# Youth Science Institute Nature Center at Vasona Park

> Place to go for families in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara area (CA). Times are Pacific Time.

- When: Thursday & Friday 11:00 am–3:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am–3:00 pm. Enter Vasona…
- Where: YSI Nature Center – Vasona Park, 296 Garden Hill Dr., Los Gatos, CA 95032
- Ages: Children and families
- Price: Admission price not printed; Vasona park vehicle fee applies when driving in
- Schedule: Thursday & Friday 11:00 am–3:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am–3:00 pm. Enter Vasona Lake County Park at 333 Blossom Hill Rd. and continue to the center.
- Organizer: Youth Science Institute
- Official page: https://ysi-ca.org/
- Last checked: Sat, Oct 24

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/youth-science-institute-nature-center-at-vasona-park--listing-a347b854099731b7550acfa3

## About

The Youth Science Institute, a Bay Area nature-education nonprofit since 1953, runs a newly renovated nature center at the north end of Vasona Lake County Park. Inside, children explore a watershed wall showing the plants and animals of a creekside ecosystem, open discovery drawers, try interactive lake and creek habitat activities, and read from a shelf of science and nature books. A 'play in the park' corner lets little ones build a picnic from food-shaped toys, and YSI's live animal ambassadors are on view. Behind the center, the short Viola Anderson Native Plant Trail is good for a quiet walk. YSI also offers drop-in-style community programs on weekends, such as arthropod meet-and-greets and teen chinchilla sessions (registration required).

## Similar picks in San Jose

- [Science Fridays & Science Saturdays at the EcoCenter](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/science-fridays-and-science-saturdays-at-the-ecocenter--listing-28726cf98e800dad2a6afbe6) — Sat, Oct 24 (+8 more dates) · 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM · Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter, Palo Alto · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Environmental Volunteers opens its EcoCenter on the edge of the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve for free public science days on Friday and Saturday mornings. Families can drop…
- [Youth Science Institute Nature Center at Alum Rock Park](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/youth-science-institute-nature-center-at-alum-rock-park--listing-ea0ff64338d0f0ec0a664f5d) — Wednesday–Friday 12:00 pm–3:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am–3:00 pm. Enter Alum Rock… · YSI Nature Center – Alum Rock Park · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Inside San José's Alum Rock Park, the Youth Science Institute's nature center is open to the public free of charge. Its highlight is the Holmes taxidermy bird collection…
- [A Mystery of Skulls Nature Pop-up at Metcalf Motorcycle County Park](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/a-mystery-of-skulls-nature-pop-up-at-metcalf-motorcycle-county-park--listing-14498187b654885ea9c20727) — Sun, Oct 25 · 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM · Metcalf Motorcycle County Park · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A drop-in nature pop-up run by county park interpreters: stop by any time during the three-hour window to handle animal skulls and pelts and work out what they reveal about how…
- [Spooky Mad Science Show at Pearl Avenue Library](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/spooky-mad-science-show-at-pearl-avenue-library--listing-e4f546e14317f8b91ff14bbe) — Fri, Oct 30 · 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM · Pearl Avenue Branch Library · checked Oct 24. As part of Pearl Avenue Library's Halloween Festival, a 45-minute Mad Science show fills the Children's Area with experiments, bubbling concoctions and creepy creations, showing…
- [National Chemistry Week: Chemistry Under Construction at King Library](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/national-chemistry-week-chemistry-under-construction-at-king-library--listing-2c6af450eb3b6175fad9b9a1) — Sat, Oct 24 · 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM · Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library · Free · checked Oct 24. King Library's Children's Room hosts a free, drop-in National Chemistry Week celebration for kids and their families. This year's theme, Chemistry Under Construction, has…
- [Children's Halloween Haunt at History Park](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/activities/children-s-halloween-haunt-at-history-park--listing-615e95b85831423e8f73b352) — Sat, Oct 24 · 2:00 PM – 6:30 PM · History Park · Paid · checked Oct 24. History San José's Children's Halloween Haunt turns History Park, the 14-acre collection of historic homes and shops in Kelley Park, into a costume-friendly Halloween afternoon…

## More for families

- [This weekend in San Jose](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/san-jose/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in San Jose](https://grassyknees.com/san-jose) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/san-jose.md)
