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California Academy of Sciences

55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, California

Description

The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum and research institute located in Golden Gate Park, on the western side of San Francisco. It is housed in a new building designed by architect Renzo Piano with strong sustainability credentials. Inside, there is a rainforest exhibit housed in a 27m glass dome, a planetarium, an aquarium (coral reefs, tidepools, and swamp habitats) and several halls with various sections such as dinosaurs, gems & minerals, and animal specimens.

Access & Transport

Located in the middle of Golden Gate Park. Bus #44 stops in front of the museum / de Young, whilst #5 (Fulton), #7 (Haight) and Metro N (Judah) are within a 5-10mins' walk. More info available here: https://www.calacademy.org/getting-here

Instructions & Recommendations

Advance reservations are strongly recommended and are the only way to guarantee availability on busy days. Reserving in advance will also ensure you get the best price

Meta review

Mostly excellent feedback from visitors, whether in a family format or not. The clear favourites are the aquarium and rain forest whilst comments on the planetarium are a little inconsistent. Online reviewers also enjoyed having so much diversity of themes in one location and often stated having spent around 3h there.

Environmental & Social

LEED Platinum rating and U.S. Green Building Council’s highest ratings for its eco-friendly design and operations. It also runs a breeding program

Conclusion

A top-tier venue in terms of educational content and display that will please and interest children and adults alike, but the price will be a sticker shock for many, so plan for a long visit to get the most value out of it!

Key positive

Wealth of exhibits covering various areas of natural sciences

Fantastic building and infrastructure (rainforest in particular)

Key negative

Very expensive

Not central

Suitability

Suitable for all ages and accessible to visitors with reduced mobility

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in July 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 30m

est. visit time:3h

Regulated hours

Monday09:30 - 17:00

Tuesday09:30 - 17:00

Wednesday09:30 - 17:00

Thursday09:30 - 17:00

Friday09:30 - 17:00

Saturday09:30 - 17:00

Sunday11:00 - 17:00

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
US$35
Adult
18 - 64
US$40
Child
3 - 17
US$32
Infant
0 - 2
US$0
Pricing change depend on date and time of visit so this is a guideline. Student price ~$35

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