifacts, videos, some hands-on activities, all well-curated. Simple cafe in the lobby for snacks, though they do have breakfast and lunch items that go beyond the basic salads and sandwiches. Small gift shop with the usual t-shirts and some computer games. My favorite part of the museum was the autonomous car programmed by Google.

First visits and it was an extremely interesting place to go. Much to see and not enough time ... we will go back.

Great experience, my boyfriend is it, had to bring me here to visit, I didn't actually have feelings for robots, but this museum robot impressed me, interacted with me, I feel good, not so much rejected this mechanical equipment

A lot of history to go through. Definitely allocate 3.5 hours to walk around. I started with a guide, but ditched him after the first room because he didn't give time to look at all of what was available. If you go on a Friday your ticket is good for the food trucks at night!

I think I can safely say that it is the best museum in Silicon Valley. The number of exhibitions is impressive and the attention paid to details is exceptionally high. Really cool place to visit for a few hours. Visiting this place is a great lesson about the entire history of computers (starting from basic calculators). You will find here many of the original devices and machines. I was able to read through so many interesting facts about how computers came to be. Definitely great place for all ages. Even if you're not really a computer geek, you will enjoy your visit. It was very fascinating to see the evolution of technology as we all have to deal with it every day.

We visited the museum recently, choosing this over San Jose's Tech Museum since both my husband and teen son were more interested in the history over visiting just another science and industry type of museum. We had originally thought we would spend a max of two hours in the museum but imagine our surprise when the volunteers were walking around giving the 30 minute warning and we hadn't even finished the Revolution (2000 years of history) exhibit. The layout was well thought out. Truly the Smithsonian of Silicon Valley.

I went here with my son and son in law while the ladies in our party shopped at Stanford Shopping Center (making everyone happy - ten minutes apart).
It was my son's request as he is an engineer, but we all agreed that it was a great morning out. For me it was interesting to see computers and equipment which I had used 20 years ago again and compare them with what we take for granted now. Lots of interactive displays and excellent short videos bring everything to life. I would highly recommend this museum to all, young and old alike.

We experienced more than we expected, and it was fascinating. Unbelievable that they were able to gather so many important artifacts. The museum's layout is great, but we we ran out of time half way through. We'll definitely go back. Friendly staff!

This is quite an amazing place. There is so much to see and learn about computers. We especially enjoyed the historic aspect of this place. We personally experienced using many of the "old" computers on display and were very impressed with the entire collection.

Wow! I didn't know so many people were working on so many different machines before IBM. Lots to see and read and also interactive activities too.

This is a museum that takes you from the past to the possible and almost available future. The museum itself was made like a walk through time line.

After doing the Tesla Factory Tour in Fremont (offered for free to current owners), we decided to drive to Mountain View to do this museum. Overall we spent less than 2 hours, but did not read everything or watch any videos, or see demos. I would have liked to spend more time as I work in the IT industry and remember a lot of the old equipment / evolution, but I was there with family (husband and sons - ages 15 and 22) and they’re not into all the detail. They did find it interesting though but 2 hours was max for them, especially since we had seen a lot of the same stuff at the Smithsonian and Newseum in DC, and Deutsche Museum in Munich. They do offer discounted tickets on Groupon — so be sure to check for that. I was also fortunate in that I had a special Groupon promo code in my email that day, so got an additional 50% off. Our total cost was $17 for a family of 4 — which definitely made it more palatable since I knew we wouldn’t be spending a lot of time there. Before you depart, be sure to go into the other sections to the left of the entrance - lots of cool stuff there as well. Afterwards, we drove by the Google Offices just to see what the area looked like and spotted several of the ubiquitous Google bikes. The museum is open Wed through Sunday from 10am to 5pm, but be sure to check their hours before going.

I was at the Computer History Museum for a conference and had just a short amount of time to walk through the Revolution exhibit. I wished I had more time. There's a ton to see and it's really organized. I don't think you'll need to spend 1/2 the day there, but it's worth a stop if you're in the area and into technology.

Scope, and organization reveal an outstandingly informative history of computing. Spent two hours roaming the displays, but wished we'd also planned our visit to take in one of their docent tours to get a good overview of the vast contents of the museum. Children and maybe teenagers, too, will require help from adults to appreciate all that's here. A must see for anyone with any interest in computers.

I took a 5 year old who only enjoyed the self driving car and the google earth exhibit. The rest was a walk down memory lane for the baby boomer through Gen X. My father was thrilled to see some machines he had worked with in his young years and I was happy to see the Atari games.

It was really interesting to see how computing evolved over the years. It was also interesting to see how computers changed over the years and how they worked initially. You must take a guided tour. Each tour guide provides a unique perspective with respect to computer history. If you really want to get the most out of your visit it will take at least 3 hours. The guided tour takes over an hour and only hits highlights.

I attended a conference at the Computer History Museum in September. The conference venue was great for a small conference (~600 people). We spent about an hour walking through the displays at the museum during the one of the breaks (although it could have easily taken a few hours to really go thru it). Great for anyone that wants a walk down memory lane.

As someone who works in a technology field, I was really interested to check this museum out. I found the entire museum to be very interesting and would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in the history of computing. The main gallery has a huge collection of artifacts spanning thousands of years, from early adding machines to things from the early 21st century. They also have a few other smaller exhibits and demo displays that are quite interesting as well. The displays were really well put together and the entire museum is very well designed.

As I said before, the main exhibit has so much stuff in it that I highly recommend doing one of the guided tours of the exhibit - the guide was excellent and did a great job highlighting some of the important items they have on display.

This facility far exceeded expectations, but when you have Silicon Valley money firmly behind your museum you can afford to do it right. And they most certainly did! It was far more thorough that I imagined it would be.

The museum is broken up into 10 chronological phases/exhibits of computer history, though the first few phases were pre-computer. Abacuses, counting systems, etc followed by the punchcard era, etc. That was way, way over our kids (ages 7 and 9) head and they also had little interest in those exhibits. My husband on the other hand wanted to watch every video and read every placard.

Things changed for the kids once we moved around the museum and got to Atari and Pixar exhibits. Those were fascinating and really captured their attention. These were also easier for the younger kids to relate to.

My suggestion is if you are taking kids under 10 just have them start further along in the museum. There is plenty to do in the more recent eras and the techy parent can start at the beginning and enjoy the process.

You could spend a whole day here if you really want to understand the history of computers, semiconductors, software, and Silicon Valley. They've done an excellent job of showing you the important companies and technologies. Silicon Valley is quite a phenomenon, it's amazing how much progress has been made in just 30 years. You get more from the exhibits if you have some background in electronics or software, but they are still interesting without. Kids over 12 should enjoy the place as well.

What a great place to visit! Easy to get to off the highway, and plenty of parking. As you pass through the exhibits, you go from the earliest form of computation (abacus) to the first computers of the 20th Century. From there, you see the evolution of the room-sized UNIVAC to smaller and smaller systems as the technology progressed. There’s lots of nostalgia here, especially for those of us who lived through the times when data was stored on reels or eight-inch floppies.

Each section has a specific theme, so you can see computerized toys, silicon wafers, and industrial robots. The section of the console games was one I enjoyed because I got to see the first console I ever owned (the Odyssey system), as well as the classic Atari and the underdog Tubo Grafx.

Other highlights included a copy of the first edition of Windows, some early PCs, and some of the old Macintosh products I used to use (like the DuoDoc). I was nice to see an actual Lisa. The amount of artifacts contained within here was astounding, and what an amazing collection it was. Highly recommended for any lovers of history, computers, or both.

This is, to my knowledge, a unique museum covering the history and scope of computing from the abacus to AI. The exhibit are excellent, but need one bit of fine tuning: turn up the lights just a little. Many of the exhibit placards are poorly lit and hard to read,. I understand that too much light ages artifacts, but since most of these artifacts are plastic and metal, a few more candelas of light are not going to harm them.

An extremely well laid out and designed experience. The videos and displays are very informative and everybody on my party enjoyed their visit :)

If your a geek this is a definite visit

Massive space upstairs perfect for meetings and conferences as they have many large spaces. The food was fantastic and the building modern. Looked briefly downstairs on the museum and it looked to be very interesting and informative if you’re technoor technology inclined.

Full of interesting artifacts for everyone whether you are into computers or not. There are all sorts of things within living memory that are now history from childhood games to artwork as well as lots of fascinating stories about well known names such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and companies like Intel and IBM. The guided tour is well worth it and the interactive software section where you can try your hand at coding, test your listening skills and take simple photoshop lessons is a must. It is living history.

Everyone using a smart phone must visit this place to appreciate the hard work of all technology geeks who dedicated their lives to marvellous inventions. The docent tour was very informative. This place has a complete collection of rare-to-find ancient computers. The automated Google car setup was amazing.

Visiting this museum is a good program for everybody regardless their relation to technology. It's a couple hours long activity learning about the history of computation. The museum has a restaurant so you don't need to starve during your visit, and it has a pretty good gift shop too offering a wide range of things to buy. Next to the hotel there is also a Tesla charger station which is a good to see place for people from abroad as well.

I took a train from Sacramento to Santa Clara, then the light rail to Mountain View, and then I walked about a mile and a half to get to the museum. (There's also a free circulator bus subsidized by Google, but service is infrequent.) It was a chore to get to the museum, but I'm very glad I came.

The Computer History Museum is enormous, and it's all very well done. This isn't a "gee whiz" museum where everything is interactive (though there are some interactive exhibits). Instead it's exactly what the name implies--a museum that tells the history of computing. I spent a couple hours going through the vast exhibits, and I could have spent many more.

You can explore this museum at a variety of levels. It's perfectly possible to just walk around and look at everything. You can also read detailed explanations of what everything is and why it's important, there are nice video presentations, and there are a number of hands-on exhibits as well. The exhibits trace computers from ancient times to the 21st Century. They explain the basics of mechanical and electronic computing, how components are miniaturized, different methods of human interaction with machines, memory devices, networking, the internet, and views of the future from various points in the past and present. There are also fascinating exhibits on the internet, on things that really are computers that we don't think of as such, on digital music, and on autonomous vehicles. It really is a fascinating place, and it was a major highlight of my trip. I'd encourage anyone who is remotely near Silicon Valley to go there.

This is a must do activity when in the San Francisco area.
If you think that you know the background and history of computers, and Silicon Valley, this collection will add more useful information to your memory bank.
This is a comprehensive collection of wide ranging applications that have been used by man in his quest for knowledge and efficiency.
From the simple abacus to Cray computing, from maps to interactive world of Google Earth, this museum has it all contained, and explained in a fun and interesting layout.
Could spend a day there, but eventually you become saturated with snippets, and little known anecdotes.
Gr8.

It was enlightening to discover that the abacus was the first computer, I never saw it that way before. I enjoyed the visit and it was funny to see that I own some of the things that are displayed at the museum!

