California Academy of Sciences Reviews

This is a wonderful area to visit. Beautiful grounds and you can do as much or as little as you want.

Great place to spend the day with the family. My entire family, great grandparents, grandparents, kids and grandchildren all went. Everyone had a great time. Be prepared though to pay aprox $30. for parking. The food in the cafeteria was pretty good good. There's also a restaurant if you don't want to go to the cafeteria.

This museum is more a jack of all trades type science museum. It has elements of natural history museums, science museums, an aquarium and a planetarium. We enjoyed the rainforest exhibit quite a bit and saw lots of butterflies. The aquarium component also had a significant number of interesting animals. The signage was good too.

My favorite in this newly updated place is the Amazon Rain Forest. There's nothing more fun than gorgeous butterflies landing on your arm to add joy to your day!

We took my 5 year old early Saturday, they open at 9:30 on Saturdays. We went really early to avoid the crowds and parked in the parking lot ($30). It's a very nice place to visit, we had a really good time.

We had the SF explorer pass and used it to buy tickets. There were a lot of children on field trips the day we went, but we managed to see everything in the museum within 3 hours. I especially like the free planetarium shows that are offered throughout the day. The rain forest is one of the best exhibits there and then we spent a lot of time in the aquarium. There is a café on site or you can bring your lunch and sit outside. One of the best SF attractions and not to be missed!

...great Mood surrounded by fascinating wildlife above and below water...in the tropical house very close to the butterflies, in the aquarium starfish to touch... never experienced anything like this!!!!

First thing that stood out about this museum/science center is the price of the tickets. $104 for two adults and a 5 year old kid. By comparison, most museums range from $12-18. And I was unable to use my Los Angeles Museum of Natural History membership for a discount (most museums will have a reciprocating deal for members).

About the science center...it is good. A full sized T-Rex display meets you at the entrance. It has a great rain forest area/bubble with a lot of animal and insect displays. You can see Claude, a famous albino alligator. It also has a planetarium, aquarium, African mammals display, kids play area, and much more.

4.5 points for the museum and 1 point for the price = (around) 3 point review

Very good science museum , earthquake set is very realistic. The rainforest and butterfly enclosure is wonderfull, the dinosaur's squeleto are beautiful , museum store very good , you need to go

We had a small look around here and it was more than we could have imagined. The aquarium was amazing. The planetarium was brilliant.

I am a member here and go often. It is truly an incredible place with so much to offer all ages. Yes, it is pricey, but there is a way to ensure you get to see everything and get your money's worth.

1. Go right when the museum opens, and buy tickets online if possible.
2. The first thing to do is pick up planetarium passes for later in the day. The shows often run out of tickets.
3. Get in line for the rainforest. Take your time in there- there is a lot to see!
4. The elevator descends down into the aquarium, so see that next. Don't miss the touch table.
5. Have lunch. It is fine to bring your own and eat in the outdoor area.
6. See the planetarium show when it is your time.
7. Go through the African Hall, see other exhibits, and the Living Roof.
8. Make sure to stop by the Educational Center on the third floor where the planetarium lets out if it is open. There are all sorts of specimens to touch, books, and hands on activities for kids. The people that work in there are very open to questions and will even open drawers and cabinets for a closer look at specimens and artifacts. A lot of people miss this, so try to see it!

It was very easy to spend almost an entire day here. From the depths of the aquariums to the roof-top gardens, it was entertaining and educational. All of the staff were very accommodating and willing to answer questions. I loved the volunteers in the hands-on area in the aquarium!

We took the metro and a bus to find our way from the central parts of the city out to the Academy. With two teenagers interested in natural sciences, this visit was much appreciated.

Lovely building, paid for the VIP tour, Marcus was a excellent guide.
Rainforest was closed ) fair enough I knew about this in advance but still disappointing, Terrace restaurant was closed for a private event, I messaged the Academy to ask about reserving a place for the planetarium since we would not be using our phones as we are coming from the UK and was told that since we had VIP tickets we would have priority, turned up only to find the planetarium closed also.
To me, having all three of these closed on the same day is not acceptable and terrible value for money.

It shows a lot of things, such as rainforest ecosystems, ocean ecosystems, etc. There are plenty of species in it, and there are plenty of detailed information signs, suitable for the whole family to visit. It is recommended to buy a citypass, not only for free tours of science and other good activities.

This museum is a must see! Came here with my family and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I could have stayed longer. The aquarium was outstanding and my teenage daughter who is into marine biology loved it. I also had a great time and found it so well done. The rainforest is also very good. They do have a hands on animal exhibit which was a little busy with the littler kids but would be great for young children. Mine were a little old for it! The planetarium was also very good and free with the ticket.
This is a must see if you are in San Francisco.

This is perhaps my favorite museum of the natural world. My whole family loves it and I’ve been more than once. The high point is the bubble containing the rain forest which is simply amazing. If your family loves nature and museums, you can’t miss this while visiting San Francisco.

We had a family membership when my children were little. When my oldest turned 23 she asked to go back again. I forgot how truly amazing this place is. Jennifer at the ticket booth was so welcoming and made me feel so much like a member that I became one again at the end of the day. We like having the membership because we don’t feel so rushed that we have to see everything in one day. Both times we bought the membership it was at the end of the visit. Just keep the receipt and they will put it toward the membership. To upgrade is way less than the price of a second visit. We live two hours away, but definitely get our moneys worth from the membership.

This gorgeous museum offers tons of exhibits and the staff were all extremely friendly and looked like they enjoy their work. I spent four hours there and didn’t even want to leave yet. The highlights were the rainforest and penguins feeding time. The aquarium was great as well — much better and larger than the Aquarium by the Bay. The planetarium was, however, a bit of a letdown as the show was unnecessarily long and not particularly interesting or visually impressive. I have been to several nicer planetarium is the point, but if you have the time, you might as well watch a show since it’s included in the ticket price. Not bad, just not the best part of the museum.

I went on a Monday, so it was not crowded besides a few school field trips. Overall, I loved it so much I plan on visiting it again.

Visit the aquarium, rainforest, temporary exhibit, and planetarium shows for a great day of fun and learning. There is a touch tank in the aquarium and other interactive exhibits throughout the space. Not to be missed!

We loved the Rainforest exhibit, with its colorful birds, tropical, butterflies, and flowers! The aquarium is like taking a snorkeling trip without getting wet! A great place to take the kids!

If you like museums, animals, science, or are a photographer this is a must-do attraction. There are many exhibits and they will appeal to almost anyone.

Every time I visit SF with my granddaughters we all agree that we will go back to CA. Academy. We all learn so much. There is also a nice cafe and they serve wine for a bit of relaxation. This time we saw so many butterflies in the rainforest. This is the best time spent in SF with any age. I highly recommend it!

Just visited yesterday after 6 years.. we saved a few bucks by purchasing ticket on TicketsatWork.. This was a typical visit, we walked around and looked at the aquarium, I don't remember the below ground aquarium last time we visited in 2016, we saw the rain forest dome, and the planetarium show. Kids got hungry and we decided to purchase some snacks at the café inside. That's when we were hit by inflation sticker shock.. $9 bucks for a slice of pizza WOW.. we did end up buying 2 drinks, a bag of chips, and grapes for $22 bucks..im not sure if there's in and outs here but the hot dog vendor outside sells chips for $2 bucks inside they were 5. he sells drinks for 2 bucks and inside they were 5..he also has a bunch of other items for purchase.. another shock was the parking price.. $21 for less than 3 hours of park time. over all the academy visit was OK, we spent close to $230 bucks on tickets and other items overall. and we will do it again in 5+ years...

We had a great time! We had difficulty rescheduling after a possible covid exposure, and they tried to charge us more to go at the same time on the same day of the week. I thought that was a shame because it seems as if you would want to encourage people to do the right thing. But the museum was very cute, my husband had to work on a Saturday so we had a later admission and could book any times for the rainforest experience or the shake room so that was another disappointment. The last problem we had was that this museum was by far the most crowded of all museums we have visited during covid. So crowded that there were spaces where we had to avoid completely because it was packed inside. I think that it would be a better experience to go first thing, but I will definitely go back! An awesome museum overall, just needed some tweaks to make the museum feel safer.

Lots of interesting things to see: aquarium, alligator, planetarium, tropical gardens.

We spent a good couple of hours there and even teens enjoyed it.

The only downside is the price: $40 for afults and no significant discount for teens ( $30+ per ticket).

Wowza! What a cool place!!! We were advised to allocate at least 2hrs to this place - we were there for 4hrs & would've spent longer except it was closing time! We didn't see everything!!! Our kids are 9 & 14 & they both found lots to do - games & hands on activities being their favourites, as well as all of the wonderful live animals in the aquarium, biosphere, etc. Amazing!

It's my second time in this place, and I really enjoy visit and watch all the animals and interactive information they have. It`s a place that kids and adults can have fun. Also we ate at their cafeteria where you can find so many options, their pizza is delicious!

Amazing museum, though the term "museum" doesn't even cover it or do it justice. This is about 4 museums in one. A general history museum, a planetarium, an aquarium, and a rainforest all under one roof! 9.0/10.0

First, we went to the desk outside when we got there to get tickets. You don't have to buy tickets ahead of time, though you can online. When I looked into that, I was seriously confused. I saw tickets under $30 and up to over $40 and were in quarter increments. So, it seems like as it gets closer, weekends and holidays where kids will be out of school, tickets are more expense (again, if buying ahead of time). In addition to possibly not paying as much, you wouldn't have to wait in line. It's up to you as to what is worth more to you: time vs. money.

Cost aside though, the museum is pretty awesome. There were parts I found boring but having that rain forest bubble thing was amazing - especially considering I was there with my entomologist (studies insects) mother and my ornithologist (studies birds) aunt.

We had just went to the Monterrey Aquarium the day before so I was a little aquarium'ed out but they did have some really nice pieces. The albino alligator used to be more of a feature of the space but has kinda become on the back burner (it appears).

I know we didn't explore the space to its full potential since we had a dinner reservation but I wasn't terribly impressed with what they had. They have an excellent location and what they do have is mostly great but it felt lacking. I can say with certainty that if this museum was located elsewhere, even within San Francisco, it wouldn't have nearly as much attendance.

We went because it had been recommended to us and we didn't know what we were going to find.
The place is very well decorated, neat and organized.... but.... it has many live animals trapped in very tiny places, which is very cruel.
Animals should be free and there should be no zoos or places like this.
Therefore, if you like and love animals, do not spend money in this place.

We spent the day here and it was a wonderful time. Lots of exhibits and things to see. The rainforest exhibit was amazing. So was the aquarium portion. And then there is Claude, who was pretty neat. We also checked out a show at the Planetarium about the universe and it was a cool show.

We had the best day visiting this extraordinary place. The exhibits are very engaging and family-friendly. I highly recommend a visit.

In Golden Gate Park, this museum is wonderful. Rainforest exhibit with so many kinds of butterflies, macaws, and frogs. :) wonderful aquarium with such beautiful coral and fish. Fun for kids and adults. Can buy tickets online in advance or at the kiosk out front to avoid the ticket lines.

We took the ticket hoping to see amazing exhibitions and we were extremely disappointed. The entrance fee was $45 per adult, and the museum has 4 main areas : the africain hall, the planetarium, the rain forest and the aquarium.

None of those areas were worth the time and money spent there. I had the feeling that only superficial and basic details were given, therefore the exhibitions and the shows were mainly for kids.

The african consisted in just a few posters and moqups of wild animals, with no real variety. The part about human evolution said nothing that we did not already know.

We had great expectations about the planetarium (the moon show), but it turned out to be was boring and gave only basic information.

The rain forest was the worst part, a real joke. A few butterflies and 1 or 2 trees were supposed to represent a whole forest ecosystem...

The aquarium contained one small basin with a small number of fishes, no variety in species.

In the end, this museum may be good for kids, but certainly not for adults and certainly not worth $45.

Went on a suggestion and I wasn't disappointed. Great venue. Went for a night live event and it was fantastic. Exhibits were well done and the interactive ones were very good. If in Golden Gate Park this is definitely a stop.

The California Academy of Sciences Museum in San Francisco is fantastic!
The exhibitions are very well done and beautiful. The reconstitution of the Rain Forest (Tropical Forest) biome is one of the highlights. The other is the simulation of the earthquakes of 1989 and 1906. Very impressive!
Super recommend!

It was easy & convenient to take BART and muni from the East Bay Area to the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Our five year old grandson had a blast especially when greeted in the entry by a huge dinosaur! He enjoyed the rain forest but a little hesitant with the butterflies flying around. He thought the white alligator was cool and enjoyed seeing the reindeers. The cafeteria style restaurant was a bit pricey but it’s okay to bring in your own snacks and lunch into the academy. The aquarium was enjoyable too. The planetarium movie on corral was very informative and beautiful to watch. A great four hours well spent at the academy.

Having visited many great museums, was looking forward to this one. Was shocked at high entrance fee. Exhibits were ok at best, seemed like a lot of wasted space. Were there at lunch time, so ate at their cafe. Really bad! Pulled pork was swimming in orange grease, burger was dry and tasteless. Saw four or five of the dining room staff standing around doing nothing, talking in the kitchen. Those that were actually doing something, seemed bored, not friendly.
Suggestion - get rid of overstaff, charge less for admission. Was disappointed that a city of this size has such a poor natural science museum.

