Computer History Museum

1401 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Address:	1401 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
Phone:	+1 650-810-1010
Site:	computerhistory.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	10AM–5PM Closed 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 10

Steven Chen

The Computer History Museum is a true gem and a must-see if youre a techie, geek, Bay Area resident, or just someone interested in technology. The museum has 20 main exhibits covering eras from the very first computers to the Information Age. Inside, youll see the very first calculating machines, the German Enigma from WWII, several landmark supercomputers from the 50s and 60s, a wide array of personal computers ranging from Commodores to Macintoshes, and so much more. Theres also a ton of memorabilia and a large chart with the history of all programming languages. A must-see is the daily live demonstration of a beautifully restored IBM 1401, a giant cabinet computer from the 60s that reads programs from stacks of physical punch cards. Seeing (and hearing!) the computer run really takes you back in time, and is something you just wont find anywhere else. This Museum has so much to see, with friendly and knowledgeable docents explaining exhibits and telling the history of computing. Its an amazing showcase, I couldnt recommend it more!

Joowoong Kim

반드시 꼭 가봐야 하는 박물관으로 강추합니다. 컴퓨터 역사에 대한 박물관 전시 컨텐츠가 풍성하고, 재미있으며 더불어 쾌적한 실내와 친절한 직원들... 그리고 컴퓨터 박물관에 특성화된 기념품까지 그 어떤 하나도 불만족 스러운 것이 없었던 정말 최고의 박물관 이었습니다. I strongly recommend you to visit this computer history museum! Therere full of interesting contents about computer histories, and well designed interiors, kind staffs and souvenirs good for trade! Amazing and wonderful museum I ever visited. Visit, no regret!

Fabrice Di Meglio

The Computer History Museum is THE place to go when you are found of computers and their history. They remodeled the museum some time ago and it is much more friendly now. I have heard that they have a huge part of their collection which is not shown at all. That is sad and I can confirm that the section about the first electronic calculators (HP calculator for example) is very minimalistic compared to before when you could see all the HP models. Well, as a good point they put a HP 35 and an awesome HP 01. Dont forget also to check the section about the transistor and the microprocessors and the first handheld computers (I mean the Osborne 1 and others). You will also be able to see the Apple 1 and the first IBM PC. Last there is a section about gaming consoles but it is quite restricted. One gem: a "gold" Apple Pipin. Overall, always good and fun to come back to the Computer History Museum because you will remember most of those device (big or small).

Cerenade Me

I planned an entire trip from 400 miles away just to go to this museum and it was SO worth it! Plan on spending an entire day to really see it all and appreciate all the exhibits. If you think this is just a placeholder for technological artifacts, youre wrong. Its so much more than that, with lots of interactive things for people of all ages. Its very inspirational to see where we have come with regards to our computing abilities and how we have used technology to assist us, and enrich our daily lives. And yes, you can even play "Pong!" The cafe in the front of the museum actually has excellent food, and its not ridiculously expensive. Try the falafel sandwich and the vegetarian chili - SO good! If we wouldve had an extra day, wed have come back for another couple hours just to spend more time in the demo rooms. This visit absolutely was the highlight of our trip.

Jack Mullen

A really interesting and well priced museum. I dont know if the main exhibition has been updated recently, but I think the other reviews suggesting that the museum is only for those with a passion in computers and technology is inaccurate. I took my parents here, who are definitely not technophiles, and they found the majority of it fascinating and well explained. Most of the exhibits are hands off. Though there are quite a few short films and interactive areas dotted throughout the main exhibition. When we were there, there was also a Google self-driving car exhibit off to the side of the main area which allowed you to sit inside the car and explore the tech behind self-driving cars. Even if youre not really into computers or the tech industry, as long as youre willing to engage with the exhibits you will enjoy your time here!

Abhishek Girish

This is a one of the kind museum for the computer or history geek in you! They have one of the only two Charles Babbages differential machine. And this is the only functional one open to public. They have a daily demo of the machine by very enthusiastic and knowledgeable folks at the museum. The main exhibit hall is amazing! From calculators, to punch cards to memory hard disks, they have a total of amazingly kept 20 exhibits. You need a whole day, or at least 3 to 4 hours to complete the tour. I would suggest coming in the morning and taking a break for lunch, since it can get mentally exhausting. They have a few videos which are interesting and voice tours at some exhibits. I would consider this a must visit. And dont pay the whole amount - there is usually a Groupon with 50% off.

Steve Scheinberg

Very cool to see all of the old computers, including the first one I worked on in 5th grade in Mountain View elementary school. So much has changed in Mountain View in 30 years, but you cant imagine how much until you realize the Cray computer that was the size of a room is now less powerful than your phone. The food was pretty good too, we had lunch there, great service. Cool to see the autonomous cars before they take over. We could have used two things on our tour: 1. An acronym guide, as there are so many (ENIAC anyone?) 2. A chronological guide. I realize you cannot lay out the exhibit in chronological order, but how about a poster, or some kind of chart so we can track the history of each technology? We walk sort of slow, and it took us just over 2 hours to do the entire exhibit.

Brian Wright

Absolutely loved this place!! Definitely geared for those of us that have a reasonable amount of tech experience/knowledge. I brought my high school technology students here for a docent lead tour which I would recommend since our guide (Kim) not only had plenty of info to add about the exhibits but he also made a point to inject his personal industry/era experience. For a high school group consider showing the History Channels "The History of the Internet" before your visit, this will help the younger visitors better appreciate what theyre seeing. Our tour lasted about 90 minutes and we spent another 90 minutes exploring on our own. Next time Im going to add another hour to our visit.

Lukas Funk

Eine großartige Sammlung mit Exponaten aus der ganzen Geschichte der Computer und Rechenmaschinen. Schön aufbereitet mit interaktiven Stationen und Videos, die die Inhalte hervorragend vermitteln. Besonderes Highlight: Der echte Utah Teapot, der als Vorlage für eines der berühmtesten 3D-Renderings diente. Mindestens 3 Stunden einplanen.

Shawn Clover

This place has a Neiman Marcus Kitchen Computer for crying out loud. I mean this 100 pound, $11k monstrosity had a built-in cutting board. The idea is that you buy this contraption, send the wife to a two week class to learn how to program it in binary code with nothing more than blinking lights as output, and then let it figure out some gourmet meals for your wife to cook. This and many other exhibits at the CHM really make you realize how far computers have come and the awkward years of trying to figure out what useful things a home computer could do. Im not sure if a non-geek would enjoy a visit here, but I just eat this stuff up. I love it.