I went here on a whim because my little brother suggested it. I ended up getting in free because of a Bank of America promotion they had going on that day. It was really near and interesting. They cover everything from the abacus to modern video games. I really enjoyed it. I was also surprised to see come of the tech I used in college behind glass in a museum.

This is a fascinating museum! We only had a few hours to spend here, but could have very easily spent all day. There is so much information and I loved the interactive displays. Definitely a must see for people who are even remotely interested in the history of our technology.

This huge exposition of computing, computers is so complex that it can take more hours than you could expect. As you are fascinating with the history of computing, you can read it, try on your own to solve some mazes with 10 level difficulties, try count with abacus, see some related documents and more. Maybe two day ticket can be worthy for the fans and those interested in computers. Café bar inside is perfect, food and drinks are delitious. We did not have time for shop inside. Pity that closing time is at 5PM. Wednesdays and Saturdays there are comented and demonstrated labs. You can try things there on your own with the guide. We were lucky to experience one lab today on Thursday. To print our names 😎

If you are into any device or a techie, this place is a must-visit. It has all the history related to how we got to where we are today. My fav place was the calculators!

Great to see such a global view of computing history, as a Brit loved the references to Babbage and Turing.

Many exhibits from punch card machines to a NeXTcube and everything flowed as you moved through the museum. Would really recommend you join a tour to get the bigger picture. However if you are with young children, they will probably get bored here and certainly don't subject them to the docent led tour as I saw with many today - put them on the family tour.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time out there and kudos for having a ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC in your collection! Also scary to see a PlayStation now as a museum item!

Most of today’s kids don’t understand how the computers have evolved over time. This is a good museum to teach and show kids about the tremendous improvements in computing.

We visited the museum and liked most of the exhibits. having a background in computers would be helpful. Wished they had more software exhibits.

For being in the midst of Silicon Valley this place like like the wal mart of museums. The mans room had one urinal. And while washing my hands the guy opening the toilet opened his door which hit me in the butt. 7-11s have bigger toilets. Sorry for the poor comments.

If you are a technology lover, a history lover or simply a geek-pride, this is a perfect place to visit. Good theme, great story line and wonderful collections.
This is where we can see how computing technology change our live forever.

I absolutely LOVED this museum and if you are into the history of computers, this is a MUST see place.

There is all sorts of cool displays all the way back from 2,000 BC to the mainframes of the 1960s, Cray supercomputers, to the early Altair 8800, and even an original Apple 1.

I spent a few hours here and this place is beautiful. However, if you are not into computers or history, I am sure this place will not impress you at all, but if you are a computer nerd - this place is Nirvana.

I wasn't planning on going to this on my trip, but I'm really glad I did. This place has the classic "imagine how different life was back then" feel, but has the unique ability to remind you that you lived 'back then.' The more you enjoy computers the better, but this place has something for everyone!

I went to this museum with my 9 year old daughter and my older nephew and his wife. We all found ourselves absorbed by different things.

I enjoyed seeing the historical computer exhibits including a working PDP and IBM main drain Computers as well as earlier punch card counters and such.

My daughter had a great time in the interactive software area where she could write her own code or watch and learns from various other exhibits.shw seems fascinated by the MRI simulations and reading MRIs.

The older ones enjoyed the working Pacman arcade as well as the walking tour.

Parking is plentiful and free. The cafe offers a quick lunch and good coffee and beverages . We had lunch sitting outside and went back for more.

The entire place is well maintained and there are many staff who are helpful and friendly.

The museum also has exhibits which help you get absence of the development an grown of Silicon Valley.

Google's driverless car is one of the interesting attractions.

A must visit it stop in the area for all ages . Allow yourself 2-4 hours . Nearby shoreline park offers outdoor activities including rowing and sailing.

If you are in the peninsula south of San Francisco, by all means, see the Computer History Museum. It is extensive and well organized. It is chronologically organized, starting with the abacus and an ancient greek device which was discovered in a ship wreck, dating from BC, moving through early technical and then electronic computing devices, through early computers, and then ending with modern era artificial intelligence. Plan to spend some time there or go twice. We broke up our visit with a lunch from the cafe in the lobby.

Absolutely must see attractions. I've been here 2x.
You can see early computers, documentation, robots.

So much appreciated that this place exists. It brings some great memory.

It was easy to find and has a fair amount of parking. The building is a large 2 story structure but all the exhibits are on the first floor. We got a discount buying tickets online so I would suggest going online to see if you can get do the same thing. You check in at the front counter where they give you a collar tab to wear and a map. They offer tours at certain times of the day. We took the one at noon. It was fascinating. The displays are very well done and the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. Once we finished the tour we wandered the rest of the museum. There is a group of interactive displays that teach programming and other rooms that we didn’t even get to. I plan to visit here again. Great museum.

As a software guy I may be biased, but I think this is great place to visit if you have even slightest interest in technology. It has huge amount of stuff on display, I could easily spend 3 hours there, even without a docent.

Really good for programmers and computer lovers. Not for kids in my opinion... it takes 2-3 hours if you explore to depth and dont forget to check the google's autonomy car

If getting up close and personal with a real IMP (the first routers of the internet) gets you excited, if seeing parts of a univac and a reconstructed Babbage engine makes you shiver, this is the place for you. With exhibited from early adding devices to punched card collators, to mainframes, mini computers and supercomputers to the PC and mobile revolution, this has to be the best museum in the world for the artifacts that have created the modern world. This is for adults. If you want a basic science museum for kids - go to the Tech Museum in San Jose - but if computing is your life, see all the things you've read about right here.

My teen son is really into technology, so I thought this would be a good visit while on vacation. Little did I know that that the entire family would spend the entire day, arriving at 10:15 AM, and leaving at the the 5:00 PM Sunday closing time.

Substantial collection of items, displayed with a good deal of information and perspective on its' importance and place in the flow of tech development.

My son worked his way through the displays and then moved onto the very interesting interactive Make Software display section. We also visited the IBM 1401 demo lab, where they have a rebuilt machine (by volunteers who come in weekly to keep it working), staffed by a wonderful gentleman who demonstrated how the cards were used to enter programming and data, and generate a printed output.

It was my wife and teen daughter who surprised me by spent the most time in the Revolution display, taking a break for lunch at the Cloud Bistro, then returning to finish late in the afternoon.

The 2000 year old history of computing and the history of Silicon Valley all in one roof. The exhibits are very well presented, documented and laid out - a walk from the entrance will take you to the early attempts in computing through ancient calculators to the development of Babbage's Differential Engine and the subsequent involvement of famous names and terms in geek lore: Alan Turing, Bletchley Park, ENIAC, The Enigma Machine, IBM, the Silicon Valley napkin, Hewlett-Packard, Fairchild Semiconductors, Atari, Apple, Pong, Microsoft, Nintendo, Zork, Pacman, robots, Google, AI, Facebook, Yahoo and so on.

If you love computers, computer gaming and general geekiness, this is a must-add to your itinerary.

Having booked a late flight back to my country after a business trip, I had a free morning in the Silicon Valley. Too little time to get to SFO. What could be better than visiting the Computer History museum in the place where much of the stuff has actually been happening?
Not a disappointment at all. The exhibits are amazing (Bits and pieces of the ENIAC! An Enigma machine! Early home computers! A CRAY-1!) and all of them with nice informative panels.
The visit 'route' itself within the museum could be a bit confusing (keep looking for the signs on the floor pointing you in the right direction!), but that actually made it more interesting.
And to put a nice ending to the visit, a nice gift shop and a very decent bar are also available.

The computer history museum offers a huge collection of computer artifacts through the years, including the very first Apple computer, Commodore, Amiga, etc. It was interesting to learn and see more about the history of the silicon valley. However, I expected more live demos such as more retro gaming as well as more info about open source through the years. Anyway, it is a must-see attraction for any geek :)

One of the best museums I've ever seen. A must for sny computer geeks. You can see all computers from the history

The exhibits themselves are interesting with many historical artifacts and a self driving car circa 2014. Some of the information seems dated having been compiled in 2014 - a testament to the lightening speed of advancement in the digital technology. I️ would imagine everything at the museum will require updating in no more than 2 years. The highlight of the 3 or so hour visit for me was the demonstration of a working IBM 4700 system that apparently was the first business application system ever marketed. Needles to say it is huge, uses a major power, does relatively little and takes a great deal of manpower to operate. Nonetheless it was economically viable to a mid size corporation doing payroll. The entire system was demonstrated including massive wire connections that ran under the elevated floor, incredible mechanical printer and reel to reel back up memory.

The family had a wonderful time. We would certainly do it again. The kids went faster than we would have liked but we were all able to learn something and have fun doing it.

Exhibits of historical computers, written background notes and tours. Went there once for few hours but could not cover all. Went there again and spent half a day.

If you want to get the most of out of your visit in Silicon Valley, other than driving through Facebook, Google, Apple campuses. You must pay this museum a visit.
It shows a history on how we got here, like a walk down the memory lane. We all can relate. There is a self-driving Google car at exhibit.
Budget 2 hours there is you want a thorough look.

Our friend seemed extremely interested & knowledgeable in computers, so we choaw this museum as our place to go. We had planned to go there many times, but for a variety of readons we never got there. There is so much to see there, that we have to go again. The 3 of us separated and went around drawn to things that interested us and spending different amounts of time on different things. I recognized types of equipment I learned to use in college, things I used or saw being used when I worked in a aerospace company. Some of the older historic items were really interesting. All of the individual displays with monitors are captioned, but the introductory orientation videos not captioned and many people with hearing loss could not hear or understand. I hope they will correct that.

This is an awesome techie place to learn about computers. It shows all the timelines of when it was thought of...materialized...and then launched! I taught a computer class and it was my Monday morning training for my class (I took all the info avail and lots of pics) If you are a techie this is a must!

The museum has free parking. You pay your admission fee in the lobby. There is a short introductory film. As you exit the theater, you go toward exhibit #1 of 20 which serpentine through the facility. Each has artifacts and information about a given topic. There are docent led tours periodically or you can tour on your own. There are over 1,000 items on display. The museum has a gift shop and dining available. There is truly a mountain of information to view in this museum.

If you want to learn how computing began, visit the Computer history museum. It takes you back in time about how computing began and how machines began to help with it. Great for kids, adults alike. Love the collection of hardware they have collected culminating in the Waymo self driving car!

This Museum has an amazing and comprehensive collection of computing tools. There is a short orientation video and then there are the 20 display areas featuring different aspect of computing from the slide rule and abacus to networking and the web. There are also two labs to visit.
If you are interested in the history of computing you will be awed and amazed. They even have a prototype Apple Computer signed by Woz, Steve Wozniak.
Check the website for their hours and admission prices.

