California Academy of Sciences Review

Very entertaining to go with family, a little of everything to see and enjoy

Beautiful Thursday evening. Fun and dynamic. From the aquarium to the "forest" to the planetarium one surprise after another!

This review is for Nightlife.

A museum at night? Yes! Every Thursday evening from 6-10PM, the California Academy of Sciences hosts Nightlife, which is a 21 and over event that turns the Academy into a festive place with music, entertainment and cocktails. You could experience and visit all of the same exhibits that are available during the day, but for less half the price. Each Nightlife has a theme so make sure to check the website for the schedule and tickets. Definitely buy your tickets in advance to skip the line at the door.

I visited this place with my kids and we had a great time. The rainforest ecosystem provides a hot and humid glimpse into the Amazon basin. Other things worth checking out include the aquarium (don't forget to touch the sea stars!), earthquake shake house (hang on for a simulation of both the 1989 and 1906 quakes) and a trip to the "living roof". Insiders tip: Walk across the garden to the de Young museum and head up to the *FREE* Observation Tower for a great view of the City.

Museum that includes more things, to see if only for curiosity, we liked it, aquarium, planetarium,
and much more ..........

Loved the planetarium and tropical forests. Parking garage has one kiosk. Wait over an hour to pay parking at end of day. No staff help. Gas fumes giving headache. In SF, why no parking app to pay parking and move on?

Incredible the first time you go, and Thursday nights are fun. But it is not too big and gets old after your 2nd or 3rd visit.

I thought the overall space was a bit small and it had a slight feel of "cram as many exhibits as possible" about it. Every animal enclosure seemed on the small side but they did have about 200 different ones.

It also was very crowded for a Wednesday 11:00. The place was flooded with children. I would not classify this as a peaceful quiet establishment as you will spend your entire time fighting through children to see each animal enclosure.

With all that being said they have a ton of content and it all is pretty interesting. If you don't mind many many children I would recommend going here.

Centrally located in beautiful Golden Gate Park. Packed on most days, but not overwhelmingly so. Substantive exhibits, and a relatiively reasonable admission price (with Ebates cash back, and Groupon). Fun for the whole family is no exaggeration. Spectacular Terrace Cafe. $$$ out of $$$$$. Underground parking lot, or street parking. Wheelchair accessible access. Brail in the elevators. I would recommend Cal Academy of Sciences.

Great place and must see.Plan for a full day and carry some food.Planetarium, Aquarium,Natural history etc must see.There are some shows and get free coupons for them once you are in

What an awesome museum!! So many great exhibits I felt like it had everything you could ask for in terms of natural history, and the planetarium was rad (though get in line early if you want tickets for that!). We were able to use our Discover and Go passes through the Berkeley Public Library to visit for free, anyone who is local should definitely check if their library provides something similar because getting in for free made the experience that much better.

A good outing for the entire family. Something of interest for young and old. Plan on spending at least 2 hours. There's a restaurant inside as well. If you're here on a Sunday, you may be lucky enough to hear live music at the concourse.

One of my favorites museums in the city. The twilight zone is amazing. The planetarium is a must.

Nightlife is super fun! + Alcohol - Kids = great fun to be had!

A less great version of the museum of natural history in NYC for an extremely high price. Go early on a Thursday night for a discounted rate. Also, don t eat at the food court.

We had a wonderful day! Our 8th grade glass from Scotts Valley visited on a stormy day! What a great adventure! Lots to see and do!
Thanks

Night life was a lot of fun. Been twice. I did realize I like the "Underwater Forest" better during the day, with plenty of lighting, compared to the night. Well worth coming for day and night experiences.

This place and the Monterey Bay aquarium are fantastic for kids. Great restaurant too which is especially nice. Grab tickets for the planetarium right away when your get there.

In 2016, I visited for the second time. Although it is more expensive than Japan, it is interesting as a science museum! I came here for the first time in six years, but I enjoyed it. You can understand even if you don't understand the language. The Natural Museum is unfortunate because it was closed for maintenance. We will revenge when we go again. Recommended!

Pretty a good exhibition. Just a way from city center.

Great place for kids of course, its always changing so the keep it fresh. Price is a bit on the high side so get there early and pack a lunch, you'll wanna put on your walking shoes and get the most for you money.

The quality is excellent. It's close to the heart of Golden Gate Park. It's really fun.

