Bowers Museum

Loved this museum!!

Best time to come is during Target First Sundays for FREE if you don't mind the wait!! Granted we had to wait in line for like.. an hour and a half, but it was worth it to me!  Also, if you're feeling super lucky try the free parking lot across the street closer to the freeway.  Saved $12 for entrance to the museum and $23 for the Terracotta Warriors Museum! s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com…

Got in line around 10:30, waited about an hour and a half to get the warrior exhibit tickets for 1:30pm.  It was perfect timing to have a leisurely lunch at Tangata.

One of my favorite exhibits was the Pacific Islands exhibit! Really interesting to learn about the culture of the headhunters and to see their tools/currency/jeweler of human teeth!

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Had a great time! Definitely check it out sometime!

Be sure that you are very clear with the desk about what you are trying to purchase as far as tickets go. The young lady at the front desk, as nice as she was, was not good at all about communication or listening when I was trying to just buy 4 ticket to the knight exhibit only. She charged us over $90 for going through the whole museum. I found out that I could have only bought the knight exhibit tickets for $15 each instead. I spoke with her about it and she did apologize and gave me 4 vouchers for later. But honestly I really don't know if I would come again. I would have rather had the difference of ticket prices refunded, but she did not make such an offer. The exhibit was nice, and well curated however it was on the small side.

Being a museum enthusiast, I looked forward to checking this museum out finally.  Obviously it's not as big as the SFMA, but, I was quite impressed with the collections and exhibitions here.  Deep with culture and collections....it's a great way to spend a few hours on a weekend to enjoy the arts and broaden your knowledge.  =)

What I really enjoyed:
*Gems of the Medici - Collections of Medici art and antiquity that dates back to 1st century BCE.

*Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Years Legacy - A rich collection of the Chinese history and culture from the Shanghai Museum and portrays the evolution of Chinese art and culture.  There are large painted ceramic pots, sculptures of camels and horses, embriodered silk court robes and ivory carvings.

*Sacred Realms: Temple Murals - Oversized colorful paintings from the famous Buddhist monk Shashi Dhoj Tulachan reflecting the arts of Tuksche (village in Mustang, Nepal).  I loved the richness and the brightness of the colors in each of his paintings.

*Scrimshaw: The art and craft of American Whaler - Collections of voyages in search of whales, the carved teeth, bone and other unused parts of the whale...hence the word "scimshaw."  The whale teeth and bone are carved with images of Victorian ladies, pirates, scenes from the sea, tools used for clothes and ship sails, games made to past the time, and gifts/toys made for loved ones.  This is quite authentic!

Hungry?  Need a break?  Check out the restaurant Tangata located in the heart of the museum where you can be seated indoor or outdoor in the courtyard style dining experience.

1st Sundays are FREE!

You can book special events here too!

There is also the Kidseum for kids - it's fun, educational and cultural...they even have summer camp programs!  =)

My boyfriend wanted to take me here for the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival festivities they had a couple of weeks ago.  Unfortunately, we showed up too late and only were able to catch the last group dance performance.  We proceeded inside as the last Sunday of the month most of the museum is free to check out.  

Since it was so late in the afternoon we were only able to check out two exhibits, but they were really cool.  We were able to see the Scrimshaw exhibit which was really neat.  I went in knowing nothing about this and left thinking wow what a harsh time and job to do, but found it rather intriguing.  We also had the chance to check out the international exhibit that had to do with head hunters, medicine men, and spirituality.  That was so interesting to me, I LOVE CULTURE!  To see all the different clothing items, items of "magic", and all the other rare pieces they had on display was soooo cool!  

I have to go back before Lucy is gone and check that out because in my opinion that is just a part of who we all are and is frankly just AMAZING!  I think it is really worth getting a membership and am definitely considering that doing so.

unexpectedly wonderful. Saw African ritual photography exhibit with God's must be crazy movie night. After hours event..bummed several other exhibits looked great but they were closed.

Coming to this location, I had quite low expectations, due to the fact that it was in the local area, and wasn't all that very well known to everyone. But I was blown away by how amazing Bowers Museum was.

I can't decide which was best but both the architecture of the place and its displays were just INCREDIBLE. Great range of cultures on display, ranging from the Pacific Islands, all the way to the early years of California. The organization of all the exhibits were very well done and informational.

I definitely loved the Spanish mission style architecture of Bowers. It's also an excellent spot for a romantic wedding or quinceanera. It was too beautiful. Wish there were more words to describe this place.

I wish I could give 0 stars for the service alone. Lady at the front desk reacted disgusted after asking if bank of America had a special for visiting the museum. She could have simply said no. Although I did enjoy the Frida Kahlo Exhibit.

We saw mummies of the world exhibit today.  Wonderful learning experience for everyone.  Also we got to see their Head Hunter exhibit as well as their China exhibit.  Definitely worth coming here with families and friends.  Plenty of parking  $6 per car.

Great Museum, the Mummies exhibit is fascinating and creepy. Must check out their map and explore other sections of the museum.  I had a great time with my family. I'll definitely recommend this place to friend and family.

Beautiful museum, great restaurant, and interesting gift shop. Beautiful venue for events too. Highly recommend visiting for the museum or if invited to an event.