Takes quite a while to get through all the exhibits. Amazing place for everyone.
Cafe is also great.

If you visit The Computer History Museum you may not be very impressed if you have no prior knowledge of Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Herman Hollerith, Enigma, ENIAC, Whirlwind, SAGE, IBM-360, Cray, PDP-8, Apple-1, Intel, BBN, CompuServe, VisiCalc, Mosaic, or dozens of other related things. But if you have an appreciation for the history of computers, you'll find this place is overflowing with well-displayed artifacts that you may have only read about in books. I spent six and a half hours exploring the place.

If you go on a Wednesday or Saturday, don't miss the live IBM-1401 demonstration (circa 1958 card-operated computer).

If you're of the age that grew up during the advent of computers, this is an attraction you might enjoy. They have many, many exhibits, lots to see and read, and is very educational for young and old alike.

We love museums and my husband is a techie. A docent at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in the UK, which we loved, told us we should visit CHM. So on a free day in SF area, we planned a full afternoon at the museum. Nice staff. Just OK docent guided tour.

They have a lot of stuff--various old computers from each stage of development of modern computers--that were static and unengaging. I did enjoy learning about the role of the computer for the census bureau, the origin of mp3, and a few others, but mostly it was look at a computer and read a card that told its significance. I know it is a challenge to make looking at a new IBM model exciting, but I remember the transition from cards and the introduction of PCs. They were exciting developments for users.

So we were disappointed in the experience. We did go through every exhibit and check all the information to make the most of it. There was an interesting film.

I do recommend Bletchley Park if you are in the UK. Much more engaging and interesting stories told by people working on restoring and operating historical computers.

Excellent museum, well laid out. Only complaint is the lack of commentary on most of the displays. Most people may not care, but I would have preferred more background either on display or available in audio.

There is loads to keep one occupied for good couple of hours; the geek package is a good deal. Groupon US also offers a 2 for 1 deal.

especially good if you can get a tour. This has machines from the 19th century to the present. their tours are especially good. A great place for the teenage geek or older geek in your family and any history buff. But also very interesting for any person who finds technology passed them by and wants to learn more about the stuff they kinda remember except they weren't really paying attention. Very small children will probably not like it - not much you can touch.

Great time looking at all the early computer equipment. Many of which I have used myself. The Computer History Museum is well laid out and very well equipped with what used to be modern equipment. Things there helped me tie lots of scattered memories together. Well worth a visit every once in a while!

This type of museum would be a real challenge to put together I imagine given the many varied perspectives and angles one could take. I think they did a great job summarizing a lot of early history of computers and calculating long before what we think of digital computers came to be. The transition then to what we consider modern computing is very well done with good coverage of what was going on in other countries as well, particularly the UK and the influence of the second world war and cold war.

I found the flow and choice of artifacts to display and the combination of short and more in depth stories at your own option to be a really nice approach and lets you go further into things of particular interest to you or skip those less relevant. For example, I didn't bother with the robotics section, but loved the handheld and tablet section and many of the early personal computers. The one area I was a bit disappointed with given my own exposure was the focus of the minicomputers section primarily on DEC equipment. There was only one minor reference to Prime computer and only one of their early boxes, but nothing else said of them and yet they were just as big in the minicomputer world as DEC. There are a lot of other systems that weren't represented at all.

Yet, overall, it was a well done presentation. The one odd thing is that it all kind of ends around the 2000s which is when the museum opened, and I can really see the challenge of keeping it relevant, current and alive when the industry continues to grow and change and history keeps getting made. I suppose at some major renovation in the future they'll add another "generation" of history.

Awesome and educational experience that explores the curiosity of where the notion of computing began. This walking tour-like environment displays a comprehensive look at the evolution of early punch card systems (IBM) and calculators to military tech integration and decryption demands. Then leads to the modernization which includes topics of: the analog to digital conversion, introducing the micro computer, robots, the PC, internet age and even the gaming evolution. So much to cover and understand, this is a tech geek's delight. Just be ready to be patient and learn to get the full experience. Plus, plenty of photo and video ops.

Remarkable. Thought it couldn't be that interesting but wow was I wrong. It could take you at least 2 or 3 hours to see this. At first I thought the price of it was expensive until I visited. The museum covers from the abacus to present day representation. Don't miss this.

Being a old geek it makes sense that I would be attracted to a place called the computer history museum. I've lived through much of the history they show there. I think when I retire I might move out there and offer to do tours. The exhibits are well designed and cover everything from the basic historical technologies through the people who most heavily influenced modern computer technology. I would be even happier if they had even more floor space and exhibits (and it looks like they are on the way) but even as it is I loved every minute there. I especially liked the IBM 1401 and DEC PDP-1 labs where they have running systems which you can see in operation.

By golly, they had almost every CPU, terminal, and gadget from all 45 years of my EE career. Well curated, and well documented. I was especially pleased with the "here's what led to what..." narrative provided.

Definitely take one of the guided tours as well as move through at your own pace. You're seeing actual computer history not replicas.

See how computers evolved from all aspects. Really nice place to go. Some of the old technology only mentioned on text book. Now you can actually see them!!! It is good place to spend 3 to 4 hours or even more to see all the details.

The museum offers a very thorough history of the computer. Most things were above my (accounting background) head, but many other techie types seemed to be enjoying it a ton, even taking pics of the exhibits. The gift shop had a lot of cute and kitschy things. I wouldn't recommend for young children unless they are "baby geniuses".

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Spend well over 3 hrs. One will be taken back in time. You will see sectors to Napier Bones, Cray to Macintoshes to Mario and Nintendos. We can even have a hands-on on the Napier Bones and punched cards. Very well laid out Museum. There were even vacuum tube based hardware and floppies and tapes. The only dampener was the new age which seemed to not so interesting.
Worth the entry ticket fare.

The museum's great, I would recommend it for techies, engineers and anyone interested in the evolution of computing and electronics. It brought back a lot of memories from school too!

An important tip is to plan your time wisely as you could easily get lost and distracted amongst the exhibits. There are 20 sections, so pace yourself and feel free to zoom pass the earlier sections so as to make time for the later ones. Enjoy!

My husband and I randomly went in the evening close to before they closed and the tickets were a reduced price. We had more than enough time to walk around and enjoy the museum. It's very well done and extremely educational. I was happily surprised.

I am a computer programmer and really enjoyed the format and various displays. It was so good to read the history and try out some interactive displays. However, my younger son of 8 years got bored within a few minutes and didn't let me spend as much time as I wanted.

He did enjoy one section of making punch cards and then using a key to decode them. That was super cool for him and looking at the Google/Waymo self-driving buggy car up close.

We had only two hours but loved it anyway. From old huge computers and printers from 1960 to now, you can see the developments in data storage. Robots and computer games, the Internet bubble, everything is covered. You can even play Pong and Pacman.

Remarkable history of all aspects of computers, from abacus through mechanical to early IBM through muicrocomputers and smatphone.

Much more interesting than you would expect

This museum has a tremendous collection, and offers both an impressive insight into the history of computing as well as a great nostalgia trip for those who remember the early days of personal computing. Highly recommend.

If you're like me, you will get lost for hours in this museum. It is a treasure trove of the history of computing and everything tech. PLUS, the docents are some of the engineers who invented the machines in the building. So, put on your propeller cap come to this unsuspecting place and prepare to be amazed.

Shhhh...The little known secret is that this museum hosts some of the brightest minds in technology for presentations and panel discussions throughout the year. Get on the mailing list and prepare to be surprised and delighted.d

An impressive collection. One day is not enough to take it all in. I was there for five hours and had to skip more than I wanted.

Good place. 1-2 hrs.

Get online deals for discount price. Good place for history and gaming section and medical development in computers.

Nice for a visit with real IT dinosaurs, interesting to see the evolving industry at the place where everything happened.

This museum is not just for computer geeks. It is the one of its kind of a place which states that they have the history of last 2000 years of computing. A 2 hour visit will be a good enough to get the feel of the place, but if you are really into it, you can spend an hour in each of the 18-19 rooms here. Some of the milestones of computing and development is well exhibited and actual replicas of historic icons are available temporarily. Suggest to take a guided tour which is available at 2 pm, as this covers the major milestones in a crisp way.

if you love computers and technology this visit is a must. I really really enjoyed it. The collection is extensive and very well organized and explained. The guided tours are inspiring and informative. We had a great time in it and felt close to the computer history. The cafetaria is very good and the museum has gardens to have a rest or eat. Dont miss it!

I arranged to spend only two hours, but could have spent three.
First: amazingly comprehensive collection - everything from the earliest calculating devices (eg Napier's bones) and pocket calculators to Cray supercomputers, Apple Macs etc right up to the present day.
Second: well-chosen "themes" connecting them. Eg rise of IBM, CDC, Cray, Apple, and the business challenges (and sometimes dodgy practices!) that emerged.
Third: lots of 2-3 min documentary films on "mini-theatre" screens dotted around the place.
Restaurant and shop. Well worth a major detour.

Went with family for the history of computing, there were many artifacts with detailed explanations. IT was very instructive and educational, but it was too much and towards the end of the exhibition we couldn't pay much attention anymore.

Basically the story of all that has anything to do with computers, from the abacus to the latest supercomputer and everything in between. Interesting and engaging interactive activities, videos and static displays will keep you entertained for hours while you learn the story and development of computers an all the human characters involved. And also an immense collection of historic artifacts, from pieces of ENIAC to the latest Google car.

My daughter is verly interested in computer engineering. The museum shows the development of the computer and kept her interest.

The museum was fascinating and makes you really think about the rapid acceleration of our technological capabilities and data storage costs and capacities. Some of the 1970s modules became a little tiresome after a while. It's worth getting in on a tour rather than walking through on your own: much more interesting with a guide's input.

First thing you noticed that there are no kids there. Second there are mostly visitors from outside of Silicon Valley. If you want to see electronic devices from your past this is place to refresh your memories.

Excellent history of computer technology. It was well laid out and had interactive displays. Spending two hours is easy.

I'm not a tech geek type of person at all, yet I love all that technology has done for us. I decided to bring my two teens here, hoping it wouldn't be too boring and dry. Instead I found a museum that was informative, captivating and so well laid out! We all enjoyed our time here immensely.

The museum really flows well, starting with the oldest items and working its way to modern times. I sometimes get bored reading display signs, so I loved the videos. Strategically placed, the videos sum up and explain different areas in such a concise way. The progress bar even shows you how much of the video is left. Loved it!

My favorite part was seeing some of the older items I had either heard about, or actually used myself.

Check to see if there is a Groupon, and also look on the website to find out special presentation times, etc. Come sit in the Google Self-Driving car, and enjoy this terrific museum.