On the whole our visit was good, but the prices from the website diferred from the prices they hang on a handwritten sign on the cashiers, being more expensive.
Our son, a 3 year old boy, had to pay as a big child but had no access to the Planetarium though, restricted to 4 ages on.
The Aquarium was the highlight of the visit as well as the albino crocodile. However, too much expectations for the high prices.

The planetarium shows are good. Rainforest is ok. The rest are mostly dead animals exhibits and entertainment for little kids. Lots of people who cannot handle their kids who step on legs and create a chaos. If you have been too good natural history museum, can skip this one

We visited with our two teenage girls who have a low boredom threshold. They loved it and we were there for about four hours. There are lots of different things to do and explore - the rainforest, earthquake simulator, green roof, aquarium, Foucault's pendulum but it's the friendliness of the volunteers that really makes it. They're all keen and willing to share their knowledge and get you involved. A surprisingly good day out. The cafe is really good quality as well with something for everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this center! It houses an aquarium, an indoor rainforest and a planetarium. It was also interesting to see how the design of the roof allowed for energy efficiency and the promotion of ecology in the various seasons.

The place is huge, and there’s much to see and do!

I prebooked this tour for June 28th, & the VIP tour, for my family with teens. We were flying from New York to San Francisco & unfortunately we were delayed by the thunder storms coming from Newark Airport. This was a national news item so it was clear that I was being truthful.

I explained that this was beyond my control & United Airlines couldn't get me to San Francisco until Saturday July 1st but that I had to leave immediately to get my next destination. It was a multi city holiday on both coasts of America. I also explained that I was from Europe so had limited internet dependant on Newark Airport free wifi.

Unfortunately they wouldn't refund any aspect of the ticket. They have it in noted when I booked. But I feel due to the extenuating circumstances they could have refunded the general admission part of my ticket. Fair enough about the VIP, they might not have resold them.

But the person I dealt with was just - No, rebook on another day. Didn't even acknowledge that I was dealing with a cancelled flight and everything that goes with that.

My recommendation is don't bother booking with them unless you are in the city. They clearly are uninterested in helping their customer & just want the money.

Ive been a fan of the California Academy of Sciences for many years after seeing some of their work on TV. It was great to visit the musuem which is very modern and has a range of exhibits detailing their work as well as information about the natural world.
The exhibits range from interactive to traditional placards. The rainforest and aquarium were bot very nice and great to vist.

We went on a VIP tour and it was the best. We got to see things you will never get to see by just entering the museum. We were pleasantly surprised.

Well worth a visit, the aquarium is better than the ona at Pier 39.

With CityPass you can skip the line and go straight in.

Lot of interesting things to study, but the highlight is the Planetarium section and their show called ”Passport to Universe”. That alone is worth the trip to this attraction, which is located in Golden Gate park and a little hard to get to with public transportarion (only bus 44).

This is a fantastic modern nature and science museum. We spent a couple of hours here and probably could have spent the whole day if we had the time. Themed around science and nature, the museum is really well thought out and laid out, with a planetarium, mini rainforest, underwater aquarium etc. A highlight was the section describing the nature and geology of California itself - the coasts, the earthquakes and redwoods - interesting to learn about as visitors from abroad. Don't miss the planetarium show.

Loved seeing the albino alligator again, the living roof and the new Big Dinosaur exhibit. Very informative! It was also great to see many people and families out and about!

Spent a few hours at the California Academy of Sciences with my 8 year old daughter and I. Paid a little extra for the VIP. Worth every penny. Great tour guide. Super informative. My daughter really enjoyed going behind the scenes and seeing all the different things. Would go again and would definitely do the VIP tour again ! Highly recommend.

I love the planetarium and the butterflies and we had a sweet young lady help us get around since my husband used a walker. I was so happy to spend our 51 year anniversary at your place.

Having visited museums and aquariums in many states, we just expected more. Displays were interesting and I’m guessing kids love it. The planetarium presentation was a real disappointment. In fact, the four guests to my right fell asleep during most of the show.

I didn't really understand the meaning of it. The ticket is overpriced and there is no discount if you enter two hours after closing. The aquarium is nice enough but the rest is a fake festival. Even the much acclaimed roof garden... I didn't understand it. The world of dinosaurs is like ending up in Disneyland. I'm sorry to say it but it's really a bluff. Absolutely to avoid especially for the cost of the ticket.

Awesome collection. Especially Aquarium, Tropical Forest and Planetarium. A lot od things to see, books yourself about 5 hours to see everything

Because you will want to go back—if not to the academy then to the tea garden or art museum at same site or to walk around the grounds. Gorgeous area.
As an aside: the academy was the only thing we did in San Francisco that held the entire family’s attention, including an otherwise very blasé 14 year old.

The academy is designed to give young and older children an experience of nature and science. There's a lot to see and learn for adults as well. We loved the show at the planetarium and all the displays explaining a lot about various natural wonders. We also loved the exhibition on Skin colour - not to be missed

We went to the museum as a party of 3, with my wife and 21 year old daughter, we experienced a highly enjoyable well laid out and highly interactive experience. On site facilities were exemplary (and would put many UK museums to shame) it was modern, educational and very educational, the staff really go out of their way to ensure you enjoy your visit.

We could walk there from the apartment .spent the whole day at the park. This was the experience I remember the most . My family should consider a membership as they could visit often.

Went with family and my 1 year old nephew. Located in a park with ample parking spaces (for a fee), The price is $40 per person which is a little steep but they often have Groupon deals. Plenty of water exhibits, the planetarium has multiple shows during the day. The rooftop is beautiful. Try going on a weekday where there will be less people.

I could stay inside the rainforest all day. So magical and informative.

So impressed with all the things you can do at this museum.

They have a planetarium, a four story rainforest, a coral reef section, a bioluminescent “twilight zone” and two amazing exhibits right now. Sharks and venom: fangs, stingers, and spines exhibit. So fantastic. I loved sitting in a room and watching all the sharks swim by plus being able to put my hand inside a box to feel what a boa constrictor squeeze feels like.

You definitely need more than one day for this museum.

Can’t wait to visit their after dark event this month.

This was more than we expected. We really had a good time. The exhibits were very nice. This was one of our favorite stops in the area. Would do again.

We loved our evening child-free visit to see all the fabulous exhibits - particularly the rain-forest with the fish, butterflies and birds. Loved it!

The best place so far in SF we’ve visited. Huge aquarium, rain forest, planetarium, and much more. We had lunch there and it was excellent. It is however very expensive. We suggest to buy the City Pass to save money!

This is a nice combination of an Aquarium, Rainforest/Atrium, and planetarium. So much to do. Cannot recommend the VIP tour highly enough. Very educational and you get to explore spaces unavailable to general admission--bone archives and Fish archives.

I recommend this Academy for a visit. The Rainforest is fun with all the butterflies and the birds. The aquarium seemed great, I did not get a chance to go to the planetarium, as their was a show on. If you get the chance to go, then I would

Don’t bother with the penguin and pajama event. You pay $132 for the overnight. It includes sleeping on a dirty floor, skeleton crew, either paying full price for dinner inside or eating a bag dinner outside, 2 hours in the evening to really see the museum before you are funneled to your dirty floor to sleep on, dirty (not cleaned from a full day of use) bathrooms, then sleep with lights on, then woken up at 6 AM for a horrible breakfast that is included, then shuttled out by 8 AM.

My point is, just pay $32 for the regular ticket and enjoy it during the day. The overnight is gross and a hassle.

This was recommended by a Californian, and in all honesty, is was child like and extremely disappointing. If you have young children - under 8 years then maybe it would be fun for them. If you are travelling from overseas - it is not worth wasting one of your precious holiday days going here. They have tried to cram everything under one roof, which means you get a little bit of under-welcoming over a number of biological and geological sciences.

We expected a cutting-edge experience from a scientific and educational point of view, but instead it is the same old museum with animal skeletons, dioramas etc. poorly maintained. The much vaunted rainforest, which is accessed after a rather boring queue, is surrounded by very dirty glass, rusty metal paths, dirty concrete and behind the uncleaned glass of the tanks there are brooms, brushes, cables etc. in plain sight. : A general third world degradation. And the entrance fee is exorbitant, not to mention the absence of a cloakroom: if you want to leave your bag or jacket you have to pay an additional 5 dollars! A big disappointment!

How can any institution with science in it be so completely detached with science? It is time for deep reflection by management team.

We loved this museum. The planetarium show was great (you reserve a spot for free once you arrive by using a QR code), the rainforest and aquarium were wonderful, and be sure to check out the collections, which displays all sorts of things they’ve collected over the years.

Compared to other museums I've been to, this place is quite small and with limited collections. However, I found it very interesting that descriptions are in different languages (including Filipino!) and that in its aquarium there's a particular area dedicated to the Philippine reefs, demonstrating the richness of the Philippine seas and aquatic life. Good job on this! 😀

So incredible. Once you're in the rest is free (except the coffee shop of course). There's a planetarium with some amazing shows. A rainforest with plants, butterflies and birds like I've never seen before. There's a huge aquarium with a touch pond. An Amazon display. African display with animals that were new to me. There was a room where you could experience an earthquake. Dinosaur displays and a traveling display about skin. We spent 5 hours there and could have spent 5 more. Well worth the price of admission. Don't miss it!

We went on the VIP tour and was definitely worth it having never been and being short on time!

It was a good way to get an overview of everything, having a behind the scenes tour, with explanation and being able to ask questions was definitely a plus. The VIP tour was good value as it allowed front of line access to all the exhibits and the planetarium (did not get a chance to do it).

The earthquake simulation was amazing to feel as I've never 'felt' an earthquake before.

I do recommend doing the VIP tour, however (and I can not stress this enough), if you are going on Sunday GET THERE EARLY FOR PARKING! We spent half an hour looking for parking. There was no designated parking at the Academy, they have to share with the rest of the park and there are ubers who don't adhere to the rules and people who 'save parking'. Do not park where there is red on the curb!

Love bio-dome and aquarium. Roof top is cool too. Often have interesting exhibits. Great place to relax. Ticket is very expensive.

Hard to fault it. Plenty to do, see, touch, smell... A great site to spend several hours. The planetarium was closed the day we visited, which were gutted about but the rest of it really is great fun.

We visited on a beautiful day and walked from mass transportation. There is an abundance of attractions from astronomy to sea life. We enjoyed the fish feeding and the planetarium experience. There is a cafeteria available.

A very well presented and thought-provoking experience. From the humidity and wonder of the rainforest to the amazing show in the planetarium, this was a real treat for the senses. The aquarium was breath-taking and the variety of species on show around the numerous subterranean exhibits is impressive. There is a night time show for adults only and while I’m not keen on others’ unruly offspring behaving badly, their random squealing didn’t lessen the enjoyment. In fact, one six year-old in the planetarium was unpretentiously giving the presenter a run for their money by shouting out all the answers to probably rhetorical questions, which was quite charming.

We enjoyed spending a couple of hours here. We did not see every single exhibit, but we hit the highlights. The four-story rainforest with butterflies was really great. We also enjoyed the Filipino coral reef, the albino alligator, and the earthquake simulation room. We had lunch at the café, and although it was overpriced, it is what you would expect for a museum café, and the food was good. We had a great time, even the older teens and adult adults.

Great day, easy in and out and kids had a lot of fun. Easy access and parking was a little pricey but still a very good time.

We only had 2 hours but really enjoyed the butterfly rain forest exhibit and the planetarium show. Great customer service for the planetarium. We didn't have a reserved time but the representative made us a reservation for the last show without us even asking. My daughter is a huge space fan and I'm so glad we got to see the show. We would have made it in just from the standby line but the extra step the representative did alleviated any concerns.

Lots to see here! My husband and I enjoyed it, our adult friends enjoyed it, and there was plenty to keep our 2 year old running around to see. It was pouring rain during our December visit so we were grateful to have an indoor activity that we all enjoyed. Our only complaint was the price. I know not every city is going to be like Washington DC and have free museums, and for locals the ticket packages looked great but for a one-off visit we almost didn't take the chance on this museum because the cost was steep. Overall I'd recommend if cost isn't a concern.

We live relatively near San Francisco, but for some reason had never cleared the time to attend the Academy. Silly me! It was at least five distinct and distinctly magnificent museums all rolled into one intriguing building nestled in a peaceful site mid- Golden Gate Park. We spent considerable time exploring the encapsulated rain forest exhibit, struggling at times to locate the well-camouflaged animals. We then spent the same amount of time in the hands-on aquarium, which made us realize we no longer need to head all the way down to Monterey Bay Aquarium for this experience. We then spent a considerable amount of time in the crystals exhibit, which was breathtaking.

I'm reviewing because of the Shar Exhibit. I absolute LOVED that one and hope to keep it as for I learned most there. In other exhibits some animals didn't have any description about them, but the Shark Exhibit had so much it's made me do external research about them.
Something else is about how great the hands on interactive menus were with small games, videos, timelines, and highlighting animal biology was great.
Had to keep some kids off them while looking BUT was worth it.

