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The King Tut Show for Families

Canopic Stopper of TutankhamunThe exhibition Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at San Francisco's de Young Museum is probably the hottest museum show in the Bay Area this summer. If you grew up in the Bay Area, then chances are you remember the blockbuster 1979 Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition from when you were a child. We had a chance to view the current King Tut show last week, and took our ancient Egypt-obsessed six-year-old and three-year-old through to look at artifacts from the tomb of the famous boy king and other Egyptian notables.

Overall, the show is stunning. All tickets are timed and dated, so you line up at your appointed time (the museum really has this organized well) and then enter through a set of double doors that look like they came from Pirates of the Caribbean or another similar Disneyland attraction. You're ushered into a dark room where a brief 90-second video introduces you to King Tut and ancient Egypt. When the video ends, another set of doors swing open and you enter the actual exhibition, where you're greeted by a beautiful, near-life-size granite statue of Tutanhkamun.

Mummy mask of TjuyaYou then progress through a few more galleries containing objects from Tut's ancestors. While not as spectacular as the items from Tut's tomb, these objects are still amazing, and serve to put King Tut in a historical context. The gallery containing the gilded sarcophagous and mummy mask of Tut's great-grandmother, Tjuya, is particularly impressive.

Eventually, you come to a series of galleries showcasing objects from Tutankhamun's tomb. Standout artifacts include gilded statues of Tut as king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Tut's solid gold dagger (found on his mummy), a solid gold falcon pectoral, and a miniature "coffinette" that held one of Tut's mummified internal organs. What's not here is Tutankhamun's solid gold mummy mask or "death mask," the undisputed star of the 1979 Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition. Unfortunately it's too fragile to travel outside of Egypt, so you'll have to go to Cairo if you want to see it.

Statues of TutankhamunOf course, like all blockbuster museum exhibitions, this one exits through a gift shop. Parents will find plenty of ways to rid themselves of excess cash, with merchandise ranging from books to rubber mummy ducks to replicas of rock-star Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass' iconic felt hat. There are plenty of lower priced toys and trinkets, so you don't have to necessarily go broke in there.

There's yet another store set up by the museum down the hall near the main museum store; this one carries more ancient Egypt themed goods including jewelry, art replicas, and books, as well as posters and t-shirts commemorating the 1979 King Tut exhibition.

Tut's gold daggerThe exhibition has been extremely busy, so a few logistics are in order if you're planning a visit with your family:

  • Tickets are timed and dated. It's highly recommended that you buy them in advance, since tickets may not be available when you get there, and you probably don't want to hang out in the museum for four hours with small children in tow.
  • If you need to get tickets same-day and have to wait, you can always visit the Japanese Tea Garden next door to the de Young, California Academy of Sciences across from the museum. There's also a large playground on the other side of John F. Kennedy Drive just north of the de Young, as well as the Koret Children's Quarter, with its playground and historic 1912 carousel. The Koret Children's Quarter is located on the east end of the park off of Kezar Drive.
  • Parking is at a premium in Golden Gate Park in the summer, especially on weekends. Most street parking close to the museum is only zoned for four hours only, and the park's Music Concourse Garage can fill up quickly, so get there early if possible or, better yet, take public transportation if you can. There's an inter-park shuttle that runs on weekends ($2 per rider) that picks up every 15–20 minutes at various spots in the park, including the UCSF garage and Ocean Beach, where there's plenty of free parking. There's another Golden Gate Park shuttle that picks up from various locations in downtown San Francisco, in case you're heading to the park from a hotel or the Ferry Building.
  • The de Young's cafe is a handy spot to grab something to eat or drink, and seems to run pretty efficiently even when it's busy. Some of the items are a little on the expensive side, but overall it's not too bad for a "captive audience" kind of situation. If you're on a budget and don't mind walking a bit, there are a number of restaurants just south of the park around 9th Avenue and Irving Street (about a 10-minute stroll). Some of the places we like include Gordo Taqueria and Park Chow on 9th Avenue and Yumma's, Darla's, and La Fonda on Irving Street.

The museum has put together a useful Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs website, which contains pretty much everything you need to know about visiting the show, as well as some fun stuff like King Tut e-cards, a recommended reading list for both children and adults, and a "Flat Anubis" that you can download, print, and color.

The King Tut show will be at the de Young through March 28, 2010. This summer it's open daily from 9 am to 9 pm (last ticket 7:30 pm). Ticket prices range from $15 to $32.50; children 5 and under are free.

Update: Through this summer the museum is holding a special "Tut at Twilight" promotion, Wednesdays from 5–9 pm (last King Tut admission at 7:30), with discounted admission ($20 adults and seniors, $15 youth and FAMSF members), as well as a prix fixe menu of Egyptian inspired fare in the de Young Cafe.