We stopped here when we had a few hours to spare before catching a flight out of SFO. Wish we had come sooner and been able to stay longer (were about the last people out of the place after it closed). This is a fascinating museum! All exhibits extremely well done. Don't think you are interested in computers? You'll find this interesting anyway. Learned how an abacus works. Learned about early human and mechanical computers. Saw my own older technology (Palm Pilot) in a display. Saw the Google car. Highly recommend!!

This is exactly what it says, a museum dedicated to preserve examples of older technology. They have pong, slide rules, univocal, cray supercomputers and so much more. Students went through fairly quickly while the adults went through looking in detail at things they remembered using years ago. Really well done. Plan 3 or more hours

The museum has plenty of interest for anyone who uses a computer, tablet, mobile phone. Not so technical as to impede enjoyment. Technical enough if you are so inclined. Good signage and lots of different displays.

My husband and I met at Amdahl Corporation in the late 70s so it was fun to see an original Amdahl computer at the museum. It's a great museum with lots of interesting exhibits and even a small cafe. I'm not sure our teenaged grandsons were very interested but due to our own computer backgrounds, we thoroughly enjoyed it. The one thing the boys did like was the self driving car. Soon those will be a mainstream item. Worth a visit!

If you have any interest in the History of Computing & IT then this place is a must to visit. There are displays and exhibits about every aspect of computing, from the earliest to the recently retired. SO including Babbage's Difference engine (although the replica is no longer displayed), Planimeters (area measuring machines) ENIAC, IBM Mainframes and DEC's first computer the PDP-1 up to a Google Car.

Even my wife, who is not at all interested in Computing, found some interesting displays.

If you want to see the machines in action, make sure you check which days they are running.

I have been to Mountain View several times and every time I visited Computer History museum.

It is an amazing place to learn about how the computing world got started. The museum have all sort of stuffs and sponsored by all the big companies. You can find all the machines.

Also at the end of the tour, you can get printed your name in punch card :)

This is a very entertaining and educational place. There are many exhibits too see there. I would recommend it.

Took my three kids and two nieces visiting from Seattle, they enjoyed learning about the history of the computers

Considering I had four years of mathematics in college, including computational mathematics - why had I never heard of Ada Lovelace before seeing this exhibit?

And who knew that a counter got it's name from early merchants having their abacus at the front "counter? Also the first time I'd heard of Napier's bones.

As a old guy I saw lots of familiar objects like my old Commodore 64 and the DEC mini-computer...

A very comprehensive and well organized exhibit.

This is a walk through history. Starts with basic ancient stuff and continues through all the developments of computers. Wiring, punch cards, calculators, room sized electronic accounting machines, then computers (all sizes.) Found it all well displayed and fascinating.

When we are in that area of Callifornia I make every effort to revisit this museum. Evolution of computers is amazingly complex and is extensively displayed. What now remains of it's initial development could never have been imagined by what exists. If you used any of the first portable telephones, which are now better than even Dick Tracey (or his creators) imagined. That includes almost everything now available on on your mobile phone device. How about GPS to get you to locations you'd need to travel to, such as a restaurant in an area where you'd formerly need extensive written directions, but couldn't follow them at night or in a rain storm or where street signs are missing or turned around by humans at play. You probably knew that, but this museum displays how it's been so many steps and how reduced the product's sizes have become and how lucky we are to exist thru major steps of it's development. My great grandmother still doesn't believe it's possible.

This place is fantastic, a lot of information related to computers, their history, the future. etc. 100% recommended as an stop on Mountain View. Be prepare to spend at least 4hrs or more. Parking is accessible and free ans the staff is really friendly.

Something for everyone. I spent too much time on the early exhibits without realizing how big the place was. Then I had to rush through the later parts. Definitely a multiple-visit destination.

I was delighted to see MANY historical artifacts pertaining to the development of computing...plus videos and hands-on examples. I700’s to modern day is a lot of ground to cover! I spent almost 4 hours there and only toured the main part of the building. I didn’t have time for the Learning Lab, etc.

While in the Bay Area, it's apt to visit this museum to get a flavor of the Silicon Valley. Detailed and fun. There are computer games from 20 or more years back which will remind you of pre-Xbox/PS era!

We took our grandchildren to the Computer History Museum and they had a great time. The older ones liked learning about the growth of computers. The younger ones like being able to access some hands on exhibits.

We enjoyed our time walking round this museum. There is a lot of information and exhibits here and after a couple of hours we found ourselves skimming through some of it because there was, for us, too much. However, it’s enjoyable and if you like computers and the technical world it’s a must visit place. Recommended.

They got some early computers here, but that's it. Pretty small, I finished in an hour. Free for BofA card holder the first month of every month. Were not for this special free admission, it would not have been worth the $15 ticket.

Our family stopped by during a California vacation. We were touring around Silicon Valley and thought this would be a fun stop. It was fascinating to see the history of computing and show our children where the devices they use today were born from.

There were a lot of great videos and a couple interactive exhibits, but during our visit a couple weren't working or were very busy.

The museum was great. Lots of easy to understand interesting history of computers. We brought our children (7,9,11) and they enjoyed parts of it. A workbook for them to through like at a national park ranger program would have made it better for them. Definitely recommend going though.

Stopped by here while in town for business a few weeks ago and it was like a walk down IT memory lane. The first half of the museum was very interesting with all of the old original computers and then as you kept walking they had a lot of the technology I remember my parents having growing up which was cool to see. Then getting to see some of the "where we are going" stuff of how current technology is evolving. I could see it being very family friendly, but I enjoyed it as an adult so I would recommend checking it out if you're in town no matter what your group looks like.

This is a computer history museum, but it is not stuffy or difficult to comprehend. It really does cover the history of computers - from thousands of years ago (computing power). The exhibits are interactive, there are many video segments, all ages can enjoy and learn something - I brought my 89 year old mom who really loved it as well. We only spent two hours, but you could easily spend 4-5 hours. I strongly recommend taking the docent tour. Café has interesting and delicious choices for food, but slow service.

You can feel the brilliant minds from the past. Well organized and information is presented in multiple formats. Incredible collection of historically significant technology. Worth taking the time to visit.

This is a huge museum packed full of interesting exhibits. They also do a great job of keeping up with evolving trends such as artificial intelligence. The place is so large you will want to go back again and again. Be sure join the various special presentations. The docents are so dedicated and passionate. An absolute must-see museum.

I was in town for a business trip, and on our last day a group of us visited this museum. So many artifacts and interesting history of the computer from the early days of the Abacus to today’s technology and everything in between. One could spend all day just reading, browsing, and viewing every single artifact and exhibit. Since we had limited time, we hit the high points but hope to return next year for a more in-depth visit.

As a 30-year "IBMer", I have a lot of personal interest, and knowledge about computers. And this spot has a lot of the machines that I worked on from the 1960's through the 1990's. There was a lot of nostalgia, as well as a lot of new information. Spent time at the 1401 exhibit - the workhorse of the 1960's. Love the fact that it has an "Emergency Stop" handle. Didn't remember that, and am still curious when or why you would use it. Great display on self-driving cars. Makes you realize how far we've progressed and how much further is available.

We stopped here because my husband is interested in computers and programming. I'm not, and while I figured I'd find a few interesting things, I was surprised by how much I really liked this museum. It really goes into the evolution of computers starting with simple computing devices like the slide ruler and continuing with super computers, handheld devices, gaming, and software.

We arrived two hours before closing, and I could have easily spent another hour there.

Having said that, we were traveling with my teenage daughter who had made up her mind before we got there that she wouldn't like it. She breezed through the exhibits in about an hour.

This was a great stop during our Silicon Valley driving tour. There were a lot of exhibits about the history of computation and the development of computers and the computer science field in general. We spend around 2 hours there, but we could have spent longer as there are a lot of things to see and there are even a few interactive exhibits. Lastly, the shop had various cool gifts to get.

Hubby, adult children, and I had a great time exploring the history of machines that help us think, going back as far as the abacus and slide rules (and yes, I learned how to use a slide rule in high school) up to modern video games and cloud computing. Always fun to walk around and say "yeah, I used that one, and that one, and learned that language (and that one, and that one.)"

Our family of 4 with teenagers spent several hours here. It was a comprehensive walk thru the computer history. Lots to look at and several interactive elements.

I toured this museum with a couple of my cousins on a recent trip to California. We are all of a certain age where we remember and have even worked with some of the computers in the museum---very nostalgic to see these machines again. The exhibits are well organized with lots of explanatory short film clips.

I highly recommend taking a docent-led tour - offered only at certain times, so you will need to check the website. Our tour guide was Bud, and he gave us a professional and energetic tour, explaining the computers and their significance in history in non-geeky terms.

I've always enjoyed the computer history museum. It is a fantastic educational spot for young kids, teenagers and adults alike. I learn something new on each visit.

The introductory film wasn't worth the time, although it was mercifully short. The displays, however, were very instructive and well done. I'm glad we spent a few hours there!

Be sure to at least keep a full day free for seeing all exhibits. Will definitely be a joy and nostalgic for oldies/old timers. For youngsters it is a place where they can see the computers evolution into revolution of today.

A must see

Wonderful collection of historical computers, ancient computational devices and new technology. They have several interactive exhibits, free tours (at certain times only!) and recorded audio guides. You could breeze through in under an hour, or spend half a day there - it all depends on your level of interest.

Awesome place to take your kids to see the history of how computers and computer languages got created! They also have very affordable and sometimes free coding classes for kids and teens!

To be able to see what started the computer movement to where wee are today right in front of you is amazing! Loved the displays and layout. Great for 2-3 hours and you must check out and talk with the chat bot

The Computer History Museum had been highly recommended to us, so when we had friends visiting from the UK this past week, we decided to take them. Glad we did!! Amazing place with very interesting exhibits. If you're in the area, don't miss it!!!

My husband (total geek) and I (interested but not very technical) had a great visit here. We learnt a lot about how the computer revolution developed and the role of Silicon Valley. It was also fun seeing the computers of our childhoods and more. We definitely could have spent more time here.

Oh, and the cage was unexpectedly good too. We enjoyed salads and wraps and a beer and wine.

Wow, what a well-done museum. The exhibits were well-balanced and wide-ranging, from earliest "computing" up to today. Based on my direct experience with SOME of the subjects, I have to assume that the material presented is accurate and fairly represents the various subjects. The text with each exhibit is well done, meaning easy to read, and not too long. Just the right amount of detail. And as a bonus, the curators do what all museums should do and provide arrows on the floor, directing you to the best flow so you don't miss anything and you don't repeat areas. Didn't need the map. KUDOS to the CHM for using real professionals in the execution of this museum. It's world-class.

Beautiful museum, interesting, very well organized and with great service.
We were in a very heterogeneous group: lovers and tech-knowers and people almost uninformed. Everyone loved the visit and the museum.
It's an immersion in history!! A lot of new information, memories, knowledge and recognition.
Very interesting and fun!!!

