The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is one of the top-rated Bay Area museums to explore California art, history, and natural sciences. Recognized as one of the best things to do with kids in Oakland or the entire San Francisco Bay Area with kids, they’re really for everyone from serious museum buffs to international visitors. Their collections rank them as one of the top science, history, and art museums in the East Bay, as well as the greater San Francisco Bay Area. At 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, California, convenient to BART.
The mission of the Oakland Museum of California is to inspire all Californians to create a more vibrant future for themselves and their communities.
When the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) first opened its doors fifty years ago in 1969, it brought together three historically independent disciplines—art, history, and natural sciences—under one roof. This progressive multidisciplinary approach was to celebrate the many facets of California. Their collections—comprising more than 1.9 million objects including seminal art works, historical artifacts, ethnographic objects, natural specimens, and photographs—and their programs explore and reveal the factors that shape California character and identity, from its extraordinary natural landscapes, to successive waves of migration, to its unique culture of creativity and innovation.
OMCA nurtures its deep ties to the community by offering many educational and outreach programs. They welcome schools, scholars, local audiences, and all visitors to participate in their events and activities and to discover their place in California’s past, present, and future.