If you re a tourist with kids visiting SF then I would suggest this museum as a top choice to experience many different scientific & nature experiences.
Planetarium is one of the largest in the world and must see science-related films that you will experience inside. If you have only a couple hours here, definitely check out Planetarium show first or at least collect the show tickets first (free) as it often runs out.
If you don t have tickets, try waiting at the stand-by queues 10 minutes before the each showtime. Most likely there s room as some ticket holders miss the each showtime and seats open up for folks without tickets.

This place is great and very informative, I inky wish their regular hours were a bit longer.

They don't take American Express!!! Make sure you bring a visa or masterMast

For foreign visiter to save your time, first thing to do after enter is get the planetarium ticket! (It s a blue colour ticket)

I'm a sucker for anything to do with the sciences. Large and many animals to see. Great for anyone to see and an awesome roof which makes me feel like I'm in an episode of Teletubbies. Not... Not that I watch it. >.<

I was here for nightlife, a 21+ event held every Thursday. It's a great place to interact with things and learn about science! I especially enjoyed the Osher Rainforest and aquarium areas!

I love this place! Tons to do! So little time. Usually crowded, but, you always learn something new each time you go there!

nice place to visit. the main attraction is the planetarium. possibilty to have lunch, fast food style in a fair price.

Very interesting tour for those who have a little more days to stroll in San Francisco. For those who have a Big Bus tourist bus ticket, they have a stop there. The place is almost like a "museum" of natural sciences. Both the entrance to CAS and the Big Bus are included in the Go City Pass, which ends up being quite worth it.

It is amazing place for everybody to come on see or explore with there family and friends.

Me and my boyfriend went for first time for night life, lots of fun! Tip: get there as early as you can, there is a lot to do an unfortunately night life is not that long :/

I think the aquarium is very pretty, and the rainforest features a fine collection of reptiles and butterflies, but the planetarium presentations were disappointing. Unlike the Exploratorium, there are few hands-on activities available.

We absolutely enjoyed visiting this museum. My son, age 8, had an absolute blast. He especially loved the walk through the rainforest exhibit. There were so many things to explore. Everywhere we looked while exploring there was something interesting. A great place for families with school-aged kids, especially those interested in animals, the environment, or science in general.

Great fun for all ages!! 100% recommend for anyone who is into science, or is open to learning more about the world around us.

It's definitely worth adding to the "see you" list of places in San Francisco. The ticket fee is quite high, but you can spend the whole day there. The entire exhibition is divided into several topics: planetarium (fantastic presentations - you only need to remember to download a free entry beforehand), earthquakes (you can feel yourself how you feel when you participate in it during a special preface), rain forest, aquarium etc. No communication in Polish.

Pretty incredible place with a natural history museum, planetarium, indoor rainforest, aquarium and so much more in one building. We spent three hours here like it was nothing. Definitely plan on doing the aquarium after the rainforest and the 3rd floor after the planetarium-- the exits flow this way. I'd also suggest eating elsewhere; the cafe is expensive with just okay food. We learned a ton and had a great time.

Very cool place with a beautiful outside. So many things to see and such a big place. I loved the butterflies.

Night at the museum is a great way too experience the museum

This place is so cool. The planetarium is a must see!

I'm child-free, but I still like to visit Cal Academy at least once a year. The Thursday evening "Nightlife" is worth checking out. It's 21+ with ID from 6:00-10:00 pm. There is live music, adult beverages for sale, and various exhibits that you don't see during normal business hours. Outside of this, my favorite feature is the tropical rainforest and butterfly sanctuary!

Loved the whole thing. but if have limited time.. talk to the help desk about how to maximize time utilisation. Example, even if you have tickets and if you want to see planetarium shows you will have to stand in another line to take the passes their cost is included in the tickets but you still have to get the passes because they do run out of seats.

Took the family in June and the admission is a little pricey especially if you have a large family. However, if you have never been it's worth the admission price at least once and as long as you can take advantage of everything they have to offer. My six year old liked the rain forest exhibit and the hands on tide pool in the aquarium. As with most other attractions it's very busy on the weekends. We were there on a Saturday and while there were a lot of people most areas didn't feel too crowded. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot on MLK Drive which meant we didn't have to pay to park. Some of the parking structures are $3-$5/hour so take a look at the street parking first. It will save you some money!

A wonderful place to experience with a child, their facial expressions of curiosity, excitement & an eagerness to learn; priceless!!!