What an Adventure this place will take you on. You will Travel back in Time and be Excited at every turn. It was Truly Amazing to see how far Technology has come, and Where it is Going. The Intelligence of the Great Minds behind all the Computers, Robots, Gadgets, and so much more is Mind blowing. If You ever get the chance this is a must see for the whole family.

The Computer History Museum is a wonderful location, a should be must visit for anyone curious about the past, present and future of computing.

We took our 14 year-old grandson who loved this museum. Unfortunately, the Babbage computer was returned to its owner. There were informative displays and old computers and models.

Comprehensive descriptions of many facets of computers and their history. Numerous exhibits covering such topics as computers themselves, storage memory, software, AI, High Performance Computing, graphics and games. Allow at least four hours to view the exhibits in an unhurried manner.

I went to this place with a friend. The entry fee to this museum is 17.50 dollars. On sundays the museum is open till 5 pm, so go there little early and that too if you have 3-4 hrs time. It starts with calculator and goes till supercomputers and network sharing. I generally don't like visiting museums but this one i liked a lot. Its a good place to learn the evolution of computers and many other related things. A must visit place in Mountain View.

I moved from Silicon Valley to Sacramento in 1999 then to New Mexico in 2005...so to finally get to go see this museum knowing my husband spent his working years in the computer industry was a thrill. I will always be technically challenged, but looking at the things in the museum and thinking about the changes and growth just blew me away. Even if you are not a computer geek...you will love seeing the displays and be completely amazed at where we were and what we have come to. I wish I could take my mom here, the changes in the 30 years she has been gone would amaze her.

This was a good visit as we became aware of the evolutionary history of technology and its place in the past and present.

We went here March 18, 2018. We wanted our kids to see the old school games and computers. We thought the kids can play with the devices however most of the computers are for display only. My kids enjoyed the punch card machine. We also had a chance to ride the Google driverless car. My kids put together a raspberry pi, it was cool. I was expecting more hands on stuff for the kids but 90% of the exhibit are for display only. I also think the entrance fee is a bit high.

The reviews call this the Smithsonian of Silicon Valley and it lives up to the hype. Highlights were the Revolution exhibition which had multiple rooms taking you through the history from calculators to the present day. People who are into computing will recognise the stories from the silicon revolution onwards but it’s fascinating to see the evolution to that point - Babbage to ENIAC to IBM etc. Computing today piggybacks on this genius and extraordinary pace of change . Other highlights were the demos. In the IBM lab we printed our name in big letters by punching out cards and running a program on a 1401. In the PDP-1 demo we spoke to 1st gen users who used the machine at MIT and lovingly restored it. We had a demo where they played classical music on the first mini computer and explained how the music had been sitting in a box and the program in the docent’s head for forty years until it was restored. I thought this might be a one hour visit but turned out to be three hours of fascination.

We visited the museum on 6/11/16. I brought my two grown sons, both of whom are studying Computer Engineering, and they were both very enthralled with everything in the museum. It may have been the highlight of the week in California for them. But it is interesting for the non-computer folks as well. It is well designed, both architecturally, and in the exhibits. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of computing. The have an actual enigma machine from WWII. The Babbage machine discussed in other reviews was not there the day we were there, but they have a great video of it. It was fun seeing samples of so many of the items I remember from the past. Anything even remotely connected to computing, from the abacus to the calculator, from vacuum tubes to solid state transistors, from room sized computers to the first wood framed Apple. Gaming and smart hand held devices are also represented. I highly recommend this museum to anyone, of any age. It is lose to the Google campus and the parking is free.

Wish I'd spent longer, great technology relics with very understanding guides. The museum caters for entry level visitors, but has huge interest for veteran IT geeks also

It was easy to find and has a fair amount of parking. The building is a large 2 story structure but all the exhibits are on the first floor. We got a discount buying tickets online so I would suggest going online to see if you can get do the same thing. You check in at the front counter where they give you a collar tab to wear and a map. They offer tours at certain times of the day. We took the one at noon. It was fascinating. The displays are very well done and the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. Once we finished the tour we wandered the rest of the museum. There is a group of interactive displays that teach programming and other rooms that we didn’t even get to. I plan to visit here again. Great museum.

Love visiting the Computer History Museum, great stuff to show kids the things you had as a kid yourself. I definitely recommend if you're in Mountain View/Bay Area/Silicon Valley.

Do to time constraints, I only spent a short time here, but it was interesting. Gives a good history of technology and computers. I would have liked to have seen more of the electronic toys (toys and hand held games) and video game systems from the late 70s and early 80s (which they had a lot), but it would have been cool to see videos of the old games. There was a screen that showed old Atari TV commercials... which was cool, but I would like to have seen more of that. So, is it worth visiting? Sure.

This museum tracks the history of computers, especially developments in Silicon Valley. The museum is interesting to people interested in how the computer developed, probably best for those with some knowledge but wanting to learn more about the machines and inventors and other Silicon Valley participants in the industry.

It's the best computer museum you can find. They have everything from calculator to the latest computer and everything in between; softwares, hardwares and even video games. I love being here and I learn a lot. Besides, it's the best museum in the Mountain View area. This place its a must.

My adult son and I were there and really enjoyed it. Interesting to see evolution of technology. Could have more hands on activities.

If you want to learn about the history of computers from their earliest inception, then this is the place to visit. Details about all of the computer pioneers and companies, along with actual hardware.

The target audience appears to be technically-oriented teenagers and adults. Non-techies and younger children may find the static displays and lack of interactive displays less than fully engaging.

From Google Self Driving cars to the a working babbage difference engine the Computer History Museum is a landmark that cannot be missed if you have a few hours to spare while in Silicon Valley. By being located in the heart of were it all began I was expecting a more modern looking building, but dont be fool buy the very unassuming location and simple exhibits. The place is packed with everything you need to know about how the digital revolution started

I didn't plan to visit this museum but I am glad I did because it was worth the $17 entrance fee. There are numerous exhibits to see, lot's of interesting facts about computers and computing to learn, and even an autonomous car to sit in. You can spend couple of hours there but an hour should be also enough to see main displays. The museum is definitely not boring. You need to leave your bags in the coatroom which is free of charge. There is also a cafe in the building. A place worth visiting!

Great place to spend a few hours and learn the history of computers and innovation. They provided a lot of information and we found it very informative. We also had lunch in the cafe that's at the museum and it was also very good.

A great and compact exhibition of the history of how computing started and how far we have reached.... a great learning experience for the young ones and a recap for the earlier generation!!
Could be made more interesting with demonstration and commentary....

The history of computing from finger counting to Cray Computers and beyond. It is bigger and more vast then most people know. Guided tours take an hour but to wonder on your own may take several hours. The software annex is big on Electronic games and the auto drive cars section was a little disappointing. A computer lab is great. Have fun and learn the history of computing it is worth the time and money.

The museum is unique because the history is 100 years or less old. Ok most of it I remember first hand, more of a walk down memory lane. The displays are great and many are interactive like the classic Pong Game. The Apple I signed by Steve Wozneak is so cool. On Wednesdays and Saturdays they demonstrate the IBM 1401. Google sponsored display is new this year you can sit in a Google car and imagine letting it drive you anywhere.

Attended an event here and it was a great venue. The upstairs is essentially full of open areas and meeting rooms that are conducive to a gathering of approximately 100 to 200 people.

Had a chance to visit the museum itself which was an interesting mix of old and new technologies. It is deathly not a full day activity but an interesting way to spend a couple of hours if you are a tech geek.

There is a small coffee shop on site where you can get snack foods and half decent coffee. I believe parking is free as well.

This museum tells the story pretty well, simple enough for the those unfamiliar with the details computing and those (like me) who have 4 decades of hands on experience.

Lots of exhibits on display with well written explanations take you on a chronological journey from the beginnings to today.

It was not busy when we visited and our visit lasted around 90 minutes.

There is a comfortable coffee bar if one of your party needs a break.

I spent two hours here and still did not see everything and got booted out because they had closed :) .
I recommend reviewing their website; they have a recommended guide for a 1hr tour. Despite how much time you have when you go, unless you can get there when they open and have the entire day free, take this with you. I wish I had, but I figured I would get through everything w/ two hours and didn’t. So take their 1hr recommended tour guide and do it 1st. If you have time afterward, circle back anywhere and get your view/geek on!

I learned more than any other "technology" museum. The interior was air-conditioned and the docents showed me a very old computer and we got to play space war on the machine.

Well designed and informative. Could easily spend an entire day there, maybe more. Everything is well laid out and flows well. If you have any interest in computers, this is the place for you.

This very rich and well documented museum was a great surprise as it does not appear on the touristic recommendations. The museum covers a real long period with the multiple developments of the computers industry !!

Very recommended !!

Thought it might be busy on a Saturday in August but not so. Arrived 10am. Great demo of the IBM 1401. Lots of historical information about early counting and calculating machines, and came almost up to date with computers I'd owned 35-40 years ago. Light tasty snacks available for lunch. Easy access and free parking.

I wish it was a bit more geek oriented. It is more like a showroom with limited relation to me personally even though I have been with comps since 80'ies.

Special birthday trip for husband; he geeked out! - I found the place interesting and relatively accessible, even to non-tech me. We spent 6 hours there!

Taking you all the way through tech history (abacus, slide rules, early calculating systems) through AI and VR. No matter how old you are, you will find things that you remember from your childhood and things that you've always wanted to see - the Enigma machine, for example. As and old person, I loved seeing the first Pong game, the card punch machines, the PDP-10 ... and my daughter loved seeing her first video games. The videos are excellent, including one on silicon and one on scientists predicting the future. Really excellent!

We really enjoyed the museum and the cafe. Love the set up and the lean against/sit on bars for when you are watching a video. It was very interesting and informative.

Completely serendipitous find while driving through Mountain View. Rain came down hard, we thought "now what," and we drove past this place. We u-turned and spent the next 3 hours wandering the facilities and eating at the café. With our 11 years old, computer-savvy son (who loved the video game hall) we spent some serious time looking through all the collections. I particularly liked the punch card machines and exhibits for some reason. The café was fine - nothing too special. Gift shop was great.

We first saw this place a year or so ago. We realized then that an afternoon is way too short a time to spend and resolved to come again when visiting the area. Well we did it again and were so fascinated that we wanted to spend oodles of time at nearly every exhibit. Everthing is well shown and explained and there are many short videos as well as hands-on opportunities like slide rules, Napier's bones and abacuses. In the software special show one can play some of the video role playing game segments. We especially liked the many profiles of the people who invented and advanced computer history. There are also many actual machines and artifacts as well as some great replicas or pictures of renowned computing devises (we were super awed by the exhibit on a 3000 plus year old Greek geared astronomical events computing device that may have been made in a Sicilian workshop founded by Archimedes !)This time once again we ran out of time (and perhaps stamina) and are going to return for more next week. This is the premier place to learn about, review, and appreciate the awesome sweep of the effect of computerization on our civilization.

a lot to see, but eventually your visit gets boring. try to see babage's machine demonstration, that it worth a visit

A good balance of physical exhibits, interactive computer games and relevant video commentary. Also special exhibit on self drive cars.

