Best family outing

Finally, a history lesson the whole family will enjoy. The San Mateo County History Museum, in Redwood City, occupies a restored 1910 Renaissance Revival marble courthouse that has the largest stained-glass domed roof west of the Mississippi. The building is a mind blower—no wonder it’s available for weddings—and the exhibits inside are fantastic, too. Spotlights and voice-overs make the “Living the California Dream” show feel like a 3-D movie, and you’ll find enough interactive kiosks, video cameras, microphones, and learning-lab gadgets to keep a generation raised on video games alert and engrossed. Come winter, the museum’s $13 million makeover will continue with the introduction of an exhibit in which you surf a virtual 40-foot wave, just like the ones the pros tackle at Mavericks. For $4 a pop, you can’t ask for more. 2200 Broadway, Redwood City, 650-299-0104, historysmc.org

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