This is an excellent center. We particularly enjoyed the planetarium, gems & minerals, and aquarium.

The planetarium show is kept up-to-date with the latest on dark matter and dark energy.

There aren't a lot of dino bones, even in the big-dino temporary exhibit.

The rainforest bubble line moves pretty quickly. Bring a water bottle; it's hot in there!

There is a cafe but it was quite crowded at lunchtime. There are a lot of different options to eat. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Everyone in our group, from grandmas to the 9-year-old, really liked the center.

If you are a teenager/young adult I recommend you visit this museum at night.
America found the PERFECT way to attract this audience and get them interested in science: responsible alcohol, music and science ALL in one place.

AMAZING visit! I learned a lot and HAD a lot of fun!!

I went in 2016 so I don't know how to handle covid

Great way to spend the morning, got there at opening and was able to peacefully wander around. I could spend all day looking at the fish and jellyfish. 5h3 planetarium film on the Dark Universe was very cool but by the 5ime we got out, noon, the throngs of kids made it time to go. A great bonus was we walked from Haight-Asbury and visited the AIDS memorial garden.

Visited here recently with my sister. We went to the planetarium - the seats have no neck support and dont recline back so are very uncomfortable for a 30 minute viewing! The aquarium is great and loved the talk on Claude the Albino Aligator.
The museum’s layout is a little complicated but the staff are very friendly and the area around is pretty.
We came here as we had purchased the city pass.

Great venue to showcase all things related to animals, plant, fish and human history inside one space…mix of planetarium, aquarium, rainforest area etc all included in the admission. One day of fun and informative trip

I visited on Jan 17 and only for 1.5 hour. I specifically want to visit the Planetarium, and I saw two shows, which both were soothing. I did have time in between shows to visit the Dinosaur exhibit, the minerals and the rooftop garden. And there was so much more I did not get to see.

There is a cool Rainforest Biosphere and an Aquarium. There is an adults only night, to see the center at night.

Pros:
- Not a far walk from Muni stop
- So much to see!!
- Open and clean!

Only two cons:
1. I wish I had more time! I could spend all day there!
2. Full day full price ticket is $45isg. I got there with 1.5 he to close and paid $40. It was very clear, but feel it should have been a greater discount at that hour. Not a deal breaker, just feedback.

On my list to definitely go back!

This is a bit of a cross between the British Science and Natural History Museums. We spent the entire day there with our 6 and 10 year olds.

There’s a planetarium, aquarium, rain forest feature, earthquake simulator and lots of other things. At lunchtime there was a snake talk and the kids could handle the reptiles. This was a very informative and hands-on type of place. The building is modern spacious and well though out.

We took a packed lunch and there were tables to use. It’s a bit of a trek from San Fran centre, but easy to reach on the bus.

This place is fun but educational, with a focus on sustainability, recommended.

Excellent day spent in the academy which houses a planetarium, aquarium, rainforest zone and a general museum all in one site. A bit expensive including the restaurant food, but worth going with kids.

So the time reserved VIP tour is awesome.

Problem is there is no information or help given to visitors. So you arrive and they TELL you to scan the QR signs to see if there is space for the exhibits. There were none left.

So we sat around waiting to tour, THEN they said on the tour the badge gets you into all the exhibits!

We sat around with ZERO info for 1.5 hours.

Please fix the website.

Awesome, very educational, love to come back again, parking is
expensive, so advise to use bus or taxi

we visited the museum on a cold Thursday morning. The place was crowded but having bought tickets entry was easy. They do check your vaccination status. the museum is amazing - it has a whole rain-forest exhibit, a whole aquarium exhibit and a bunch of exhibits on fossils, gems, etc. It also have earthquake and fog simulators unique to the SFO area. This museum has so much to do for kids. great food as well at the Terrace restaurant. we had a swell time here - we spent about 3-4 hours here and we could have stayed for longer but we wanted to visit all the other attractions that Golden Gate park has to offer.

We spent over 3 hours here and the place is wonderful for toddlers and older kids. They have a butterfly garden/park which also houses other wonderful specimens. The toddler play area is great for indoors during afternoons. The dinosaurs and fossils are fantastic even for the kid in us. All in a must visit if you're in SF with a kid. The GG park has a lot more to do as well, specially on Sundays.

We parked in the parking garage at GG Park and the elevator takes you right up to the entrance. We made a reservation for the planetarium then headed to the rain forest. Just spectacular, as was the Planetarium show we saw afterward. Then on to the aquarium and Africa. Smoothe as silk and on a Friday the crowds were relatively small so we could walk right up to everything. Great for all ages!

The California Academy of Sciences located in the Golden Gate Park is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens.
It is also the world’s only aquarium-planetarium-rainforest-living museum in one cool looking eco friendly building.
If you have kids, even older ones, a must see in san Francisco.

It reflects diversity of life on the planet.It has a digital planetarium,an aquarium,natural history museum and dome shaped four storey rainforest.we watched ‘passport to the universe show at the planetarium.It takes the audience on an interstellar odyssey and tells us the limitless ness of human imagination.Lovely show with voice over by Tom Hanks.You need a full day to cover the attraction.

We visited on a Saturday during our trip to San Francisco and the place was very busy. We had never been here before and were amazed by the size of the exhibits. We did not expect a three-story rain forest with birds and butterflies. Also, a surprise were the below ground viewing areas for the coral reef displays and the tunnel through the aquarium.

Our kids loved the whole experience and had to be forced to leave.

My negative experience was with the food service. The prices for items seemed off the chart for me. Even limiting what we bought, we spent over $60 for lunch. It felt like I was personally funding the operation of the rain forest that day.

I'd go again but bring my own food.

I, an adult, went alone and loved it. Most visitors are families with children and school groups. Not very cheap (35 $ for adult) but I think it's worth every penny. Arrive early as there is a lot to see. And early in the day there are no lines. First I visited the Rain Forest which is an area that simulates a rainforest with several birds, plants, small animals and numerous butterflies. For those who don't know a rainforest, it's a great opportunity. Humidity and heat are identical. Then I went down to the aquarium and spent almost 3 hours there. The variety of plants, fish, crustaceans they have around is incredibly amazing. This part alone would be worth the visit. There is an outdoor aquarium also with stingrays and other fishs and a roof top. The planetarium is more a 180 degree cinema than exactly a planetarium, but the film is well produced and well explained. For little kids, it may be a little difficult. Sessions happen every 2 hours, so book your ticket (included at the entrance, but you have to book it) as soon as you arrive. The food in the restaurant is quite varied, with healthy options with San Francisco prices, around 10-20 $ with bevarages. If you are thinking to arrive after 2 p.m., is better to come back in another day. For the price e the amount of things to see, is a attraction for the whole day and the Academy closes 5 pm.

This museum is amazing! serious! you can stay there for hours and hours, interactive exhibitions about everything you can imagine! Highlight for the greenhouse with the forest, aquarium and the "live" ceiling. Tickets around USD 39.00 (adult) and if purchased on the site it is around 3 dollars cheaper than at the ticket office

Great place! We really liked aquarium and planetarium. There is huge park and a lot of different trails. Unfortunately there was a rain, but otherwise we would spend there all day.

Hi! This place is great. I recommend going on a day that is not over a holiday. We went on Sunday over new years when it was raining and it was packed.

Our first visit here was 6 years and 3 months ago. We enjoyed our 2nd visit just as much as our first. Admission was included in our Go City Explorer pass. It’s a great informative and somewhat interactive museum located in a gorgeous city park. Certainly worth a visit. Glad we came back.

My son read about this place and wanted to go. There are so many things to do in the San Francisco area and this wasn't on top of my list. However, during a cloudy and cool day, we found time for a visit - and I'm glad we did.

PROS
* Super clean
* Beautiful building and spacious inside
* The rainforest display was amazing
* There is a roof that supposedly captures rainwater for the building - interesting
* A very cool San Fran earthquake simulator
* Much more to see

CONS
* It's pretty expensive, but I found a discount on Groupon
* The crowds build up quickly
* After about 2 hours we were done and started to get bored

RECOMMENDED: Yes, but during inclement weather and get a discount if possible

Beautiful museum inside the golden gate park. The cost of the entrance ticket is very high, we spent a good $154 for 2 adults, a child of 5 and one 10 years, but it's worth them all! The aquarium is beautiful and the central part where you recreate a tropical forest full of colorful butterflies leaves enthusiastic young and old. Worth a visit! also interesting planetarium, unfortunately only in English.

We’ve visited many science museums in our family travels around the country and were excited to see this one given all of the positive reviews, especially here. But, honestly, for the very high admission price, the experience just doesn’t justify the cost.

The rainforest is great, a definite highlight. The aquarium is fine, but not on par with many others we’ve been to. The penguins are fun. But, beyond that, there’s not much to see. We arrived at 11 on a Sunday when it opened, expecting to need the full six hours. We left before 3. For less than four hours worth of entertainment, the value just isn’t there.

Yes, the planetarium is included in the ticket price. But the show was just average - fine, but not on par with shows we’ve seen at other facilities.

To add insult to injury, all over the facility they have signs saying “Want to see this? Take a VIP tour.” For what they’re charging for general admission, everything should be included. It’s insulting to be shook down for another $20 every time you turn around.

Save your money and visit the far better (and less expensive) museums in LA, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, New York....

Unlike most science museums, the price includes planetarium shows, so we went to two: the universe tour and the reef tour. They were both awesome!!! The Living Roof, Rain Forest, and Aquarium sections are all excellent. Allow at least 3-4 hours.

What an amazing day we had here. So much to see and do, the Rain forest is beautiful. A great place for young and old.

the education one gets in such an enjoying moments, the interesting aquarium, the butterfly area, whatever we saw we wanted to share with the young generation

Really good exhibits with lots of information. My toddler loved looking at things but the educational part of it was a bit too advanced for him. There were so many visitors, it was a bit more crowded than I had expected. The restaurant had a long wait so we went to the cafeteria instead and it was chaotic! There were so many people in such a small area! Parking was also hard to find and the area in general had very slow moving traffic.

We live fairly close to the city, and the academy is a place my family and I have gone to a couple times. However, no matter how many times we visit, it never gets old. There is so much interaction in the museum and a diverse array of wonders for those of all ages. Simply staring up at the unique ceiling is sure to put one at awe. The exhibits are all engaging and family-friendly, from the amazing albino alligator to the huge aquarium exhibits. The ways in which you encounter animals are truly unique, whether it be walking under a water tunnel or walking through a rainforest exhibit. The building is nestled into Golden Gate Park and truly blends with its surroundings. It is a wonderful creation and is sure to teach anyone something new!

It was like going to the aquarium and a museum all in one. My entire family enjoyed the experience, elementary age, teenage, and adult.

A very diverse museum. A planetarium (you need to collect tickets to enter this but they are free) which was very good and quite magical, botanical garden, living roof, aquarium and various other exhibits. There were "pop-up" stations dotted all around with Academy staff discussing various topics with lots of opportunities for "hands-on" interaction. The tropical rain forest was wonderful with lots of butterflies and parrots flying freely. The aquarium was as good as the Bay Aquarium on Pier 39. The only reason for 4 stars not 5 was that we were there as a couple and whilst it was very good, I think it was more geared to those with children who all seemed to be having a super time.

Great place to visit. The rainforest was amazing- the butterflies and birds on show that would just fly right past you is incredible and the two noisy parrots. The fog room was an experience as was the earthquake exhibit. Great for all ages.

I get that you have to reduce capacity. And I get that you want to balance member snd general admissions. But how is it fair to have all possible entry times available for general non-member entry for a Friday visit, but have zero available member tickets?? And so what exactly is the incentive for being a member??? My family can’t enjoy the membership because it’s sold out for members. But non-members can easily get their preferred slot. They e created a complete disincentive to be a member. Sad and misguided leadership. At least have dynamic ticketing to truly balance things out.

I love this place for its rooftop garden and attention to environmental concerns. A very happy place to be!

We visited the Academy because it was one of the options for our City Pass, and we were very happy with everything we saw. Plan your visit ahead of time and know what you want to see because there is so much. The Planetarium requires a checkin for your timeslot so make sure you set that up first so you can enjoy the rest of your time going through the other exhibits. The Rainforest module has a pathway that spirals up to the canopy where you take an elevator down to below the water. We were more impressed with the aquarium here than the Aquarium by the Bay. It has more tanks, sectioned and specialized areas, and more room overall which made it appear less crowded.
The roof is unique, and it was nice to go up and cool off after being in the rainforest section, but you are limited to a section in the center, it isn't a park for picnics, but was peaceful.

We definitely enjoyed this on our summer vacation. Got a bit of education in with fun. I watched this being built on a show called Mega Structures and always wanted to visit it. It did not disappoint. I prefer the aquariums here over the Aquarium of the Bay. Kids had a blast here.. There is a lot to see. Plan to spend extra time here. We had lunch in the cafe there and that was good as well. Buy the city pass (save a few $$$ and get to see the exploratorium as well).

