An interactive exhibition that allows visitors to ride a Mavericks wave and items from notable events held at the Cow Palace are among the numerous fun things to experience for free on Friday at the San Mateo County History Museum in downtown Redwood City.
Museum officials are pleased to promote the Free First Fridays program, offering free admission the first Friday of every month, sponsored by Monterra Credit Union.
“For a regional museum, we do a very good job of telling a multi-faceted story,” says Mitch Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association, which runs the museum.
On March 7, there will be an 11 a.m. session for preschoolers to make paper plate sailboats and a 2 p.m. docent-led tour at 2 p.m. for adults.
Current attractions include “Peninsula Innovators Changing the World,” which showcases local groundbreakers, foundation builders and world changers across nine fields, from Paul Cook, founder of the Menlo Park chemical manufacturing company Raychem; to Claire Mack, San Mateo’s first African American mayor; to Steve Jobs, computer and business pioneer, among dozens of others.
There’s also a participatory exhibit in which guests can ride a wave at the famed surf spot near Half Moon Bay.
“The Mavericks interactive exhibit allows the public to experience surfing the big wave without getting wet,” says Postel. “Visitors are invited to get on an electronic surfboard and make moves the way a surfer would. An animated view of the landmarks the surfers see is part of the fun.”
“The Extraordinary Cow Palace,” on view through November 2026, includes mementos from notable events at the stadium including a 1964 Beatles concert and the 1956 and 1964 Republican National Conventions. A hockey stick from San Jose Sharks player Pat Falloon marks the 1990s period when the expansion team played there.
A restored courtroom from 1910 (the oldest courtroom in the county); “Land of Opportunity,” with information on immigrant groups that settled in the county; and “Nature’s Bounty,” which examines how residents from the Ohlone to Americans have used the region’s natural resources to support daily life and how the same resources helped develop San Francisco; are among the museum’s other current exhibitions.
The museum is in the former San Mateo County courthouse, a 1910 domed building with stained glass windows and a mosaic tile floor that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The three-story structure is undergoing a $23 million expansion that will be finished in the summer of 2026, according to Postel. The additional 15,000 square feet will accommodate a bigger showcase of the museum’s auto and horse carriage collection.
The museum is in a lively part of downtown, close to restaurants and theaters and within walking distance of Caltrain’s Redwood City station.
Courthouse Square, the plaza in front of the museum, has small shops and is the site of outdoor events throughout the year. “Parcade,” a pop-up mini golf course and arcade, is open on the square until April 13. More information is at redwoodcity.org.
The San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; admission is $6 general, $4 seniors and students, free for ages 5 and under and on the first Friday each month; visit historysmc.org.
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