Tucked into Coyote Point Recreation Area on the San Mateo shoreline, CuriOdyssey is a mix of science museum and small zoo built mainly for young children. It cares for nearly 100 rescued animals, most of them native to California, that can't survive in the wild. It also has more than 50 hands-on exhibits about gravity, light, perception and lift.

A museum that almost closed

The museum began in 1954 as the San Mateo County Junior Museum, housed in a Quonset hut on the point. It became the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education in 1974. The main building opened in 1981, and live wildlife exhibits followed in 1991.

In 2006 the museum disclosed a $745,000 deficit, and one proposal would have replaced it with a climate education center. Supporters responded with a 30-day campaign that raised $540,247 in pledges from 776 donors, plus a $500,000 pledge from the TomKat Foundation, and took over management that September. Under executive director Rachel Meyer, who arrived in 2007, the museum refocused on young children. It took the name CuriOdyssey on Jan. 15, 2011.

What you'll see

  • Wildlife habitats: Twenty naturalistic habitats house animals including a bobcat, a river otter, gray foxes, golden eagles, owls, turkey vultures and raccoons. A tunnel lets visitors look into dens.
  • Animal Ambassadors: On weekends, keepers present about 50 more education animals, such as birds of prey, snakes and a blue-tongued skink.
  • Aviary: A 4,000-square-foot walk-through aviary holds more than a dozen native birds that can't be released.
  • Gardens: 1.3 acres of mostly native plants, including a hummingbird garden and butterfly habitat.
  • Outdoor art: More than 200 pinwheels by Eric Maschwitz that trace Coyote Point's wind currents, and more than 100 weather vanes by Mark Brest van Kempen.

Hours and tickets

Regular hours run through Nov. 1: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with last entry at 4:30. Winter hours start Nov. 2 and run through Feb. 28: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with last entry at 4. On Halloween the museum closes early, at 3 p.m. It also lists First Friday Nights on Nov. 6 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and limited hours on Nov. 12.

Tickets are $24.95 for adults 18 to 61 and $19.95 for children 18 months to 17, students and seniors 62 and older. Infants under 18 months are free. Discounts for Museums for All, reciprocal memberships, teachers and military are sold only at the door. Coyote Point charges a $6 vehicle entrance fee. The museum's address is 1651 Coyote Point Drive in San Mateo.