I have been to Monterey Bay Aquarium and many similar museums around the world so I was not expecting this to be as good as it was.
We started with the Aquarium and the feeding of the Mexican penguins. That was fun but the many visible fish tanks here brought me back to the times I snorkeled in Belize when the waters were so clear. You can get under and look up into the waters or sideways to see all the colorful and varied species of fish, many I had never heard of before.
We also toured the four story rainforest with its beautiful butteries and macaw parrots, examples of biodiversity. And on the roof we saw the sustainable rooftop garden with its views of the park.
We didn't take time to see the planetarium because we had so much more to see, but if you do plan to see it, allow for extra time.

This is one of the best attractions in San Francisco. It has an aquarium, planetarium, a real rain forest and a natural history museum too. If you have kids, you can easily spend the entire day from 10 AM to 5 PM at this place. Albeit, the VIP tour was a bit of let down

Located in the Golden Gate Park facing the DeYoung Museum (also a must). This place is fun, educational, with a focus on sustainability, There’s a planetarium (presenting several programs), an extensive aquarium, a rainforest dome, an earthquake simulator and lots of other things like dinosaurs, African stuffed wild animals, etc... The building is modern, spacious and has a green roof you can visit (part of it was close when we visited). The food selections at the restaurant is ok but rather expensive especially if you have a family. A great place no to be missed.

We had so much fun and spent most of the day here. It was absolutely massive and there were many different exhibitions to see. If you get a chance, make sure you check out a show at the planetarium. We watched a coral reef one and it was very educational and exciting. If you've never experienced an earthquake before, make sure you check out the simulation. The aquarium was so beautiful, as well as the indoor rain forest. We would definitely go back if we visit San Francisco again and 100% recommend it to anyone of any age.

All under one roof (oh, by the way don't forget to go to the roof garden) for one price..Exhibits are some of the best in the world. This is located in Golden Gate Park across from D'Young Museum, another good stop. Well worth the price. So much to see and do.

A local lady recommended we visit the museum and we are thankful for her recommendation.

The museum is well structured, the planetarium has nice shows running. We watched the reefs and the universe (the latter was narrated by Tom Hanks). The aquarium had plenty of beautiful fish to see.

The rooftop is a must see.

A must visit with kids of all ages.

I appreciate the masking policy given guests stay there for over an hour to tour the museum. I love this place -- it is well maintained! I had been here over 8 years ago and 4 years ago and back again this summer -- it still feels like it was new. World class museum right in the Bay Area.

My husband and I took the bus from out hotel to Golden Gate Park on a rainy day to check out the California Academy of Sciences and de Young Museum. We didn't have tickets so we waited in line to get to the ticket window. While there, I was searching online for some possible discounts. Score! I found one and we were able to use it.

They are still doing timed entry so we chose the next hour time slot to enter. We walked across to the de Young and got admission there as well. We wandered around looking at art before checking out the cafe. Once our time slot opened, we walked back over the the Academy to enter. It's huge! It was our first time and it was hard to decide on what to check out first. You definitely feel like a kid again with all that was going on. They have dinosaurs (natural history museum), a planetarium, an aquarium, and a rainforest. Oh my! We just picked a direction and headed to the aquarium. I saw a line for the planetarium and decided to put us in for a timeslot later that day. The aquarium is quite large. They have penguins, jellyfish, and loads of fish. We saw the albino alligator in the center enclosure. We weren't sure if it was real but he did move his arms. The dinosaur skeletons were the best. We saw a geode exhibit too. We didn't quite make it into the heart of the rainforest but we felt like we made a dent in what we saw. The California Academy of Sciences is ideal for your inner curious child or if you have kids they should go too. We had a great time. We also popped across back to de Young for more art while waiting on our planetarium timeslot and had no issues with reentry with our stamped hands.

If you have a few hours to kill in SF, this is a great spot to check out. Definitely look for discounted admission because it'll save you some money too!

It was nice. I recommend this to families. When we went there were a lot of school field trips going on so it was crowded. We went on a weekday pretty early in the morning, so you should definitely come early before it gets even more crowded. they had a lot of cool stuff like an earthquake simulator, a planetarium, and more. We thought we would spend more time there but we looked through everything pretty fast and only stayed for about and hour and a half.

I had not been to the Academy in 35 years and it was amazing. It has changed considerably since the last time i was there and it was for the better. The rain forest was great. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the Aquarium it has so much to see, I loved it. The Academy has something for everyone!

Very enjoyable say spent here. Been to better aquariums but the planetarium was brilliant. Get you tickets as soon as you arrive.

Very interesting and a nice variety of pavilion. We can spend all day there if we read each of the signs. The earthquake simulation room is okay for children but disappointing for adults.

My husband and I took our grandchildren, ages 7 and 10, to the Academy of Science. They loved it! They loved the planetarium, the tropical rainforest, the aquarium and the live roof. All the exhibits were very age appropriate for the children. We ate lunch in their restaurant which offered many choices for the four of us. We spent an entire day in the Academy of Science!

The cost of the ticket is really worth it. It was one of the most beautiful and original places I have seen in San Francisco. Very popular with schools or groups of children. The route done well takes you more than 3 hours and when you leave you would like to come back. The planetarium is also very interesting. If you are in San Francisco, don't miss this opportunity!!!

Great place to visit and definitely worth the visit (and the long walk we took to get there). They have a natural history exhibit, a planetarium, a rainforest, and several other smaller exhibits to check out. It is an equally awesome visit for kids and adults. Definitely one of the more diverse museum experiences I've had since everything is all in one place. The planetarium show was also fascinating.

Hd a lot of fun here. The exhibit that stands out most in my mind is the earthquake simulator. A must experience when in the museum. The ocean exhibits were pretty stellar as well. A bit pricey to get in though.

We have been attending the museum since our children were in strollers. Each year, we go, the kiddos say they don't remember. Then as soon as we walk in, BAM, all the memories come flooding back. They especially love the Rainforest and the Planetarium.

And the food, especially the vegetarian options and the outdoor seating, are such a treat!

The California Academy of Sciences is a super fun and educational spot! You can explore the Morrison Planetarium, Steinhart Aquarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, and Osher Rainforest. Their aquarium is almost as big as the one in Monterey Bay. Check out the Living Roof for amazing views, and make sure not to miss the awesome planetarium shows!

Located in Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is both the educational and scientific home to an aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum including a grass topped roof! Greeting each arriving visitor is a large T Rex. The aquarium offers a visit into the underwater world of numerous reefs and lagoons around the world. The planetarium had a show (part of your admission fee) called "Passport to the Universe" (narrated by actor Tom Hanks) introducing viewers to newborn stars, moons and the black hole. There's a rainforest full of beautiful birds and butterflies. And those are just the highlights. A current exhibit on Skin shouldn't be missed along with some awfully amazing photographs captured by professional photographers around the world. There's even a fog room. Make sure to take the time to explore the living roof. Not only is the view lovely but the eco-science and biodiversity up there is amazing.
There are both a restaurant and a cafe where choices abound; there is something for every taste. Moreover, the science academy has several stores that provide offerings for every age level.
Before you visit take a look at the various webcams that the academy offers from coral reefs and lagoons to penguins.
Yes, the entry fee is pricey but where else can you see a planetarium, aquarium, natural history museum and rainforest in one place plus stay for hours. It's worth it's weight in gold!

Top flight museum. Kept a young adult fascinated for half a day! The planetarium and the aquarium are can’t-miss. And as a rock hound, the gem display was amazing!

Nice aquarium exhibit with cool animals. Liked the Amazon biosphere. The planetarium is really just a boring imax. Most people around us fell asleep. Skip it. Shark exhibit has zero actual sharks.

If you’re an out of towner trying to decide between this and the exploratorium DO THIS. This place is amazing. The rainforest inside is so cool... the penguins had a Q & A with a marine biologist that my 4 & 6 year old were mesmerized by... the planetarium had an imax movie about coral reefs that at first we were bummed about because my son loves space, but it was beautiful and taught us lots. A great way to spend a day! We needed about 2.5-3 hours.

This place has the WOW! factor going for it. We spent most of our time in the OSHER Rainforest, being mesmerized by the butterflies which seemed to want to be friends with us. There is so much more to see there than this which we did not explore. Being of that age, we got a senior membership which made the pricing pretty acceptable and will enable us to return several times.

This is one of those places where you learn as you go and enjoy your time with family. This place makes interesting information about our planet more enjoyable, especially for school-age kids. It's one of the better ways to spend a day in the city together!

Do not miss this adventure. The free roaming butterflies are a sight to behold. They even check you when you walk out of this area to make certain none of them are piggybacking. So much to see and done in such a tasteful manner. Don't miss it.

My kids’ favorite thing in San Francisco and well worth the price of admission!

We hit the rainforest first and were glad we did - it is hot and if we had saved it for the end I think they would have been fading fast. The rainforest exits into the aquarium, which the kids LOVED. Between the rainforest and aquarium, we probably spent two hours just watching the animals and reading about them.

If you have younger kids, make sure to hit the Naturalist Center on the third floor towards the end of your visit. The kids had a nice quiet time coloring and looking at books, and I had a nice quiet time looking at the 3-D map of California.

Would allow 3 hours to see everything; there is food on-site but pricey (like everything else in SF!) We did find on-street parking nearby in the park, but this was a weekday, so would recommend Uber or parking garage if visiting during the weekend.

We visited with our 4yo daughter and had an amazing day. So much to see and touch. The volunteers were so informative and accommodating. This is a gem of a place in beautiful surroundings. The butterflies were free to fly anywhere and the natural environment made it so real.

My husband and I visited here during a recent trip to San Francisco. Though many of the visitors were families with young children, there is plenty for adult visitors to do and see. Other than having a rain forest and aquarium, I really liked the fact that the movies were an additional charge. You do need to get tickets for the movies (there's a separate booth inside for that) but there is no additional fee which is different than many of the museums I've visited. I highly recommend!

The shows at the Planetarium were great, but nothing else was exciting. Rainforest was closed and the Aquarium was decent, but very overcrowded.

Loved the butterfly enclosure! The planetarium shows and the aquarium are also fun. Lots to see here!

Visited the Academy of Sciences with the family while on vacation in San Francisco. We all enjoyed spending a good part of a day there and found the displays to be well done, informative and fun for everyone. We will surely visit again in the future.
The museum has a great variety of displays - too many to list in a review. But among the ones not to be missed are the rain forest display with the butterflies which is a great one. The reptiles, the dinosaurs, the living roof, the jelly fish and many more should also not be missed.
The food selections are even quite decent, albeit rather expensive as expected.

Loved the aquarium - interested in the living roof, enjoyed the natural history section admired the gems, shame the planetarium was shut. Just don't eat at the cafe. Service was pretty bad, drink was watered-down packet cordial (for $6US) and the soup was bland with over-salted bacon bits added. And the chips were stale. Take your own food.

The California Academy of Sciences is a rare blend of education, innovation, and environmental stewardship—all housed under one living roof in Golden Gate Park. With its seamless integration of a natural history museum, aquarium, rainforest dome, and planetarium, it offers a full-day experience that’s both immersive and inspiring. Visitors can explore ecosystems from the Amazon to the Philippine coral reef, meet Claude the albino alligator, and journey through the cosmos in the Morrison Planetarium—all while supporting active scientific research and sustainability efforts. Whether you’re traveling solo, with kids, or in a multigenerational group, the Academy delivers hands-on learning and visual wonder in every corner.

Very good museum, entry was easy and the exhibits were very well presented and engaging. It was very busy with a strong family presence

This place is fantastic and well worth the entry fee. If you book online a number of days ahead its even cheaper. We spent 61/2 hours in there so allow plenty of time. There is a Planetarium that has free shows, a wonderful Rainforest Dome complete with birds and butterflies, an absolutely amazing Aquarium as well as many other interesting interactive displays. Don't miss it!

This museum is on the small side, but it is well worth going to -- and is also a stone's throw from the Japanese Tea Garden & de Young Museum.
The two most outstanding items were (1) the aquarium - which is excellent. Very, very clear glass and short explanations of what you are looking at. (I would have been willing to read somewhat more.) and (2) the tropical rain forest - complete with butterflies and nice explanations.
There is also a short but interesting exhibit on sharks (sorry, no live ones) and a tiny one on gems and minerals.
Their website tells you how many tickets are available for each timed entry - so buy tickets ahead if it looks like it may sell out.
The nicer restaurant was disappointing - food was expensive and awful, very limited choices. The cafe may have been a better choice.

Educational and interesting. I love going to the California Academy of Sciences to check out the aquarium and all the exhibits. Coolest thing was getting to feel the fur of a lion, cheetah, polar bear and sea otter. The sea otter was much softer than expected. Check out the white alligator!

Something for everyone here, it's accessible but really interesting. From rainforest to aquarium, via space .... one of the best afternoons of our trip.

I live in Chicago where we are lucky to a planetarium, aquarium, zoos, and science museums, so I'm biased. If you're traveling with children, who have never had access to many museums, I think you'll enjoy it. As an adult I found it boring and would not recommend it.

We really enjoyed our visit to the California Academy of Sciences - just wished that we had had longer to look round (we arrived quite late in the day!) Lots of interesting things to look at and learn about. We especially enjoyed the mini little rainforest and looking at all the animals!