There are many museums around the world. Not so many dedicated to the history of computers. This one is very nice. They are regularly updating it. On my last visit they added a section on software covering Gaming, Streaming, Medicine and automation. Well worth coming back to see.

This museum is fantastic. The exhibits are well marked, and it is not crowded, so you can take your time. The best part is the docents; many are retired engineers from Silicon Valley, and they are passionate about the museum. It's a great way to spend a day with relatives or friends visiting the area.

Guided tour was amazing, led by a volunteer graduated from Stanford with high expertise. Museum is even family friendly and offers many different thematic activities and games some of them based on programming. Overall it was a very well spent time...

The museum is really worthwhile visiting. You can see how it all begun with the first computers with mechanical tooth wheels, vacuum tubes, PDP, ... Apple I to the modern systems. Computer modules of the Apollo capsule. And much more. You know what? Go and have a look. A great place for nerds ;-)

This place is amazing.. It has all the old n rare computing machines, very well described, lovely exhibition.. A must see

This excellent museum covers the history of computing from Babbage onwards. There is a very heavy hardware emphasis, and the focus is driven towards the corporate - perhaps a result of the sources of support. There is much less emphasis on the people who developed computing, and the focus was probably overly US-centric. There is a great wall covering the development of programming languages, but almost no attention to the nature or development of progrmming languages; similarly, coverage of artificial intelligence is spotty at best. Still, if you wantto see harward from the early days onward, this is a very good place to go.

This is a great place for both the young as well as the old.

Great for the younger generation to see just how far and how fast technology has evolved, and for the older generation to reminisce about the "good ol' days." I think this museum's "way back when" collection stops just short of the stone age.

Great place to see Silicon Valley history, as well as how all the technology eventually arrived. They have a lot of old equipment (looks like my garage) on display, and even have quite a few short talks by the people who invented the stuff on display.

We decided to visit here on a whim (as a geek and history buff, it kind of called to me) since it was open late on Fridays. First of all, the admission was discounted to $10 after 5pm. We purchased the "geek" package, which was an extra $12.50 for a punchcard set, a t-shirt, and a coupon to the gift store. Since we arrived at 7pm (the traffic is RIDICULOUS if there is an event nearby...if it's bad getting off the freeway in the right-hand lane, I recommend going left instead, parking on a nearby street and walking the 3 or so blocks to the museum itself), we only had a couple hours before closing. Let me tell you, I wish I had 10 times the amount of time.

The main exhibit "2,000 years of computer history" was truly extensive, plus it's interactive. From the abacus to the latest technology (internet, cell phones, supercomputers, etc.), I was blown away by how many artifacts and related paraphernalia the museum had managed to collect and display in one space. My dad actually learned to program on punch cards and learned Fortran in graduate school, so it was fun to see the exhibits related to that. I also liked how there were mentions of women and innovations outside of America and Europe, which can be rare to find in history exhibits, though I think this could be extended even more. I was actually overwhelmed by how much there was to see in the limited time we had.

I was delighted to see their temporary exhibit on Ada Lovelace. They have a tour on the First and Third Friday of the month, and I was sad to have missed their "Women in Computing" tour that day. There are other smaller exhibits that I had to rush through, and we had to completely skip the two demo rooms. I definitely have to go back when we have a lot more time.

Everyone who worked there was so friendly and helpful. The bathrooms were clean with a changing table (yay!). The gift store was serviceable, but I think it's missing a lot of potential. I was really looking forward to buying a slide rule there, but it's the usual magnet, t-shirt, book repertoire. I did buy some cute nerdy kids books for my daughter, and there is a selection of kid science/robot kits. However, considering it's right next to the potential treasure trove of Google employees, I was surprised they didn't have a much more interesting gift selection (like I said....so much potential....).

Even if you're not a geek or a history buff like me, I'd still recommend a visit. We use computers in every aspect of our own lives, so it's really fascinating to see how a bunch of smart (and quirky) people transformed technology and are still innovating.

I'm kind of a geek, but I still was very impressed with the way they presented info. They started pre-computer to introduce "memory" or whatever else. It's not really hands on, but there were a few such exhibits.

Lots of nice little jogs down memory lane with videos of old computer ads and so on.

My wife and I spent an entire afternoon here and enjoyed ourselves even though I am neither a geek or a museum fan.

As we were in San Jose we thought we would visit here.
This museum is superb. So much to see. And being 64 years old I could remember a lot of the old style computers.
It takes you down memory lane.
We had a ham and cheese toasted and a pizza in the cafe.
They were excellent. All prepared fresh as you wait
We sat outside in the sunshine to eat them.
That was fine but as next to a busy road was very noisy.
The young man on the desk when we checked in on the afternoon of Thursday 22 sept was absolutely fab. Very friendly and funny. He is a delight to have there at the museum. Sorry I did not get his name.
We spent a few hours there and was well worth it.
Only $19 per person and worth every penny.

This was a very interesting museum. Lots of history and old machines and toys and electronics from the past.

Fabulous computer museum. Very good floor plan and organization Fabulous examples of past computer machines, storage and software. You need at least 2 hours. Small cafe. A must if you are interested in computer history

It didn’t look that big from outside but you might end up spend all day in there. The Museum was very impressive and informative. I don’t know much about computer beside
Using them so this trip amazed me. I would really love to go and spend more time there again.

This is a great museum. It traces the evolution of technology from the ancient times when people relied on wood carvings to today’s ubiquitous use of technology. It can get quite technical at times but it is quite engaging and informative. I especially liked the way it highlighted the role played by different individuals, government and world events that led to creation of certain technologies which are now bedrock of today’s world. If you have even the slightest interest in technology or computers, then you must visit this place, especially as it is located right in the centre of an area which is inarguably the tech centre of the modern world.

It is an Interesting museum but with small exhibits. It seems to e more an educational facility than a real museum.

Excellent museum to visit. The museum mainly showcases the stories and artifacts of the digital computing revolution with historical details. It has significant collection of computing artifacts with detailed written descriptions. Staff are friendly and helpful. Good parking space. There is a cafe near to the reception.

For any computer nerd a place to be. A huge collection of nice old computersystems. The guides are veterans of the computer industry. They know were they are talking about.
It was a great visit. Also for corporate meetings a nice venue.

You start your history tour with a Chinese abacus but soon enough you are at an original grandfather IBM PC from the early 1980's. It takes time to examine the hardware graveyard but it's much more than that and I enjoyed my visit.

My wife and I joined an out of state couple for a visit to the Computer History Museum in early October 2018. We found a very impressive museum that exhibits much more than we thought it would. The exhibits include computing instruments and calculation machines several hundred years old, machines used during WW2, early commercial computers, and all the way to the modern computers, phones and software. We also enjoyed the current interactive exhibits about software and the importance software plays in the world we live in today. Admission prices were reasonable and various discounts are offered. We were there via a groupon coupon. You can easily spend hours there if you're a computer enthusiast. There is free parking at the museum. We recommend visiting the Computer History Museum when in the Silicon Valley area.

Excellent spot to host Udacity’s Intersect 2017. The museum is well designed with a beneficial layout to host conferences and events. Parking was ample and the exhibits I did see in-between sessions were well designed.

This museum started small, but it has grown to include an emormous collection of interesting calculating machines and computers. Have a docent give you a tour so you can separate the revolutionary machines from those that tweaked an existing technology. Don't miss the gift shop! It has all sorts of educational and wonderfully quirky products.

Good information on the evolution of computing from basic counting to self-driving google car. They have some tours available as well which touch upon some of the major inventions.

Tip: Check Groupon for discounted tickets. We got 50% off on them.

This is an amazing place especially if you work in the technology sector. It was like walking down my IBM career memory lane. Very kid friendly. The Cloud cafe is not bad either.

I went with my husband (who is a techie) and my 2 children (7 and 4). My husband would have liked longer in each area as he is really into his tech, but I went through a bit quicker with my kids. There are some really good interactive areas that we all enjoyed, generally a fun few hours.

3 generations of family visited the Computer History Museum late this summer. The exhibits are all well done. As a multi-decade veteran of Silicon Valley, I can attest that it's quite accurate and did not feel lopsided in it's coverage. (During earlier visits, I'd felt it was praising Microsoft a bit more than deserved. I didn't get that this time. It did feature several very-recent CEOs and companies who may not stand the test of time)
The ancient computing area was fascinating. I learned a bit about 1940-50s era, recognized some equipment from my now-ancient college textbooks, and it proceeded up to the dawn of the internet. There's also an area that shows the Google self-driving car (and not the older model, either)
My tweener daughter and my senior citizen mother and aunt all enjoyed it as well. Well done, CHM.

Really enjoyed the museum Especially if you have been in the IT industry. Could have spent a lot longer here. The app was very good for information about the exhibits. Coffee shop was good. Would allow at least 3-4 hours if you interested in computing

This museum was on our list to visit, due to my husband’s interests. We visited together, on the understanding that if and when I was bored, I could wander over to the nearby Starbucks and read a book. But no book reading was done today. This museum was engaging on every level, and not just for the computer nerd! The information was interesting, displays fantastic and there were a range of ways to access information including great short videos. The layout was clear, easy to follow, showed a clear progression and the collection was fantastically curated. We had planned a half day here but ended up having a sandwich at the cafe and spending most of the day. Definitely to be recommended.

I grew up in the Bay Area, but an not in the Computer Industry. I enjoyed this museum. I especially like see an Enigma machine from WWII.

So much fun to visit all the devices you used to own (and threw away -- to bad you didn't donate them). Reminds you of the 'good old days of computing' (floppy discs et al) and elicits a cry of "You mean you used one of those -- no way!" from your kids. A fascinating trip down memory lane (pun intended) for all of us living in the digital age and a reminder of how far we've come in a relatively short time. Way, way, way better and more fun than expected!

This museum is FULL of so much information! It's crazy how much there is to see! I could have spent a good 2 hours here! I relived my oast!

The museum us worth to do if you are in Mountain view! Such a piece of history for the 3rd industrial revolution ( digital ). A special “bravo” to Jim the volunteer for his amazing guided tour ( about 1h45), he is an great combination of passion , knowledge and human being !

The price is a bit high (17.5$) but eventually this is the same everywhere is California...

Perfect museum for Silicon Valley - captures the growth of the industry and technology since the Fifties. Guides are typicall knowledgeable retirees from Tech.

A comprehensive overview of the history of computers from a Silicon Valley perspective. Also business and human stories.

