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California Academy of Sciences

Science Museum, Planetarium, and Aquarium

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

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9.4^/10

3,749

ratings

Ranked #6 for exhibits in San Francisco
Has a stamp of approval from SF Weekly and AFAR Media
"Thursday night DJ, music, cocktails & very cool things to see"(37 Tips)
"A beautiful aquarium along with the tropical rainforest tour."(36 Tips)
"The planetarium and butterfly exhibit where our favorites."(15 Tips)
"Be sure to visit the Planetarium & the Living Roof!"(11 Tips)

465 Tips and reviews

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rainforest
thursday night
butterflies
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AFAR MediaJanuary 22, 2015
On a Thursday evening swing by for an evening of "music, creatures and cocktails". Every week they feature live bands or DJs and various events- meanwhile cocktail bars stand ready for your serving. Read more
Upvoted Nov 29, 2024
SFistAugust 3, 2014
A great place for kids to learn about species from around the world, featuring a bevy of animals and sea creatures. The living rooftop alone is a wonder to behold for your future little architect. Read more
Upvoted 4 days ago
NASADecember 7, 2010
The only place on Earth with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof! The Morrison Planetarium is the largest all-digital dome in the world. Read more
Upvoted Dec 27, 2024
Valerie OonSeptember 9, 2017
Josh did such an excellent job narrating the structure of the universe prezzo (half hour show at the planetarium). I loved his enthusiasm and humor. The earthquake simulator was a great idea too!
The Bold ItalicMarch 10, 2011
Been here 5+ times
NightLife at CAS is super popular. Get there early if you want to see the rain forest or planetarium, and buy your tickets in advance if you don’t want to wait in line outside in the fog. Read more
Ashley BowlesFebruary 23, 2017
Such an amazing museum. Take advantage of the free weekends and try to catch a planetarium show. The 4 story rainforest is amazing too!
TroyMarch 14, 2016
If you live in or are going to be in the bay area this is a great place to visit. I would go at off peak time to avoid some of the crowd but even so still a great experience.
Jessie SSeptember 15, 2017
Must go to the Thursday night gig! Drink cocktails whilst you roam around the academy learning, seeing glowing fish, play interactive dinosaur games and listen to great dj's. What could be better!
Sid SinghMarch 8, 2015
Brilliantly maintained museum with a massive collection of animals. A beautiful aquarium along with the tropical rainforest tour. End it off by seeing the massive sperm whale skeleton.
Vicky OApril 4, 2018
Loved this place! A rainforest and an aquarium all in one! Go see the penguin feedings and the albino alligator! The rainforest walk is cool make sure there’s no butterflies on you after!
Ale TowerFebruary 13, 2017
Loved the videos in the planetarium, the greenhouse with live animals and the earthquake simulator. One of the best science museums I've ever visited, in spite of it being far from encyclopaedic.
Abby CJuly 1, 2015
Very interesting. Spent a lot of time in the rainforest (albino alligator etc.) Both planetarium shows are informational too. Not a huge amount of things to do but you can stay busy!
Destynee AutumnApril 4, 2015
All the exhibits are good! The cafe is incredibly expensive, I would recommend bringing your own lunch. Also bring money for the parking garage there. Easier than parking on the street!
Nancy ChenNovember 26, 2014
Been here 25+ times
Wonderful place to learn about nature. Weekends are full of kids. Night life is a whole other crowd. Can't get enough of CalAcademy. Oh yea, I'm a docent there, so this isn't biased at all.
Ashley MillerMarch 13, 2015
Incredible aquarium...incomparable to the Aquarium by the Bay. NightLife is a fun way to see it on Thursday nights. It's 21+ w/ cocktails available all over the museum and special exhibits and themes.
David RApril 14, 2017
Nightlife on Thursday evening is good for dates. Get there early to secure a planetarium pass (free) and walk the rainforest before it closes (7:45pm). Downstairs with the fish is cool.
Raed AlSaeedJanuary 6, 2017
Worth the ticket price, try to be there early as it will need few hours to cover the whole place!
Silvia EdgellApril 5, 2015
Way more than I anticipated. The place itself is a work of art. Thumbs up. My fav was the rainforest with all the butterflies and wild birds flying free.
Maria DemochkoApril 19, 2013
This place is amazing. It combines museum, aquarium, zoo, planetarium :) while visiting you can discover new things and become familiar with very rare butterflies, fish etc. Children are very welcome!
David TibbittsMarch 18, 2015
Awesome aquarium and rainforest exhibit. Butterflies run rampant in a realistic biological setting. Took my fiancee and I about 3 and a half hours to get through everything. Worth every penny
Nikhil ChandranJuly 14, 2017
The planetarium is world-class. And also try to read as much of the info posted in the exhibits. Very well-written and informative. Plus so many activities for kids and juniors!
Aaron DodgeMay 27, 2017
So many cool things to see while also sipping on delicious cocktails. Very friendly staff and presenters everywhere. Highly recommend for a no kids, fun experience.