The California Academy of Sciences is more than just a museum—it’s a vibrant fusion of science, nature, and imagination under one roof. From the four-story rainforest teeming with butterflies and birds to the mesmerizing Steinhart Aquarium and immersive planetarium shows, every corner invites curiosity. Families, solo travelers, and science lovers alike will find something to marvel at, whether it’s the albino alligator in the Swamp or the Living Roof’s eco-friendly design. While ticket prices can feel steep, the experience is rich, educational, and beautifully curated—well worth the visit for a full afternoon of discovery.

Great hands on science learning experience for kids! My son is 10 and loved it. We spent most of the day here and did everything. Everything is geared for tactile learning. Great way to spend a day with the family. It was really amazing and we had so much fun.

Visited this unique venue today. It boasts to be the worlds only Aquarium, Planetarium, SCIENCES & Education facility. It is a lot of fun and I’m pleased to say - pretty educational too. It’s $40 per adult which is pretty steep - but as we are on vacation so we thought why not. They do VIP nights and get x2 cocktails and the roof terrace which we would have booked in advance if we had known. We went between 13:30 - 16:00 - as you might expect - there was a lot of kids from summer camps and loads of families. The white Crocodile can be viewed from above and from below the water which is neat. A popular part of the experience. We lost our sun glasses in the aquarium rest room and they were not handed in to list property which was a shame. You can leave your details and they will email you if they are handed in. The planetarium was fun. My partner had never been in one. Greg was our host - along with the voice of Tom hanks who recorded the film we watched in the year 2000. It needs updating - but I imagine Tom has been busy on the Toy Story voice overs and watching English Soccer (!). Greg does talk about 2/3 of the way through with updates which was good. He seemed pretty knowledgeable and offered to answer questions at the end of the x30 min presentation. Plenty of gift shops. If you donate $2000 individually to the institute you have access to a special lounge with free drinks high above the foyer - the room was open so we had a little rest in there. The roof garden is nice - but today was windy and cold with not much info so we came back down. Kids around us said it was like the BBC’s teletubbies ! The aquarium show in the basement had a live feed to the diver in the tank so you could here the conversations - been to many aquariums but this is the 1st time I’ve known this to happen. It worked well. The fish on display were varied. Clean tank. There is a rain forest with giant fish and butterflies. I work in a zoo with a real bat cave and the fruit bats fly around freely. Here there are projections of bats - but the effect was good. You spiral up like being in a tropical Guggenheim museum surrounded by butterflies. When at the top you get the lift down and it goes ‘into’ the tank which is also pretty neat and unusual. We think the centre is a bit overpriced. $30 max for a x2/3 hour experience seems a bit more reasonable. The planetarium is included in the admission but you have to queue and get tickets on a first come - first served basis. There was a virtual reality experience for an extra $12 per person.

The California Science Museum shows you the fun and mysterious facets of all the animals and plants and marine life on Earth With tropical rainforest areas, marine ecosystems and wildlife specimens, etc. You can see interesting myrtle ants and see earthquake simulations.

Great snap shot science museum with a fun combo of natural history, sea, animal and plant life, including a roof top garden and rain forest.

Our 14-year old grandson isn't much of a science buff, but even he had a good two hour visit. The interactive exhibits, unique rooftop, aquarium and 10:30 AM penguin feeding held his interest sufficiently. The entire museum is well done; a class act. Worth a visit if traveling with kids and will be in Golden Gate Park or otherwise have a couple of free hours.

I had not visited the CAS in several years and was absolutely astounded at how wonderful the place is. As a fairly jaded museum-goer, with young nieces and nephews that I have taken to many places for learning and fascinating experiences, this place made me gasp in awe. There is so very much to see, learn, and experience here. There is also a wonderful cafe, especially the one in the back of the cafe, separated from the rest. I will return again, often, and will bring my nephews and niece here and experience the Academy through their eyes as well as my own.

First it was once a month. then it was 4 times a year. Now it is bi-annual 3 days BUT YOU MUST RESERVE A TICKET ONLINE. They are calling it community tickets.
Not sure I like this idea. So now instead of a crowd 4 times a year it is a crowded 3 consecutive days twice a year. Perhaps as they mention in their write up of this current program, it will help with crowd control.

Once you get inside you still have to get your timed entry to the Planetarium or other special exhibits. I visited about a year ago and they stopped having tickets for the rain forest (but stil long lines). Not sure if this new entry program will help with getting a timed ticket to everything...

Plan to spend several hours if you really want to see everything in one visit. Think Disneyland. You probably would not go there for a few hours even though they are open longer.

Overpriced parking at the lot but if you can find it, free 4 hour parking nearby in the park or similar on city streets.

Google Cal Academy of science and search the hours and admissions for current info, there is not info as to WHEN the next free event happens.

If you are a SF resident there are free weekends in the spring and fall based on your zip code. Thre is also a $3 admission fee for people on certain programs (EBT, WIC, and Medi Cal, )

There's so much to see here! The rainforest section actually felt like you were in a rainforest - the birds, butterflies, reptiles, and fish were quite impressive. The aquarium was also amazing with so many different species of fish and lots of interactive displays that kids loved to play with. The albino alligator was quite the sight - almost didn't look real. We also got to experience 2 earthquakes in an earthquake simulator which was really nat. We ran out of time to see the whole museum and missed the rocks/gems section but that looked amazing too.

My husband and I took our 3 1/2 Granddaughter and 5 1/2 Grandson. It was very busy. We were able to see everything. The price was high for the amount of time we had available to spend there. I can’t image a lot of families could afford it. It’s sad because it was a fantastic experience for all of us.

This is a wonderful combination of science exhibits, aquarium and rainforest. The facilitators are friendly and knowledgeable. You can easily spend a few hours roaming through the building enjoying the content. The hop on / hop off bus drops you off right in front of the building during the week (but you’ll have to walk a bit if you use it on the weekend because the buses aren’t allowed in the park on the weekends). I bought my tickets via the Go Card app, which is a good option if you plan to see more than one attraction while in San Francisco - it’s a good deal and easy to use.

I'd been meaning to visit the revamped building ever since it opened. I was in San Francisco for the day yesterday and finally checked it out. The rainforest dome was definitely the highlight, with butterflies fluttering all around and so many interesting little creatures to spy on.

I was disappointed that the planetarium was closed the day of my visit - no reason given - and that the "Shake House" earthquake simulation was out of order. And some other exhibit spaces were closed for re-installation. Hey, it happens - but if anyone from the Academy of Sciences is reading this, maybe consider offering discounted tickets on days when some areas are closed? I was frustrated that I had to pay the regular $49 ticket price - already quite steep for this kind of attraction - when I couldn't see many of the cool offerings. A visitor with luckier timing could pay the exact same price on a different day and experience so much more than I did. Doesn't seem fair.

We went to this after 7PM for adults only. It was a hopping place with music and alcoholic drinks and food options. The aquarium was my favorite, but they closed the rain Forrest early which was disappointing.. did you know there is a lighted Ferris wheel here? Cool!

it is a good experience to go with my family and teach your child to explore more knowledge , good jobbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Nearly $50 per person for a museum with absolutely no cohesion or science for that matter. Very disappointed in the displays, explanations, and incoherent and disjointed layout. If you have been to other science museums around the world, you will totally understand my comment. The Tellus Museum in Cartersville, GA (yes Marjorie Taylor Green's District) is 10 times better. So disjointed with explanations that never actually said anything. Get over yourself and improve. You have so many resources at your fingertips and this is what you produce?

Walked up here from Haight Ashbury and worth the walk. The displays and history etc in this place is incredible and a credit to those who set it up and keep it running and updated. Great few hours spent here.

We arrived 2 adults and 4 kids (2 teenagers and 2 toddlers). I think it wasn't very interesting to the little ones...maybe the show in the planetarium and touch the skin show. They were very bored and ran all over. I was also surprised when I had to pay ($$$) for a kid 2 and up so we ended up with entrance fee of $223, super expensive!!

Anyway...for me it was a great experience and most of us had good, interesting, educational day.

There's a lot to do here even though you can be done real fast. It's true what they advertise; you get to experience different biomes and environments and learn about different things. SOme underwhelm (the earthquake experience), and some are really neat (the aquarium).

I bought the ticket in advance via TripAdvisor, but it was a complete failure, let alone the merits of pre-purchase, because I couldn't get it issued even if I presented my smartphone screen at the reception desk.
It was much smoother to enter on the day of the event if you bought it at the counter, so I think it's worth buying in advance.

A very diverse and interesting place which we visited on the recommendation of friends who raved about it.
BUT on arrival we visited the toilets near the entrance - huge queue for the ladies and an unpleasant smell when we finally got to the front of the queue. Two toilets were so filthy no-one was using them, and there were very few to start with, hence the huge queue.
The rainforest, aquarium and planetarium were great - mind you although free you need an additional timed ticket for the planetarium which you have to queue for - we felt a little cheated as the show we saw was not actually about the planets, but was very good. The current exhibition about the skin was superb although knowing that roughly 150 different types of fungi are living on my feet is something I perhaps don't need to know.
We spent about four hours here and thought it great, although a visit to a different set of toilets was not much better. Although somewhat cleaner there were only two toilets in the ladies - simply not enough on a very busy day.
This was included in our 'Go City' tickets so do not know how much entrance is so cannot comment on value for money but we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Family with seniors. Skip the line price is lower than purchase same day tickets. There was a short line but allow us to enter by scanning the bar codes and without the need to exchange the entry tickets. Truest skip the line! Thanks.

Yay Science! I went to this museum with my cousin and we had a blast. I don't know why, but for some reason, we both felt like we could watch the Jellies for hours.

What a wonderful place. Be sure to spend a few hours. The rain forest is fantastic with birds and butterflies and spiders, but all the exhibits of tropical reptiles was so cool. The aquarium is great, African exhibit, whale skeletons and a t-Rex. My son and I had a wonderful time.

Worth visiting once. Liked the aquariums rain forest sections. Took 30 mins to find parking. Would be a lot of fun for younger kids.

Beautiful educational and scientific facility. The recreation of multiple forests that can be traversed on a ramp is very original. The aquarium complete with every species is also beautiful

This is a wonderful museum, with a very well thought out and fascinating design. We loved all of the natural light that came into the museum, and the garden on the roof! We spent at least an hour inside the ecosphere and loved the path that wound upwards and all of the butterflies and birds! We also greatly enjoyed the vast aquarium on the lower floors. Claude the albino alligator was quite a sight and it was fun to hear all about him from the museum speaker. We also loved the gem and precious stone collection, and the photographic exhibit.

I hadn't been to the California Academy or Planetarium for many, many years, so this was a new experience and contrast. Most noticeably, the prices and captive audience gouging is egregious. It cost more than $30 to park for the afternoon...even with a disabled sticker. Hungry? >$50 for a minimal slice of pizza (no toppings-those cost more) and/or one sandwich for 3 adults and a 7 year old, no drinks included. The planetarium shows were short and underwhelming, low image quality and amateurish narrative, a ghost of the exquisite precision German planetarium projector of eras past buttressed by engrossing intelligent tutorials from world class professionals. The aquarium, though rebuilt, is more or less the same, e.g. nice. Other things, the indoor "rainforest", ok for what it is, nice walk for kids; the minerals nice, interesting; the alligators - not much, other exhibits: ok, but nothing super. Nice view from the roof, but the weed garden and narrative- bleh (looks like my backyard (au naturel). Foucault pendulum is still there, but absent some of the kid-curiosity awakening posters.

The building itself is new, high, open, multi-story and airy (compared to that of yesterday) . Shame the contents and presentation do not follow suit.

Summary: pleasant afternoon but aftertaste was a feeling of having been taken advantage (think captive audience or pickpocket) Next time, go to the Exploratorium or De Young instead, even if repeating.

Don't rush through this site. Take your time and enjoy the science and wonders around you.
People tend to rush through and just look at objects and pictures but there is so much more available than that. There are pop up demonstrations and exclusive exhibitions and although this was a single visit I am sure these change throughout the year so people continue to return.
I loved the time clock and the aquarium section was a nice touch didn't know that was there until a bit later! What really did it for me were the different planetarium shows. These are state of the art presentations and compared with the UK ones this blows the out of the water! I had heard how amazing they were but didn't know how good they actually are until we visited.
The restaurant food range is very good, so much so that it took us a while to choose a meal. It was expensive for what it is but that is normal for locations like these as they cash in quite a few $$ to keep the place going. There is a free water dispenser located by the cutlery area.

We found this place via the ‘balloon animals guy’ on Fisherman’s Wharf. When he found out I was a zoologist he told us to check it out. And he was soooo right.

I went with my 8 and 11 year olds and we were there from opening to almost closing. The only time they complained all day was when we had to leave.

The marine secton was the best I’ve seen anywhere, we spent hours down there. For me, the twilight tanks were the highlight. Live flashlight fish! I never thought I’d see that in my career. Blew me away.

The roof gardens and planetarium were fantastic too. And I was amazed how long the kids would stay and watch the pendulum to see a peg fall. I was less overwhelmed by the rainforest, but the butterflies were neat. There’s a kids’ library and touch room upstairs that shouldn’t be missed if you have small people.