Definitely recommend participating in a free tour of the museum as it is filled with lots of information and would be hard to navigate on your own. It was really interesting to learn about the history and the tour guides were very knowledgeable. Even after completing a 1.5 hour tour there was still lots to look at!
The interactive part of the museum is also a highlight

This was a good venue and super interesting. There was a lot to look at and interactive exhibits. You could sit in a self driving car and punch your own punch card. We really enjoyed it. The only thing was that it was not up to date, which I understand is difficult for this topic but it seemed to end in 2010 ish in places. They also shut off a section of the museum without much prior warning so we had to rush over to view it before it closed.

A timeline based museum of the evolution of computing. It gave me a great perspective of the evolution as well as the ethos of the silicon valley. The way innovations have shaped human experience over the years.

This is truly one of a kind museum, carefully and lovingly documenting the develop of the computer from its lowly humble origins to todays machines. The displays include Hollerith tabulating systems from 1890 thru Crayk-1 supercomputers, to advanced machines of the day. They display the First Mouse, the First Disk Drive, and other innovations. Ever see paper tape? Ever see magnetic tape drives? This will melt the braincase of any teenager. Well worth a family visit, and plan on spending at least three hours. And, make sure you stop by the gift shop filled with wonderful Nerd stuff.

Please do not take kids younger than 8, as they will be bored.

The most complete collection of computers, dating back to the 19th century. Great curiosities and well laid-out displays. Good for teenagers not young kids.

- great trip down history lane
- went with 11 yr old kid, who loved the place and seeing how technology has evolved
- writing your name using the punch card machine was fun
- budget 2-3 hours, that's it
- gift shop has some cool stuff
- cafe service is reallllllly slow...

Have been here couple of times with kids and for them ( its history)

Very informative, well managed and lot of touch and feel.

This museum has lots of collections on computer history. For the rulers to the cray super computers, a computer lovers must able to find interesting things here. It also gives great overview on the evolution of computers. I'd recommend tourists should visit here.

Definitely a must see if you are in the area. Fascinating, complete history of computers. They have an incredible collection of artifacts. The staff is super and the cafe is great. My son is a coder and huge into technology. He found it totally engaging. Loved it!

Consider the history of computing, it's no doubt there is a lot to capture in a museum. They tried to tell a comprehensive story from the beginning, but as visitor progress the exhibit path becomes tedious and confusing in both the timeline and topic. Software was thrown in somewhere in the middle, there was one section for Ai/robotics, another for gaming, PC, and mobile etc. were all mixed in. It's a disservice to each subject and some things I expected to see were missing. Imagine an art museum trying to tell the entire art history of the world as one narrative. Would be better to break out for example software from hardware, each on its own floor, and similar to art museum, devote areas for each subject or period as rotating or special exhibit or something. Also would be good to include more interactive exhibits as well for kids or visitors to learn hands-on about particular subjects (e.g. 3D graphics, or AI neural networks etc.). Overall I definitely enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Mind you it is more than half day attraction wherein you can explore the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society.There are galleries covering hardware,software,documentation,photographs and multimedia experiences covering the journey from abacus to smart phone.You have chance to explore the game changing applications like texting,mp3,MRI,photoshops etc.,
Self driving car model is on display.

Wonderful, we were there all day. Don’t miss the demonstrations in Room 1401, they run computers and a printer from the 1960s.

We stopped by this museum while making our way from San Jose to San Francisco. My tech savvy 16 was very interested in this museum and it did not disappoint. It was great to see the evolution of the computer and other technical gadgets. There is something for everyone in this museum. Also a very cute gift shop.

nice and well maintained museum. Some of the exhibits are fascinating! Would definitely recommend...

The exhibits are well done with clear explanations. This is one museum you will get lost in and learn a few things from.

We have been to the Computer History Museum 3 times now, always finding it interesting, this time without the grandchildren who get bored too quickly. Some of the displays are different this time with the addition of Make Software; Change the World exhibit and changes to the Autonomous vehicle display there were things we did not have time to see! I think next time we will start with the newer exhibits then go to the stationary exhibits.
The museum is so interesting including the punch cards data systems from the 1940's and revolution of computers from the first Apple computer.

A visit to the Computer History Museum is a pleasant outing for technologists or children (and everyone else). The multiple rooms each focus on a technology or time period. The exhibit descriptions are clear and informative.

First time going to my local museum and had a wonderful time. Got a two for one ticket price on Groupon and headed out to see what it was all about. Easy to find, park and, enjoy. The exibits were wonderful, chronological, and easy for me to understand the progression of calculation, machines, chips, computers, and all of the new inventions. Loved the student docents that enhanced the experience, the movies, the game room, and the self driving car. Spent a good two hours.

As a graduate student in film production at UCLA, our mantra for evaluating the caliber of each film we saw was to ask ourselves the following three questions: What did it say? How well was it said? Was it worth saying? On all three counts, I give high marks to the Computer History Museum. For starters, it was a bold and smart move to place the development of the computer into a 2,000 year history and to include everything from slide rules to the abacus to the Apollo Mission computers. The accompanying text was clearly written, short, succint, informative, engaging. The use of objects in conjuction with vintage photographs, video, text, figures, etc., was wonderful. We only had two hours. It wasn’t nearly enough. I believe that the exhibit designers pulled off the nearly impossible, giving laypersons such as myself enough context and detail to begin to truly understand what modern computing is, and was derived from, while simultaneously providing already computer literate engineers with enough to delve deeper. A truly unexpected and wonderful museum.

Absolutely a must when you're in Silicon Valley! Interesting for everyone, (older) kids included. Reserve at least 2 hours.

I was truly overwhelmed by this place and wish I'd set aside more time. The docent led tour could have been a TED talk on computing history, it was that good. I wish I'd noted his name but I have a sense that all the docents have a similar knowledge base and enthusiasm. I shall return devoting a full day to this world-class museum.

We were visiting the museum in a rainy day. It was very very interesting and interactive. I loved it so much.

One of the best museum's in SC County. Intel also have a facility but I enjoy examining the history of computers. Several local organizations use the facility for off site meetings.

This place was really a great surprise for me. I had thought it would of course be interesting hence why I went in the first place but I can honestly say it is a must see. I arrived mid afternoon thinking I would have plenty of time to see the full history. As it turns out I will need to
Go back as i ran out of time to enjoy everything. Seeing how far we have come in just my lifetime even makes me wonder what we will see here in the next generation. Special mention: do try and time your visit around the tours and demos / the two lads who demoed the 1401 IBM and how it worked in my pictures where great - one of them worked for ibm for 40 years and now volunteers at the museum. Amazing!

...visit the Computer history museum. It takes you back in time about how computing began and how machines began to help with it. Great for kids, adults alike. Love the collection of hardware they have collected.

To be transparent, this would not be my first choice for an afternoon activity, but my husband is a total technology geek. We spent several hours here, listening to the docent tour at first, and the wandering through ourselves. There is a lot of information, and it is pretty cool, but even my husband said it was very reading intensive. There is an audio tour, but we didn’t try it, and that might have been better. Probably not a great place for younger kids in general - most of them looked very bored, but there is a hands on activity center. My husband could have spent more time there, but a few hours was enough for me.

The Computer History Museum is a great place to go for the story of information collection and distribution. We were lucky to go on a day when a docent gave us a 40-minute tour of their permanent exhibit that goes thru all the stages of improvements. We also got an in depth demonstration of the IBM 1404, one of the first machines to compile punch card data and produce results. Very interesting and the docents are experienced in the machinery of past eras. Highly recommend!

I have been here with my kids and it was great!

So many interesting exhibits of the history of computing.

Missing the last few years with Cloud, modern mobile, IoT, home automation and the like.

Years before I ever had occasion to visit San Francisco, this museum was on my list of places to see. So when business took me to the area, I made sure to find the time to make the trip to Mountain View. I'm a programmer, but my wife -- who was along on the trip -- isn't, and yet we both thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

The highlight of the trip for me was seeing a 1960s-era IBM mainframe in actual operation. They did a fantastic job with the demo, showing everything from how punched cards are read -- it astonished me how fast the reader works -- to demonstrating how the line printer works (as well as the safety hazards associated with it!) My wife got a lesson on operating the card punch machine by none other that the guy that invented the computer video game AND the first Lisp compiler (Steve Russell). I am, to this day, envious that I didn't get the chance to operate that machine!

I would certainly recommend the museum for anyone. Kids will no doubt enjoy the Google car, the exhibit of 80s video games and PCs, and some of the really giant machines in there. I enjoyed some of the exhibits of branches of computing history that never went anywhere and have been largely forgotten (analog computers, for instance), and for me the 80s gallery was a step through memory lane.

If I had the time that day, I would have stuck around for Steve's demo of Spacewar on a PDP-1. Yes, the inventor of the video game demos the program he wrote on its original hardware at this museum.

Truly a unique experience, and I highly recommend it.

The Computer History Museum offers the complete history of computing--going back to the earliest times when humans developed shortcuts for mathematical computation. They have a wealth of devices--from the abacus to self-driving cars--as examples. The displays are appealing and clear; the evolution of the digital age is arranged historically, but as computing opened up into new areas (animation, for example), there are short detours in the suggested route. Someone with a casual interest in computers (like me) could waltz through it in under two hours; someone with deeper interest and knowledge (like my husband) might take longer. The museum makes a point of showing contributions of individuals and companies, including females (including a small exhibit on Ada Lovelace). Boomers who remember the days of punch cards will especially enjoy seeing their digital life in retrospect! I personally would not recommend this museum for kids under high school age unless they are really interested in the subject. The displays require lots of reading, and although there are some good hands-on opportunities, it is primarily a "don't touch" museum. Groups of kids might benefit from a guided tour (which the museum offers at no charge). There is a neat store on site (which you can visit without going to the museum). Likewise, the cafe is pleasant and does not require museum entrance, and there is good outdoor seating. The museum is private, so the admission is a bit steep. Also, it is closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan accordingly. (If you live locally, this would be a great place for an event. They cater.)

I love this place I got a discounted tickets on groupon kids 10 and under are free (there isn't much to do for younger children 5 and under) there are two exhibits one is more hands on for younger children.

The second one has A LOT of don't touch and it was very hard for me to keep track of my 4 year old not touching stuff. So probably thats why Ill be going back by myself to enjoy it :)

gift shop is nice we bought t-shirts and Astronauts ice cream , cafeteria had good food lots of healthy choices.

We were meant to go to the technology museum in San Jose and came across this by chance. We were pleasantly surprised. There is a ton of history about computers so plan enough time for your visit! Some of the History is fascinating and there are plenty of hands on exhibits and interactive activity! My teenage boys enjoyed the visit and I was thrilled by the nostalgic products on display.
We didn't have enough time to view everything so it's on our bucket list to return!

Information overload.