This place is awesome! I love all the interactive exhibits and the variety of presentations. Their aquarium is bomb. Definitely plan going here when visiting the big city!

So fun! Came here with kids, awesome date place and really amazing displays. Got family coming to visit the bay? Superfund place to bring them.

Cool exhibits. WAY too expensive to eat there. But, you can bring your own food. Clean and kept nice overall. Reasonable price admission. Make sure to look for coupons and discounts.

Good for kids but way overpriced! Senior adults were $29, all exhibits were geared for children. Examples: SF shake house that shook to mimic earthquakes, a fog room where you are surrounded by mist. For us, the best was the planetarium show (we fell asleep) and the roof garden (for view). The rainforest had 2 Macaws and butterflies (really . . .two birds is all you can manage?). The aquarium was cool but other than big fish, had none of the really cool ones (no sharks, etc.).

The planetarium requires you to get tickets before the shows, they're free, but you have to get them first. They should tell you that when you walk in the front door. We went to do that part later in the day, waited in line for 20 minutes, only to be turned away when we got to the front of the line and asked for our tickets! We didn't see that experience.

The living roof is a neat idea, but smells of fried food from the kitchen.

Everything else was neat. Arguably as good of aquarium as Monterey Bay.

You can park your car for free on the street for 4 hours, which is about how long it takes to see everything, but we were there 4.5 hours. Garage parking is for about $5/hour or $28 for 24 hours. We parked in the garage unaware of the street parking situation. The parking garage was right underneath the Academy, whereas if you park on the street you will likely have to walk some distance.

Admission was steep, but sustaining independent habitats is not cheap. My kids enjoyed it, but I wouldn't mind going through it more thoroughly with my wife. There was also lots of places to sit, which I liked since my wife is pregnant and I have lower back issues.

We were able to bring food and drink in. There was a restaurant or cafe that we did not purchase from.

All in all, a nice day trip, April 10, 2017

Beautiful creatures, kid and adult friendly. Great for class field trips and family outings. It would take at least 2 days to experience it all well.

Where can I start? Since the first time I came here with my dad, I've loved this place. Now we bring our kids whenever we get a chance. The exhibits are always awesome, there's new stuff happening here, bugs, wildlife, aquarium rivals that of the Monterey bay aquarium. Super cool to see Jehovah's creation. Awesome place to bring the kids, and also just to go I'd you've never been. Great date place!

$20 parking was i little crazy but thats all the negative i have great place kids loved itn

This place is amazing and takes science museums to the next level. There's a rainforest area with the most beautiful butterflies, an amazing aquarium, a planetarium (with fabulous free shows,) an earthquake simulator, an albino alligator and that's just for starters. The building itself is spacious and light, it's a pleasure to navigate. Both the employees and volunteers are so kind, helpful and knowledgeable. Kudos to Bruce who taught us about shark eggs and gave me the low down on albino alligators! There is so much to see and do here, you'll need a full day to do it justice.

Beautiful museum not to be missed. The planetarium is to be done, just like the aquarium. Has a cheap and cheap restaurant service.

GET PLANETARIUM TICKETS & TIMES THE SECOND YOU WALK IN!!

The exhibitions & living roof upstairs are a bit underwhelming but the aquarium & rain forest are beautiful! Unfortunately didn t get to see the planetarium because we weren t aware of the show times.

The Academy as a whole is smaller than the outside leads on to be though. Still, it s great how much the aquarium & rainforest were able to be condensed as it was while being interesting. They also have plenty of educational activities for little children (10 & under).

I especially liked the notes all around about how important these creatures & their habitats are & how we ve impacted them negatively & how to change it. Also liked the guides that were visibly all around to explain things.

Great spot to learn and explore, but at $35 you've got to make a full day of it.

It was a fun and educational way to spend the day. Great for all ages!!

Museum is great for children. Arrangements are very good. Information display and oral explanation are very useful.

Both the aquarium and the planetarium ("Dark Universe") are a must-see.

Great place to spend the day. After CAS walk in the park and get a bite to eat.

There s a lot to see and learn! Loved going through the rainforest among butterflies and birds. It was nice seeing that they promote a plant based diet/reduce meat consumption on your way up in the rainforest. This is to acknowledge that our consumption of animal products does effect our planet in major way. However, seeing this and going to marketplace that they have, they did not even have 1 vegan burger! Needs more plant based options if that s what they were trying to promote.