A definite highlight of our San Fransisco visit.

The Kids were bored at times. I Wish they had more interactive activities for the kids to experience.

We went here using our Go City Explorer Pass. This was the only attraction we visited that asked for proof of COVID vaccination, which we thankfully had.

This is a nice "combination" center that includes an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest and natural history museum. Each of the individual exhibits are good, but not as good as a stand-alone aquarium, planetarium or natural history museum. So it's a nice place to go see a little bit of everything in once place. Due to timing, we only had about 1.5 h hours to visit, which is much too short. I would say 2.5 hours would be a good amount of time to see everything.

We had visited the Exploratorium and Monterey Bay Aquarium earlier in our trip, so it made our visit to the California Academy of Sciences a bit underwhelming. I think if we went the Academy first, we would have enjoyed it more.

We had a wonderful day. So much to do and see and fun for all ages. Would highly recommend for families or anyone really. A must do in San Francisco!

We went here in the middle of the week. Our party was made up of 4 adults and 4 kids, aged 6-12. Everyone had great time. The rain forest exhibit (with beautiful butterflies) was a favorite for some of us, and the aquarium was a favorite for the others. We spent about 3 hours there (before the kids got tuckered out), but if they had had the stamina, I think we could have spent the entire day. There was so much we didn't get to see.

Mother Earth in the Golden Gate Park. Animals, birds,butterflies, a real rainforest, planetarium...What else you need on a foggy day?

Lovely! Informative! Friendly. Easy to access. A happy birthday gift to me. I liked all the renovations and keeping the eye on the real core of life experiences. I also loved the Butterfly check at the end.

Lots to learn but definitely over priced.
The day we went it was crowded

50$ is just a lot for a few hours.
Different events were going on. The Aquarium was nice but difficult to read the information on the displays as the lighting is very poor down there.

The cafe is overpriced too.

although the its not free to go in this place I would recommend it to everyone . Good for young and old. included in the entrance fee is watching the 30 minutes show they got schedules of the show . the rain forest is amazing , the aquarium with the display of coral reefs are beautiful . the garden outside as well is a must see. thumbs up to this place.

Very beautiful rainforest experience. Lots of trees, plants and rainforest wildlife. The leaf-cutting ant exhibit was by far the most interesting! There is also a pretty neat earthquake experience worth checking out. The aquarium was great too! Can’t go wrong.

I went with my two sons (ages 12 and 15). Not only do their prices change daily (if not hourly), so do their hours (watch out on holidays--they may, or may not, shorten their hours). Tickets are slightly cheaper if you buy in advance on line but if you can't make it that day for whatever reason, they don't seem to have a clear policy on what your options might be. I had called to ask this question, and aside from it taking about 5 different ways to try to get an answer, the attendant finally told me that if you purchase the tickets on line and can't make that day, "We may give you a courtesy to reschedule and maybe that will be good for a week, maybe a month but after that we won't reschedule and we never refund."
This said, we bought the tickets at the ticket window. Although the "Rain Forest" with all the butterflies is really cool, the 1/2 hour planetarium show about coral reefs was excellent, and it was cool to see the sweet yet frightened looking reindeer, it's just not worth the price. And don't even get me started on the gifts shops! Of course, gift shops are often expensive, but their prices were insane. Parents, be forewarned!
If you're visiting and have the ability to drive a few more hours south, The Monterrey Bay Aquarium is MUCH, MUCH more enjoyable and worth every penny.
This said, the place has its merits and the staff was nice. Just mine and my kid's two cents, take it or leave it.

Very disappointed with the visit. Already the rain forest and the planetarium are closed for maintenance. So more than half of the museum is inaccessible.... But the price is the same and exorbitant (37.5 dollars). So maybe the dinosaur exhibit will be better? Well no... The biggest dinosaur is... a model!!! A few bones here and there.... For the price and the travel, move on!

One great thing about the California Academy is that you can actually be *in* the exhibits. You walk through the rainforest, with butterflies flying around you. You can be surrounded by the fish in the aquarium. We stepped outdoors to see the baby reindeer about 6 months old. We were intrigued by the albino alligator. Lots of California natural history and hands-on exhibits. The big downside is that the tickets are very expensive. We splurged and enjoyed our time there and hope to go back.

Visited the Academy today. Some good things, some bad. Docents excellent and really into their presentations. And exhibits nice. However, I have been to several of these “Science” museums. This one had a very limited set of exhibits. (The Atlanta aquarium is far better than this, the Dallas rain forest exhibit was far better than this, the Key West butterfly house was much better, etc.). And $35 for the entry fee was way more than the other places. The grass roof was nice though.

I expected it to be fun, but this place way exceeded my expectations. This was the highlight of our visit to San Francisco, whose dirty, crowded, dangerous streets downtown threatened to make the entire experience unpleasant. I enjoyed the aquarium as much as I did the Monterey Bay aquarium; I think it equals it in quality, although not, of course, in size. Still, it was plenty big with lots to see. The planetarium was a blast, and my son in particular loved. it. He had never been to one before. My favorite, though, was the rainforest, particularly the butterflies, and the chance to be inside the sealed three-story dome with them and the birds and tropical vegetation. It was a wonderland.

We have been members of the academy for three years, our son still loves to go multiple times a month...so any place he still loves is great with me. There are always new things for us to learn about and experience. He loves the aquarium of course and the penguins. The center "theme" section that changes as well as the seasonal outdoor exhibits. We have unearthed fossils, built dinosaurs, learned about sewer treatment and recycling, rain, shine, bad air day...this is our top choice for educational fun in San Francisco.

This is a great experience for adults and children. The rainforest is amazing with lots to see and do. Aquarium on the ground floor is also amazing,You can pet starfish and several other sea creatures.

So much to see here in such a small space; blows my mind how they’ve put the place together - from top to bottom and everything in between the exhibits are A+

Nice place to explore. The fish are awesome, the biodome was also very interesting. I liked the earthquake simulation.

The rainforst walk is a must do. I love butterfly gardens so being about to walk through one in a cities museum was a pleasant surprise. We got the city pass and didn't have high hopes for the museum but it was a great place to explore.

The academy is quite large and it has many diverse exhibits. Africa, the swamp, the aquarium, the tropical forest and the planetarium. We were not told we had to book a time slot for the planetarium so unfortunately we missed that exhibit. Very crowded but still able to move about. The on site cafeteria is a bit wanting though!

Terrible place, this is not a museum this is a zoo and a very bad one. So many animals in tiny tanks is just pure cruelty from this people and the worst is that they charge a very high fee to enter and still this conditions are sad and very bad.
The only good thing here is the planetarium which has limited availability and they won’t give you the code to go make a reservation, so stay away from this sad museum and stick to the surroundings like the Japanese garden that’s in front of this “museum”.

Fantastic place to take kids. Will entertain and educate all ages. Lots to see so budget 3 to 4 hours (we spent 4 and didn't see a show in the planetarium.

Lots of young families with strollers-kids under three are free and memberships for families in the area make it a very reasonable place to visit so lots of nannies and kids and families. Not so cheap for a one time visit but certainly worth the price of admission when you consider you are getting three to four hours of enjoyment.

Price breaks if you buy tickets in advance-best prices by purchasing three or more days and picking slower times for entrance. On the other hand, parking nearby that is free is tough to find after 10 am. Check out their website when planning your visit

I would warn you away from planning on eating more than snacks there- food is ok but prices in cafe quite high- $11 for one slice of pizza as an example.

Go early and enjoy your visit! Tickets are timed entry, as are visits to the planetarium and rainforest/aquarium. Wonderful place for families and natural wonders for every interest. Lots of live exhibits in the rainforest and aquarium. Much of the museum pays tribute to the flora, fauna and geology of Northern California. Paid parking is available beneath the building. Food is also available within the building.

$40 ouch. Dont know how a family affords this. It does have some great exhibits. We are just two adults, mainly drawn by seeing Claude the albino Aligator, poor chap in his small pond.
Great rainforest exhibit, well done with a few butterly species flying around too, you have to go through a 'de butterfly' zone to get out a bit overkill I thought. Penguins disappointing as behind glass. Aquarium good . Cafe ok. Green roof doesnt look so impressive close up but good to know it has one.

We visited the California Academy of Sciences with our teenage kids on Thanksgiving and were blown away. The aquarium was one of the best we've ever been to and we saw sea life that I've never seen in an aquarium or anywhere else before. The interactive screens next to most exhibits were really neat as you can get a lot more information than a standard placard. The rain forest was a lot of fun and the walkway gives you access to the elevated areas. And the planetarium show was spectacular. Oh, and the living roof is a really cool place to take photos. They do a fantastic job with crowd control as well. So even thought he museum was packed, we never had a problem seeing the exhibits. There were a lot of areas and activities for young kids which we skipped but I know that my kids would have loved them when they were little. Definitely recommended.

What an excellent place to visit that’s not advertised enough. An Uber driver said it was good, whilst on our way to the Japanese tea gardens, which is just across the road. Don’t bother with the aquarium at pier 39. This place is amazing and well worth the money. You need a good few hours to take it all in. Excellent for everyone. Very interesting and educational. It was busy when we went on a Sunday.

Great value for the amount of different exhibits. Aquarium piece was by far the best. Saw the largest sting ray of my life. Despite a lot of families I enjoyed it as an adult. Make sure to reserve a spot for the planetarium show as it was super interesting

The planetarium shows were fantastic and the exhibitions great. Food is very expensive at their cafeteria

This is a combined aquarium; rainforest bird and butterfly exhibit and planetarium. It is very well done. You go through the rainforest first, with birds and butterflies and then down to the aquarium. Very user friendly. We didn't go to the planetarium. Even have a great snack place/retaurant with xcellent chicken soup!

This place is incredible! The rainforest exhibit and aquarium are worth it by themselves. We also really enjoyed the shark exhibit.

Expensive. At $40 it is really costly for a family. There is lots to see and I understand the price because what they have takes a lot of upkeep. While the building is handicap accessible, the rain forest is not. Unfortunately, you cannot start at the top and work your way down.

My 14 year old daughter and I visited. Great experience. We took the VIP Tour- well worth the extra cost! Our tour guide, Chad, did a great job stuffing a whole lot of very interesting information into an hour long tour. We got to go up on the roof and learn about the history of the Academy and of the construction of the building. He did a great job of setting up a kind of running dialogue that started in the roof with the description of whale bones, then went into the building with us as we looked at the skeletons of Orca and whales. He answered all of our questions and was a fantastic ambassador for the Academy.
When our tour was over we went to two shows at the planetarium - Expédition Reef and Galaxy Passport. Both were quite good and we got the pick of the seats with the VIP pass- very cool perk!
The exhibits are all well curated and presented in a welcoming atmosphere by staff and volunteers who are knowledgeable and engaging. The rain forest and Golden Silk Spiders we’re very cool.
Even the food in the dining areas was good!
Great day trip destination.

We reserved a time at 2:00 pm to take our 4 year old granddaughter, thinking numbers would be limited as they have been at other attractions. It was quite crowded in many areas. If you go through the rain forrest, you are forced to get back to the first floor in a packed elevator full of children too young to be vaccinated. There was even at least one field trip of children. The exhibits were good, but viewing them was quite difficult given the health risks. The outdoor playground was our savior.

A great place to visit. Very wonderful pyramid with colorful butterflies. Staff were very helpful, nice and welcoming. I would love to visit again for sure.

I decided to go to the Academy of Sciences at night, to see how it is. I was impressed by how many people were there, and how well dressed some of them were.
The museum is great, but some things really struck me as odd. I thought the area for the penguins came off as a surprise, and it was quite small. I cannot lie that I felt a little bad about it.
The planetarium show was nice too.
The thing that I disliked the most was the music at the aquarium area. It was so loud that I wonder how well the fishes were feeling like. The whole aquarium area felt like a big club, with loud music and people taking off their masks. I don't know if this is even good for the animals, but it made me feel bad anyways.

Incredible exhibits of love animals and taxidermies critters. The only thing I wish there was more of was dinosaurs! Unfortunately the rainforest was closed, but I had been in it before and overall this place is great for anyone’s first time to San Francisco.

I wish I’d read these reviews first! It was recommended by someone who lives here, but turned out to be way overpriced for what it was.

We went to the Academy of Sciences as part of our CityPass package. Our kids (7 and 5 y.o) had a great time, even though they were a bit jet lagged. They did the junior scientist experience (free, just ask at the bag check in). Exploratorium was slightly better IMHO

This museum did not disappoint my expectations. The aquarium, although not very large, is very interesting. Don't miss the tunnel with the water above you, the tanks that reproduce Californian marine environments with the typical kelps (aquatic plants) and the tropical ones with Dory and Nemo.
The rainforest is very beautiful, a well-reproduced environment (even in the humidity) and with lots of colorful butterflies circling around you.
The real star of the museum is Claude, a singular albino crocodile whose history is fascinating to learn about.
The room in which the earthquakes of 1908 and 1989 are simulated is evocative, with an oscillating table that moves under your feet and makes glasses, plates, chandeliers, etc. tremble.
Finally, don't miss the skeletons of dinosaurs and marine mammals, the section of a gigantic sequoia, the mineralogical area and the large planetarium (to be booked).
The museum is very well looked after from a scientific point of view with many captions and staff ready to explain the wonders of nature to you.
Finally, it is located within the magnificent and extensive Golden Gate Park, which must be visited upon leaving the museum.