So much invention that change our lives for the better and this museum literally shows it.

Here you will discover that being bigger is so much better. Bigger means more expensive... but with technology- the smaller it is, the more advance.

This place is perfect for a real learning experience.

If you are with small kids- do all the Interactive activities first... then when they have explore all the Interactive activity... start discussing history.... allow them to play from time to time.

There are a lot of photo space where you can take photos and send it to yourself.

When you visit here try bringing a small bag. Big bags and back packs are required to be checked in.

Try exploring the Napiers bones!.

Don't forget to visit the souvenir shop. Sometimes you can get lucky, 50 percent off on selected items.

Whatever your interest in the history of computing, you'll find it here. Stories about the people, the hardware, the software or the politics behind the rise of computing machines are woven into a timeline and a setting that entertains and informs. Even if you have no specific interest in computers, the history of calculating machines and the evolution to silicon and the digital technology that underlies all we do is enough to capture anyone's attention.

We spent 4 hours, and came back the next day for another 4. This museum is delightful! If you do not understand much about computers, here is your chance.

This overwhelming museum covers the history of computing starting from ancient times (from counting machines like the abacus and mechanical devices for computing astronomical information) through the industrial revolution (punched cards for controlling looms and mechanical computers like babbage's engine) to the modern era (from sophisticated mechanical analog computers to the modern electronic digital computers) in great detail. Indeed, it is almost overwhelming (25,000 square feet and over 1,000 historical objects). It was something of a personal history for us - we can remember getting an abacus as a grade schooler, using a slide rule in high school (the last class to be taught how to use the slipstick), typing in punched card programs in our first FORTRAN class in college, buying our first personal computer (an Osborne of all things - a marvel at the time, but today a bad joke), and designing gas turbine engines with supercomputers as an engineer. We were able to find almost every computer related device we've used over the last 50 years here on display - plus many things we'd only heard about or knew only from their applications to make the modern world possible.

You can easily spend hour upon hour here - indeed, if like us, your time is limited it can be a bit frustrating: so much to see, so little time. The general admission price is around $20, but we lucked out and visited on Bank of America day (or whatever they called it). By showing our BoA credit card, we got free admission. Sadly we see the museum is currently closed due to COVID, but we heartily recommend you make a visit once it reopens.

The museum starts the history lesson with the abacus and ends with what comes next in today's world. There are 20 venues with over 1100 items in which you are able to look, touch, and listen. There are also two demo labs to try a video game of antique nature and one other demo lab. There is an area with a self driving car and a hall of exhibits which you are able to be interactive with the wonderful world of video games and music. We were there for two hours and could have stayed longer. A lot of information to take in You can go on a tour or by yourself. Have an educational time.

I love the Computer History Museum. Seeing their beautiful collection of primitive early calculating devices gives one an appreciation for how far we have advanced the state of the art. That phone in your pocket has far more compute power and storage than the room-sized supercomputers of old. It is hard to imagine what it took to program or even use those ancient beasts with their clicking relays or glowing vacuum tubes.

My wife thinks that this museum is not for everyone, but I believe that anyone who has ever used a computer, game console, or smart phone will enjoy an increased understanding of how these devices came into being. The museum pieces are the holy relics of technology.

One of the best parts of the museum is the program of speakers on various topics of interest. Register online and you may get free admission to the museum exhibits before the program begins. There may also be free snacks and beverages. Then you get to sit back and listen to the pioneers of computing explain their adventures, and even ask them questions. I once got Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple) to explain an obscure feature of the memory chips used on the Apple II.

Ever wonder what happened to all of that old computer equipment? It is all nicely spread out at this museum. Great interactive displays and a beautiful space. They give interesting talks and it is a really nice spot to rent out.

This is an awesome museum. Even if you're not totally into computers, it's a great place to visit. Design of the facility is really great, and exhibits are very interesting. Great graphic design, and storytelling. Will definitely visit it again in the future.

The museum is amazing and a must see for everyone who loves technology and wants to learn more about the history present and future of computers and their power. This is quite large place and with so many interactive areas so plan few hours of fun time there. Museum is great for kids and adults. My family spent the whole day there and the food is amazing too. We will definitely be back.

1) They have huge collection.
2) keep aside 1 day for this museum.
3) Always check Groupon for deals.
4) Very informative and educational.

In all must visit museum..

This place definitely exceeded my expectations! We spent three hours here and were rushed because of the closing time, so you could definitely spend even longer. The main part of the museum has exhibits starting with the abacus and slide rule and progressing to modern/current uses of computers and types of computing. Extremely comprehensive and informative. It is very visual – lots of text to read and objects to look at – so I would have appreciated an audio guide, but that’s just me. There are some monitors with interviews/exclamations/films about various aspects of the technology, which makes it more multi sensory. You can also take a one hour guided orientation to her during museum certain times of the day, but since we only had three hours we opted to just look on our own. Glad they offer that though. There are also two reconstructions of labs from I believe 1959 or so, and another large exhibit with several interactive components. You can also sit in a Waymo Google self driving car! I think everyone will learn at least several new things from visiting this fantastic museum. I found the admission price of $17.50 for adults and $13.50 to be extremely worth it. The customer service/ticket seller was also so enthusiastic and a wonderful ambassador for the museum! The gift shop was a little overpriced but had some cool items inside for all ages. Definitely don’t miss this if you’re in Silicon Valley!

so many things to see, very well laid out. Loved the interactive exhibits, and the demos of the old IBM and PDP1 labs.

This place is amazing! They have old PDP 11s to the Altair and Apple I computers. Definitely worth the visit if you're a computer geek.

Even if the thought of computer history makes your eyes glaze over, this museum will interest you. They should have named this the Silicon Valley History Museum, because you'll find lots of characters beyond Hewlett and Packard who have loomed large in local history. There was a Pac-man game and models of circuits, which is helpful for those of us married to engineers who work on "chips" all day.
Computer nerds already know this stuff. Go if you need a family outing close to home.

The place is just amazing, and going through the artifacts of the Micro computer history was like reliving my childhood: they even have an Apple I signed by Steve Wozniak himself! Other pieces of interest: a piece of the Eniac, the first Google Server and an Apple II still functioning!

I was in the Bay Area on business and wanted to check this place out. I'm thoroughly impressed and had a blast. The admission price was reasonable and the exhibits were excellent with a lot of detail. I used the audio guide app and that was great as well.

I'd estimate this to take about 2 hours if you have moderate interest in computers, and maybe 4 if you want to examine everything in detail.

One word of advice - read The Innovators by Walter Isaacson before going. I almost felt like the museum brought the book to life. Almost every early computer Isaacson discussed was on display there.

My only gripe was that the Spacewar! demo wasn't working... man I wanted to try that :)

I expected a lot for from the museum. The storyline is hard to follow unless you're already interested in this history (which my boyfriend was). It's confusing to navigate. If you're visiting the Silcon Valley and are interested in this sort of thing, I think it's an enjoyable visit. But for everyone else, worth skipping.

I have visited the Computer Museum a few times over the years and really enjoy going there. As a high-tech executive in my forties, I enjoy rediscovering the computers of my youth! Go there to see how computers have evolved, and bring in your kids.

One of my teenagers favorite places. A truly great place to learn about the history of computing and how Silicon Valley has paid such an important role. In addition it is not too expensive, kids <13 are free... If you are in the area it is certainly worth 3 hours of your time. Highly recommended.

I was expecting a pretty dusty collection of "old stuff", so this place far exceeded my expectations.The sheer quantity of interesting historical pieces they have is amazing, and the content that goes with it is really excellent. It's well laid out, and there are guides there who are knowledgeable and approachable.

I especially enjoyed the talk about their (working) PDP-1 given by Steve Russell, who was one of the MIT/Lincoln Lab engineers who programmed early music systems and games (Space Wars!). It was great to see this classic code still running.

Hats off to everyone who works on this museum.

We went in a Friday. We were here about 1.5 hours. Lots of interesting info and artifacts. Wish it was more about more recent computer, gaming and communication info. There is more about the super early forms of card punching than needed. Disappointed that the two labs have nothing happening unless your there in a wed or fri. Groupon offers much better pricing. It is not worth paying $17.50 per adult and $13.50 per child. We paid $32 for all four on Groupon.

This place brings together all aspects of computers. Loved it! Staff is super helpful and knowledgeable not only of museum but also of other surrounding areas. They also have a device that charges your phone as you are in the museum, free of charge to use. I was there on a Weds. where there were tours with a docent which was very nice. Worth a stop if your into technology, have ever built a robot/basic understanding components to build, into computer history, or even are fascinated in Google's self driving car (they have one on display you can take a picture with/in). I'd have to say staff that stood out the most would be Guest Services Associate Jesse. He was very helpful in navigating attractions within the area. I was traveling from NJ so this was a huge help.

I've been to a lot of museums, but the Computer History Museum is one of the best. It's broken down into manageable chunks of information and displays.

The history is amazing and there is a lot of donated computers and memorabilia from a lot of the major players in the industry. If you are ever in the Mountain View area you can't afford to miss the Computer History Museum!

Added this visit to our road trip purely to placate my husband thinking I would be bored to tears.. how wrong I was .. this place was incredible.. spent two hours there could have stayed double that. So much to see, the exhibits were unique and very well presented. The robot section was interactive and the AI humanoid Ameca blew my mind. The final surprise was the cafe - incredible food ( freshly made flatbread pizzas, salads, sandwiches etc) and so reasonable. Put this on your list whether you’re a computer buff or not

The young guy with the beard who sold us the ticket was really really kind and funny !

This place is absolutely crazy ! Lot of things to view, to read, to watch. Lot of collector things ! You can easily spend a lot of time in it if you want to read everything !

Avoid the little bar in front of the museum store. It is expensive and not that great.

If you are into this sort of thing (you will know who you are) It his HIGHLY recommended. They have done an awesome job of taking you back into the origins of this remarkable device that is present in almost every aspect of our lives. I found myself completely absorbed by the displays of the early devices, many of which date back to ancient times abacus etc. - and the earliest computers - differential analyzer & eniac, etc. All the way up to the cutting edge of "now" - the new google self driving car.

Here's the catch. If you are not a bit of a computer geek, then you might consider doing something else. And, don't bring kids under the age of 13 - and even then only bring them if they are inquisitive and interested in the quest for knowledge. If you do go - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

BTW there is a small cafe with some worthwhile offerings & good coffee.

Here would be my decision making metric. 3 out of 3 required.
1) Are you "into" computers?
2) Are you "into" history?
3) Do you enjoy museums?

As I am working in IT for about 30 years, and on a lazy Sunday morning I thought a visit would be appropriate.
This museum give an extremely detailed overview of everything related to calculating & computing up to CGI and the Internet. You could spend a complete day there ! Also some labs with an operational IBM mainframe is exiting.