Matthew L.November 30, 2012
Been here 10+ times
Hands down my favorite place to visit in the city. The exhibits are amazing, and right now the baby ostriches are so cute! A must see for everyone! My favorite are the penguins though :)
Eleanor RigbyJuly 10, 2017
Perfect place to visit with the kids. That have a lot of activities like the planetarium, the earthquake simulator, roof garden, aquarium, birds area and a white alligator...
DailyCandyFebruary 25, 2014
Get up close with Amazonian fish, coral reefs, and an albino alligator at this museum of natural science. Don’t miss the Living Roof observation level and the popular, after-hours NightLife series.
PILAR PRENDESDecember 2, 2016
Great place!!! The acuarium is incredible!!!! And they have a adult special evening on thursdays!!! Drinking allowed!!! And a Star Wars night!!! Great great great!!!
Suja RamachandranAugust 29, 2012
Great tourist spot to check out. Make sure to catch some of the films (Earthquake, and Planets). The cafe is FANTASTIC. Fresh and delicious. Beat the tour buses and get some yellow curry.
David McGuireMay 5, 2014
California tank has great leopard sharks, and the Philippines coral reef tank is not to be missed! Nightlife for singles is the ticket- especially the Sharktober event with Shark Stewards.
OkCupid Daters' ChoiceJuly 13, 2017
California Academy of Sciences was voted the Best Intellectual Date Spot by OkCupid users in the first-ever Daters' Choice Awards! Tap Read more for additional date spot categories in San Francisco. Read more
Ahmed SiouaniMarch 3, 2013
Take a tour at the Morrison Planetarium and buy a ticket for a digital show :) It's definitely worth it. You can also stay at the Aquarium or walk around the different levels of the Rainforest.
Adena BrenowitzMarch 22, 2019
This place is already crowded especially on weekends but if you get there first thing in the AM it's not too bad. Also if you live in SF they do free neighborhood days so look into that to save $$.
Ellie KravetsFebruary 12, 2016
Great place to bring your kids or even have a date :) Beautiful exhibits (love aquarium & rain forest).
CollegeFashionistaJanuary 14, 2014
Every Thursday night the Academy of Sciences becomes 21+ and there is an open bar along with live music and a DJ! It's a fun, different and surprisingly enough educational night out!
Kirstie O'DonnellJanuary 15, 2015
Planetarium amazing. Spend a day here well worth it. Good food also. When we were there Galapagos was a highlight.
Hanan MalSeptember 12, 2019
Awesome museum! The aquarium is amazing! Unfortunately the forest was closed when we visited.
AvaAugust 26, 2015
Been here 5+ times
I've been coming here since I was a small child but still love it in my early 20s. lots to see—give yourself time
Juston PayneAugust 17, 2018
Buy tickets in advance and arrive before opening. You'll be rewarded with having the aquarium nearly to yourself.
Eric NakagawaSeptember 15, 2019
Live in SF and have kids? Get the membership. They’re a 501c3 and you can write off membership fees.
Noel ClarkeApril 11, 2012
This place is awesome. for UK people to understand. It's like the natural history, Science, and a few other museums all rolled into one. And they have penguins.
Barry JennerApril 4, 2017
Seems quite a steep entrance fee but it was well worth it with a plethora of excellent displays and hands on areas. Be prepared to spend more than a couple of hours just wandering.
Hostelling InternationalJune 10, 2011
Indoor rainforest, planetarium (don't miss this show, it is amazing) and an aquarium. Located in Golden Gate Park it is near the De Young museum and the flower conservatory, also very worth seeing.
Cody HardAugust 14, 2014
One of my favorite places in the city, especially for Thursday night nightlife. Constantly entertaining, and always something new.
Sheena WongSeptember 25, 2012
Been here 100+ times
Buy tickets online, print them at home or bring them on your smartphone to save time and possibly money. Be sure to check when Free days are to avoid paying altogether. Or to avoid Free Day.
Joyce TompsettJuly 14, 2019
The aquarium is great. Always good films in the planetarium. The rain forest is cool and don’t forget the roof!!
Déborah RodriguesApril 15, 2018
This museum is expensive but totally worth the price. You can interact with butterflies, watch sea creatures swimming, and experience natural disasters.
PeterJuly 22, 2022
Arrive early for Nightlife and line up early for the Planetarium show. It can get very crowded. Also wear an N95. It’s Covid city in there
Luyba ZeylikmanJuly 20, 2012
The Thursday Night Life events are amazing. All museums should do this. It's a 21+ event, where they open the center at night with drinks and food!
Tablet HotelsFebruary 26, 2013
Renzo Piano designed this green building. While the admission price is a bit steep and it's often crowded, the Rainforest Dome and Water Planet Exhibit are well worth it.
Corinne and JonathanAugust 13, 2011
Don't miss the aquarium, natural history museum and planetarium! There is even an indoor rain forest and make sure to go all the way to the top to see the cool green roof.
Kelly 🍰August 28, 2012
Get VIP Night at the Cal Academy tickets for $50 and skip the line at the Planetarium. The Night is great for 20 something singles and first dates, with an etsy-type atmosphere.

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