We enjoyed the morning spent at the California Academy of Sciences and could have spent even more time there. The exhibits we saw included the Human Oddesy, the penguins, Color of Life, the Swamp, and the Aquarium. All were well done, engaging and informative. We'd be happy to return to enjoy the exhibits that we did *not* get too.

The Academy of Sciences was one of the itinerary items for our week in San Francisco and we fond the museum easily accessed by public transit i.e., Muni. We actually shared our bus with a teacher and his class. Our visit was on a weekday and, yes, the place if full of school kids many of whom behave like school kids on a field trip. So, be prepared.

One thing I do wish I was better informed about was the necessity of getting a ticket for the planetarium. I wasn't and hence we missed out this trip. Also, we found the lineup for the Rainforest to be longer than we wished to endure so we skipped it. It's a minor regret but we've visited rainforests in other museums.

Most of our time was spent in the aquarium. Lots to see, some smaller tanks and some impressively big tanks, including the walk through tunnel that seems to be a must see feature of all modern aquaria.

Overall, an engaging and enjoyable visit.

This was one of the highlights of our time in San Francisco - we did this on our last day and were all transfixed. So much to explore and see. Make sure that you leave enough time to explore the surrounding park and gardens in Golden Gate Park - which are also amazing.

I took a trip to San Francisco for the first time in my life from November 28 to December 3, 2019. On December 2, I left my Airbnb accommodation to get to a hotel proximate to San Francisco International Airport for the flight home the next day. I had more than half of the day to look around after checking into my hotel. A receptionist at the hotel recommended going to the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the de Young Museum. These attractions are about a 3-minute walk from each other.

Getting to the Academy was easy. I took a BART train followed by a transit bus that stopped in front of the CAS. There was really no lineup to speak of. The ticket price was $36.75. That's not cheap, but after experiencing the CAS, I can genuinely say that it was worth it. You can reduce that price by taking advantage coupons that can be found in the lobby of most hotels where they keep all of the tourist attraction information for guests. I was shown a $5.00 discount by the receptionist in my hotel.

The highlights of my walk around the entire exhibition were: (i) the aquarium, including the albino American alligator, the reef lagoon, etc. (ii) the spectacular Osher rainforest (iii) the Tusher African Hall, which included live penguins and (iv) an earthquake simulator wherein you could experience what it felt like during the earthquakes of 1906 and 1989. There is lots more to see and you could comfortably spend about 2.5 hours there.

There are lots of great eating places very close to the CAS on Lincoln Way, 19th Avenue, etc.. After being at CAS I ate excellent Thai food restaurant on 19th Avenue that I was able to walk to.

Although the California Academy of Sciences is a fairly expensive tourist stop, I consider it to have been money very well spent. It would recommend it to anyone visiting San Francisco. The next time I go to San Francisco I will pay another visit to CAS.

Located within the Golden gate park , a great place for knowledge seekers, lovely aquarium, nice planetarium. Don't miss the Japanese garden near by

Cal Academy of Science is always top notch! My teens LOVE this place! We’ve visited quite a few times over the years, and it is always clean and well cared for. It’s always fun to take a pic of the kids in front of the T-Rex, and compare pics over the years We were there on a Sunday morning, and it was crowded. We love the Osher Rainforest. They added an outdoor dining area since we were there last in 2019 - we didn’t dine at any of the cafes this time, but in the past, the food was pretty good.

I would allow several hours to make it worth it. It was a nice stop on our Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour, and we chose to pay for admission. It was also a nice break from the windy, cold, and rainy weather we had when we visited. Lots of great exhibits, very family, and child friendly (almost too many kids - I think we went on a Friday and it was field trip day!)

Although the admission is high it does include the planetarium show. Interesting and different than other science museums. Better information would be a help, like times things are open and exactly where timed talks are. Cafeteria food very good for a museum.

Had a really nice time here and would definitely recommend but there are a few negatives

Positives

Great interesting place
Good exhibits
Does great work
Lots of fun

Negatives

Crowded and shouting children everywhere!!
Very confusing layout
Food sooooo expensive!!!!

I have to give Nina the diver a shout out. They did a Q & A with her from underwater and it was so funny and my favourite bit of the day. Every single question the kids asked she answered “I don’t know”. Didn’t expand or elaborate just I don’t know…To every question …Even to simple questions we knew the answer to. Making me laugh thinking of it even now.

It's worth a day. My daughter loved it. The only recommendation is to arrive early because you must reserve place for the planetarium and arriving at eleven am we did not reach .

A totally fabulous place - something for everyone!!
We bought tickets with no expectation and it exceeded at every point !!
We were visiting from the uk and would say it’s a mix of an aquarium, natural history museum, a rainforest with a bit of theme park thrown in.
You can wander and wonder around at your own speed, take your own drinks/lunch if you wish to save pennies although there are two very nice cafe/restaurants with a large selection of drinks, snacks, fruit, salads, sandwiches and cooked selection
Can easily spend all day here.

These tickets are NOT a "skip the line" pass! Apparently you will still need to line up at the ticket booth to retrieve your tickets. But you will not find this out until AFTER you purchased your tickets. I am trying to get a refund for the 7 tickets I purchased and they are giving me a difficult time. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY with these tickets! They do not provide you with a barcode to scan at the entrance. I had to repurchase through Groupon instead so that my family did not have to stand in the long lines. Groupon provides you with barcodes RIGHT AFTER you purchase that they can IMMEDIATELY scan at the door!

We spent a couple of hours here with our children. It’s fairly expensive but is very interesting. The rainforest area was a standout for us. The children loved Claude the alligator!

It’s probably not as good as the Science/Natural History Museums in London but is definitely worth a visit if you are in SF.

The aquarium is much better than the one on Pier 39. They also have an amazing planetarium, rainforest and africa exhibit. You need about 3 hours

It really is a scam! At this price you expect something else! 43 dollars for this!!!! You have tourist trap shops everywhere! That's almost it! A few poisons and a few bones! Really ???

This is one of the few tourist attractions in San Fran that can justify it's steep prices. It has very nicely put together displays. Some good attempts are made at interactivity. For example you can touch various water based animals. And you can feel what an electric eel shock is like.

Basically it is a cross between an aquarium an indoor tropical rainforest and a planetarium. It also a small african animal section of what looks like life size taxidermy.

Time: it needs 3 hours at least to do it justice.

Parking: is expensive underneath but if you are prepared to walk you might get 4 hour parking on the streets of the park.

We spent a couple of hours here. My kids loved running around and seeing everything. I didn’t expect them to be entertained for so long but we literally stayed until they closed. I highly recommend if you have young children. My kids had so many Qs and were so curious about everything. I loved watching them play and explore and learn.

Had just a full day in SF and chose the Science Museum.
Our kids love the Frost Museum in Miami and thought it might be a similar experience. It actually is similar, but not quite the size and quality of the Frost.
The planetarium shows OK films, a bit boring.
Aquarium and Rainforest areas are also good, but not worth it really.
Best part of the whole museum I would say is the albino gator.
At 50+ for adults and 40+ for kids over 3 I found it expensive too.

I took my 4 year old and 20 month toddler to California Academy of Sciences on a weekend in the beginning of July.

I definitely recommend coming early around opening time just because of the difficulty in finding parking in the area. We circled around mid day for 30 minutes before we finally snagged a spot and took another 15-20 minutes to make the walk to the entrance.

Pros: My kids enjoyed the rainforest and the aquarium area. Fish and butterfies and other living creatures, what's more fun than that? The other place that was really good for kids 5 and under is the Curiocity Grove which is a section that is like an indoor play centre. Gives parents a break to recharge and rest while the kids are kept busy.

Cons: I'd say the I was taken aback by the admission price. Secondly we dined outside at the detached restaurant and the $19 adult grilled cheese was a joke. It was a half sandwich with potato chips. For food, it is much better to eat inside the cafe despite the long lineups and crowds.

We visited this museum on a very busy day. We did pay extra for VIP tour passes, and we’re very glad we did this, First off, the behind the scenes tour was very interesting - most of the Academy is closed to the public, and worth seeing. Second, the VIP passes give you front of the line entry to the Planetarium, Rain Forest and Earthquake exhibit, which is all worth it’s weight in gold when the museum is crowded and the lines are long.

I've purchased my ticket today. The first email I received said the participation date was today, which was correct. Then when I received/ downloaded the office ticket, the date was tomorrow. I sent the email immediately, whish was this morning, but there's no response at all. Due to this error, I can't go anywhere today.

I sent the 2nd email later and requested the refund. Don't even know if I can get my money back or not. Such a big disappointment and wasted my time and money for nothing.

This place is definitely fun for kids or for people really interested in animals and nature! It wasn’t the best activity for me I’d say, especially for the price of 37$, however I enjoyed all the animal exhibits. The rainforest section was closed when we visited, so all in all I wouldn’t say it was anything too impressive, but definitely fun for kids!

We found this to be a great place to visit. The aquarium and rainforest exhibit was outstanding. Buy your tickets in advance can save you money. If I lived close, I would buy an annual membership. This would allow you to visit several times to absorb all that is offered. Very well run museum.

This is an amazing place. Every age group will love it here. The staff are incredibly helpful, the exhibits and live presentations second to none. The cafeteria offers a wide variety of food choices, the clam chowder is exceptional. This is a must place to visit when in San Francisco

Lots to see. Museum, aquarium and zoo in one. There are parks around the area also. There’s a cafeteria inside and a shop as well. Will lve to come back.

Golden Gate Park is my favorite spot to visit in SF. The CAS is truly a world class museum and research institute. We spent about 5 hours here and really enjoyed everything they had to offer including the cafe which was very good. Worth the money.

A friend was asking me about this museum and I decided I should share this. I am spoiled because I was born and raised here, going to the old museum. We were members for many years. We were excited to see the new museum but were disappointed. I miss everything about the old museum. We never got into the rainforest when we went. Maybe getting into that would make up for some of the losses. The old rocks and minerals are still there but you have to pay a separate fee to see them. At least when I last looked into it. I wouldn’t eat there. Super expensive. Not very child friendly. Wow! I just looked at the sight and saw even members have to reserve tickets now. I complained in writing about the changes when we went. No one ever responded. I guess the opinion of long time members didn’t matter.

This museum was nothing special. Definitely not worth the $90 we spent for two tickets. We usually enjoy science museums but this one was full of rowdy kids, boring displays with dead animals, and not very much to do. The aquarium was about the only nice thing here but even that was so crowded you couldn’t even see all the fish up close. The indoor rainforest had a 45+ minute wait and did not seem like it would be worth it. We ended up leaving early because of how boring this place was. I would not recommend, save your money and go to one of the beautiful parks nearby.

Get there early so you have enough time. The first thing to do is get an assigned time for the planetarium. Then get in line for the rainforest which ends the tour in the aquarium.

I usually enjoy Science and Natural history museums but this one was a bit boring. The interactivity was lacking and there were so many noisy kids I had trouble enjoying myself.

Loved it! Worth the money. My only complaint is the aquarium isn't laid out in a way that makes sense but overall it's good.

This is quite a unique place. I really cannot describer how different it is. First off, it was packed on Labor day weekend; of course. Next, the lines for the rainforest were very long. The exhibits show the natural wonders of CA as well as different exhibits showing things such as Skin, and Ocean creatures. My favorite exhibit was the blue whale skeleton as Blue whales are my favorite animal as the largest mammal in existence. So Awesome.

Wasn’t disappointed by our day here. We spent about 5 hours and weren’t rushed at all. Aquarium was excellent & alone worth the visit.

The Academy of science takes about 3 hours to completely see all exhibits. Inside includes a small aquarium and a rainforest. Great for All ages

Huge biosphere, nice aquarium, excellent exhibits. The museum isn't that large, we spent four hours or so there with two kids (ages 11 and 10). We were able to get in before their official opening time, though the biosphere wasn't open until 10 AM. After lunch, the place got really crowded with all the field trip students. Highly recommended.

We were visiting San Fran from the UK and didn’t see this place advertised too much, we found it on Trip but not really on other recommendation sites or flyers.
I’ve been to a few science centres in other states and countries, this is my favourite. The Planetarium was awesome (make sure you get a ticket for it as you enter the centre) and it’s free, usually you pay an extra fee for planetariums.
The entrance price is quite high, but it’s worth it, better than spending your cash on some of the other tacky attractions aimed directly at tourists. The penguin feeding was also good fun. Coffee was a bit grim though!

As a person with a disability and using a wheelchair coming to this museum was great. They have ramp entrances. I bought my tickets on Groupon with a discounted no-wait in line tickets. Everywhere is assessability for my needs. Helpful staff all around the museum to answer your questions and directions. A place to See, Touch, and feel. Free is the Big Screen shows. Great foods at the Cafe with good prices. Bring plenty of films you will take many photos. The roof Garden is a must to see.

