Experience the DeYoung Museum with Dex
The DeYoung Museum Dex experience is an interactive self-guided tour available exclusively with selected DeYoung Museum admission tickets booked through Headout.
Put on your earphones and follow a story that unfolds through the galleries and up the tower, connecting the perforated copper façade and the observation tower with the American paintings, textiles, and Oceanic works inside.
Historical and fictional characters lead you through stories of the museum’s American art from colonial portraits to the twentieth century, the Oceanic and African collections, Ruth Asawa’s hanging wire sculptures, the building’s copper skin and how it is meant to weather, and the museum’s place in Golden Gate Park, accompanied by original music and immersive sound design.
How Dex guides you through the museum
- Dex uses your phone’s location to guide you along a recommended route covering the American art galleries, the Art of the Americas, Oceania and Africa galleries, the textile collection, the sculpture garden, and the Hamon Observation Tower.
- As you reach each location, it automatically begins the story connected to what you are seeing.
- The route is only the starting point. When a painting, a sculpture, or a detail of the building catches your attention, pause and ask your Dex guide a question.
- Photograph a supported artwork or architectural detail to uncover more about it, open a related story, or return to the route when you are ready.
- Dex also points you towards recommended viewpoints, photo spots, and the tower’s views over Golden Gate Park and the city and quieter galleries that are easy to skip. You decide when to pause, where to go deeper, and when to continue.
How Dex differs from an audio guide and a group tour
An audio guide gives you a collection of prepared recordings. Dex builds those stories into a location-aware route, automatically connects them to what is around you, and lets you ask questions or investigate supported objects along the way.
A group tour gives you live interpretation from a human guide while following a scheduled departure, shared route, and group pace.
Dex offers a different experience: a structured tour that you can begin when you choose, pause whenever something interests you, and explore at your own pace. Choose Dex if you want the direction and storytelling of a guided visit with the freedom to explore the museum independently.
Unlock DeYoung Museum Dex
Selected DeYoung Museum admission tickets booked through Headout unlock the complete DeYoung Museum Dex experience at no additional cost. It is not available as a standalone purchase or with tickets bought elsewhere.
After booking:
- Download the Dex app.
- Sign in with your Headout details.
- The DeYoung Museum experience will unlock automatically.