We came here as part of the city pass as it’s one of the museums you don’t really get a choice on, not sure it’s worth $40 entry alone. The Aquarium part was interesting enough and we went to the planetarium too but didn’t spend too long anywhere else really, it didn’t seem to have that many interesting things for us to spend longer than 2 hours there and glad we didn’t pay for entry outside of using the city pass as I think we’d have been disappointed

Great place to visit and is on the bus route as well as the Red Bus Tour route. We had bought a 2 day bus pass so we could get out there. Nice aquarium exhibits and a butterfly garden

Located in the Golden Gate Park, Excellent Place for exploring. Fantastic Planetarium, Great Aquarium. Fun educational Museum. Especially Loved the Earthquake simulator and the African Hall with the Human exhibits. Spacious museum. Not only for children. Recommend

I recommend giving yourself at least 4 hours to check everything out and take in a movie or two. Our family of four loved this place and it was worth every penny. Aquarium exhibit was exceptional with all the different points of view and various aquatic species. My only regret is not going earlier in the day....somfor those reading get there early enough to enjoy it all.

Used our City Pass to visit, had a good 3 hours looking around. Worth a visit for all ages. The talk shows are well worth going to see.

Our tour guide convinced us to go here. So glad we did! Coming back in a few months to bring more of our family!

If I had to choose 1 attraction for visitors to San Francisco, I always suggest a trip to Golden Gate Park and a visit to the Academy of Sciences. I was impressed by the Rainforest, Planetarium, and Aquarium exhibits so much that I continue to renew my annual membership. It's a memorable experience, in my view. I agree that it's a world-class attraction. You can easily spend 4 hours here, especially if you take time to try dishes at the Academy Cafe, YUM!

The California Academy of Sciences is a place of Incredible Displays and Exhibits. We would absolutely recommend it to Visitors and Locals alike.

I've been to San Francisco several times, and am disappointed that this was my first time visiting this stupendous living museum, as it was a glorious experience. The entrance fee is a bit steep ($43/person for adults), but it's absolutely well worth the price. This place is truly a living museum - it has a fascinating rainforest exhibit with living birds and butterflies, an aquarium with live animals, and a super-cool natural history museum (we loved the African Hall). The planetarium was also fantastic, although please note that you need to make a reservation for one of the shows. We enjoyed just wandering through the museum to take in the exhibits at our own pace.

CAS was amazing! We had such a great time wandering through Osher Rainforest and the Naturalist Center. So many different exhibits and features to wander through and learn! A great way to spend a day!

Can't compare to the Field museum or the Smithsonian or any world class museum. Especially lame/lacking is the African section and the minerals display. The aquarium is fairly well done and I suppose if you are REALLY into aquariums it might be worthwhile. The giant hamster ball containing the rain forest and butterflies is interesting and ok and the planetarium show we saw was pretty facile--suitable for grade school kids.

That being said it's a beautiful building in a wonderful park setting but there is NO WAY it's worth spend 45 dollars admission as we did on the holiday. It's less on normal days but still quite expensive for what it is. Especially in light of the fact that you can show them your Cal-Med card and get in for three dollars! Typical San Francisco wealth redistribution nonsense. Plus if you park in the garage expect to pay at least $25 dollars. Try to park on the street but don't leave anything in your car as break ins in SF are at record levels.

Spend your money at the legion d'honneur if you are going to a SF museum.

An absolutely amazing experience. We decided to visit the museum on our family vacation to SF, and it exceeded our expectations. The aquarium exhibits were phenomenal, and the number of different species was impressive. The swamp/rainforest display was also excellent. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this place. We spend 3.5 hours there and wished we had come earlier in the day. We watched shows in the planetarium, checked out the history museum and interactive natural science library. It was all amazing. I would highly recommend this for any family visiting the SF area. The museum has so much to see and do for every age group. My family and I will definitely be back.

This place is fantastic for kids. They were fascinated by the aquarium which is very well designed and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed the show at the planetarium. Great experience overall.

I wanted to give this place 5 stars, but our experience at the end was horrible. We were outside letting our son play, when all of a sudden we were told to leave. There was ZERO warning that it was getting close to closing time. So we are rushing to collect our things and kid as the security office was impatiently waiting. I asked if I could take a minute or two to change my son, but was told we had to leave ASAP! We had no idea this was placed at 5pm!!!! Why so early, especially in summer? Or that it was closing time. Give some warning, even 5 minutes!

All events i have ever been to for VIP Nighlife have been awful. Falling down drunk people, low quality cocktails at $250!! No one at the event to ask for a refund. A waste of money - go elsewhere with more class unless your into trashy at $250, then this is for you

I have been coming here since I was a kid and it was called the Steinhart Aquarium. I still love it. My granddaughter loves it too. It is one of the best museums I have ever been to around the world.

Took my tween and teen kids here hoping to spend the afternoon learning. Unfortunately after paying an astronomical amount for 2 teens, one child and one adult ticket we were greatly let down. While the exhibits are nice they are very small and VERY crowded. We went mid week on a non holiday week and it was jam packed with field trips and out of control kids thing things, screaming, banging on exhibits and overall just ruining any sort of chance to learn. Then just to see the small rainforest exhibit you have to wait in a very long line, and what they don’t warn you is there is only one way out at the top one single elevator. We were stuck in there trying to get out for over 45 minutes while the elevator attendant put as few people as possible in each round. All while sweating to death and listening to groups of field trips scream and yell and swat at the butterflies. We have been to many natural history and science museums around the country and this one is by far our least favorite design wise, price wise and exhibit wise (and the most expensive). Not worth the $$$ for what you get.

There were many exhibits, and the Earthquake room was very fun. You learn the science behind everything. There is an outdoor area to eat, and there are outdoor exhibits.

My partner and I visited and had a fantastic time. We got admission through the Go San Francisco Card (which is a great purchase if there are things you actually want to go to) - we only gave ourselves a couple of hours but wish we had more time in the end.

The Academy is great, heaps of amazing exhibits - the rain forest & aquarium being my highlights. Highly recommend if you're into your sciences/museums!

Very nice discovery. Several themed domes: Africa, California, subtropical forest... Activities: feeding penguins etc. Very interesting to take a ride on the roof: weather station, vegetation, solar panels... Included in the City Pass.

A child will have a great time, interactive, mix of museum, zoo, and aquarium. Definitely a must for a child if in San Francisco worth the admission.

Amazing living rainforest exhibit. You start on the forest floor and walk round a spiral walkway up to the canopy. Beautiful birds and butterflies. Next, the elevator down to the aquarium - this is better than San Francisco Aquarium. amazing tanks.
Warning - it closes a 5pm so get there early enough to give your self at least 2 hours. We were a bit rushed in the aquarium as we arrived late so we couldn't wander round as much as we would have liked

Went on July 1, 2023. I & my wife used Discover & Go from our respective Library Cards & we were allowed in for free (Contrary to opinions that children are compulsory when using Discover & Go Reservation).
Overall, we had a very great time here. This is good for a one time visit. The General Admission ticket is quite expensive for this place. Finding a Parking spot for free can be a hassle on busy days.
Also, make reservations for the Planetarium shows before you go. It is for free & saves you from waiting on the Standby line. The Standby line actually gets quite long, but don't let that deter you. They let around 30-50 people in.
So to the good part, the Earthquake Simulator, Rainforest Fog, Albino Alligator, Penguin Feeding, Unearthed Gems/Crystals, The Aquarium were all good. Really liked how genuine the Coral Reefs looked, with all the Sea Anemones & Sea Waves.
We enjoyed the Expedition Reef show at the Planetarium.Elevators can get crowded.

Grandkids (7 & 9) loved it! Penguins were a highlight! They really enjoyed the different areas & smaller areas. Spent so long in front of or under each water area but the kids had so much fun! Planetarium was closed when we went so that was disappointing for our jr astronomer. It was a fun, educational day!

This is in regards to the Penguins and Pajamas sleepover— there isn’t much info on the sleeping areas and I wanted to post out to pick any other spot but the Lower Swamp. We didn’t have the aquarium as an option, so we thought the Lower Swamp would be a close second. NOPE! It is the warmest area to sleep, and the spot where they keep bright spotlights on you until 11:30pm- the last area to turn off the lights. I think any other spot would be cooler and darker. And Claude’s tank is dark so you can’t see anything in there anyway. Posting here since I couldn’t find any reviews on the locations, saving someone else the late night spotlights!

Just too much to see in one visit. There’s the huge planetarium, the aquarium that swims around you at its center, the bones & exhibits, and a globe rainforest. I love the little rays, swimming in the inside lagoon! I hear there’s a living roof, but I never make time to go up there, as I’m fascinated by all else!

This is like the Exploratorium + aquarium + more! Spent over 5h in here but still didnt manage to get through everything. Very well organised and managed museum with all sorts of cool exhibits covering everything from the deepest oceans to outer space. Whether you're travelling solo or as a group, it's enjoyable for everyone. Added bonus of being in the Golden Gate Park so opportunity for a stroll in the gardens if you want to catch a breather from all the science. Will visit again if i have the chance.

We visited the Academy of Sciences today .Booked entry tickets on line .Spent more than 3 hours there.A very educative and informative facility well laid out .Suitable for all ages.We liked the Living rain forest,roof garden, aquarium and above all the show " Passport to the Universe" at the planetarium.Enjoyed the visit greatly .

Overall it is a very good museum, has several sections for all tastes and even has a playground for children. Obviously there are also souvenir shops and where they sell some food.
Access is very easy, only with the QR of the digital ticket, when we arrived there was nothing in line. What was kind of complicated was the parking lot, we had to get to the big park early and from there we had to walk a good stretch to the museum.
I went with a baby almost a year old, yet many exhibitions caught her attention.

Planetarium show is a must-see! Lots of school groups there when we visited but we were able to hit all the exhibits - Even the ones we didn't care to see were interesting and worth our time. Probably a good idea to get here early for decent parking and to get in ahead of crowds. Great exhibits related to CA (the earthquake experience was pretty cool). Gift shop and cafeteria on site. Lots of seating throughout the building.

So much to see and learn for all ages! A tad pricey for entrance but it’s for a good cause. The aquarium, rainforest, planetarium, all so great! And the earthquake simulator was pretty amazing.

Wow! Just wow. My 17 year old
daughter loved visiting the Academy. She loves plants and adored the butterfly-filled forest. The acquarium was terrific. Sitting underneath the forest pond was truly amazing with giant fish gliding overhead. The roof top is worth a visit. We wanted more contemporary exhibits and commentary about climate change, biodiversity and sustainability - a big missed opportunity to educate and influence. But the big wow was the planetarium - oh my goodness. Sensational commentary and we discovered so much about the solar system. Super relaxing too.

Wow. Called reservation number and made reservations for 5, on teenager is disabled. Informed no wheelchairs, informed that we make reservations for the rain forest once we are at the museum. Arrived this morning, reservations (prepaid) “not valid, too many people already inside”. Wow. Ticket counter “makes an exception” and we go inside. All exhibits are closed, no reservations for rain forest, no docent working. Wow - $38 a person to walk around.

As we’re leaning after 30 minutes, one daughter spots a kiosk at the exit to leave our comments. An employee passes by and I ask for a manager. One promptly cones over and asks how she can help. I relay our reservation experience, no wheelchairs for our daughter, no signage, exhibits closed - she then says that they have wheelchairs - probably worried that we will file an ADA complaint. If they have wheelchairs they’re hidden in a back room. Cal Academy is certainly NOT disability friendly. We live in the Bsg Area and we certainly won’t return nor will we recommend it to anyone.

This is a sort of an all-in-one museum. There’s a planetarium, an aquarium, a rain forest and an interactive science museum. My kids really enjoyed the rain forest, which is mainly themed towards environmental protection and awareness. It has some interesting species of plants, and lots of butterflies! The aquarium is also very well made, with a diverse variety of specimens. The science museum is rather limited. There is also a roof garden, and the lawns around the area are very pleasant. Great place to spend a few hours with kids, especially on a cold and foggy day!

The downstairs aquarium had beautiful fishes that needed more space. It was pretty obvious how they moved or in some places had nothing but a box. One was especially sad to see, the 4’ long lungfish hitting its head against the wall. This fish usually lives in pools and didn’t have room to swim. I understand the exhibits are for education. But provide a better environment.

General admission is $45.00 (adult), $35 (youth 3-17), $39 (students 18+ with ID). We went on a busy weekend which wasn’t so bad except for the long lines. Getting in took 25-30 minutes and the Planetarium and other exhibits were sold out. The Earthquake house was informative.

What was enjoyable about this place is the variety of activities and exhibits. There was a little bit of everything. This would be the perfect place to bring kids and spend a few hours. Even as a solo adult, it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours after walking around gardens all morning. The price was a little steep though, especially if you were bringing a family.

I will say that the planetarium show Habitat Earth was underwhelming and downright boring.

First this place is expensive. Loved the butterfly Exhibit. I was disappointed in the Auditorium presentations. I miss the days when they talked less and just showed us a great mind blowing virtual video. It’s still a beautiful place to visit.