California Academy of Sciences Reviews

Great place to explore the different galleries with your friends and family.

Great place..be sure to go to DeeYoung Museum while in the neighborhood

The Academy of Sciences is a wonderful museum with plenty of diverse and exciting exhibits to visit. I love touching starfish and abalone with my bare hands! Also, they host events during the week like nightlife on Thursdays, where they turn the museum into a dance party. I haven't gone yet but it sounds like fun!

It was a good experience but the pricing was expensive

great place for visiting! great place both for adults and children!

they said there were only two genders, and called me a libtard

Very cool establishment that will unleash your inner geek. Try to visit during a Thursday night for special nightlife events with music and alcohol.

Smart layout. Start with the rainforest and it'll dump you into the aquarium.

This place has great food. Their full size movie theater in the planetarium is very unique and is a must-see.

This is a great little aquarium! Seemed bigger than I expected as we wandered through it, with some fun interactive displays, a touch tank, and great information about the fish being shown. There are also dive shows a couple times a day in one of the big tanks, mostly aimed at kids.

Nice park and building. Impressive aquarium, planetarium, rainforest room and earthquake simulator. Really expensive though at $40 for each adult. Wouldn't recommend if you're without kids as the majority of things seem produced for kids.

All in all it is way too expensive for a family with any normal income to afford this excursion. It is a very nice museum complex with a smallish aquarium, Planetarium, and Natural History museum. But it costs $29.00 just to park your car, and although I assume this is to encourage people to take public transit, that too is WAY to expensive for any normal family to afford. I took one 6-yr-old here. By the time we paid for tickets, lunch, and parking it cost $140.00 just for the two of us. There are many different things to see and do, but honestly I think I would recommend the Monterey Bay Aquarium over this museum complex any day.

I frequent this place for photo shoots and love visiting the planetarium for the show that gets updated about once a month. I have a membership here and it was completely worth it since it was tax deductible, I can bring one guest with me whenever, and the fact that they have member only hours on Sundays and Tuesdays. The aquarium seems to be updated with new content about once a month or every other month. Great place to take my niece when they visit the city. Actually, it's a great place to take any of my friends who are visiting the city.

The Cal Academy of Science is one of the true gems of San Francisco. It is a great rainy day adventure for children of all ages and adults alike.

Probably the best indoor science/aquarium I've been to. So much to see and do. Was amazed on how well kept everything was. Could spend hours in there. Got to experience an earthquake, saw different species of butterflies & fish and saw the penguins. Also had a chance to visit the Skull exhibit which was really cool. I recommend going!

I really enjoyed the aquarium section, it had so many interesting facts about all the different kind of species underwater. I have never seen a live Jellyfish before and today was my first time so that was awesome!!!! I always wanted to visit the Amazon or a Rainforest and I can happily say I got the feeling that I did. I was able to watch just one show today which was called Coral Reef and I have to say it was pretty interesting. It's so fascinating to know that everything small or big has a very important purpose. This place is for everyone and I plan on coming again to finish what I started since I have so much more to explore. Don't miss out on this place, you have to go at least once.

It was a fun experience, but way over priced for what you get!

Really nice place for kids even adult to explore the science

A bit expensive but worth to see it,especially the planetarium

Lots to see and do for adults and children alike. The rainforest exhibit is extraordinary

Can't say I've been here during the daylight hours, but every Thursday evening they open the doors for "Nightlife". 21 and up, drinks, activities, how to classes, etc. It's really fun to go as a group or great for a date night. Tickets are only $12 and if you keep an eye out, they have great performances here...I saw Of Monsters and Men here!

Loved this museum. My family had a great time. There was plenty to keep my 2 year old interested and happy.

Best place to visit with kids in all SF probably. There are a ton of things they can see and do.

Definitely a magical place to visit with kids. Lots of interactive activities. There are also lots of staff members if you have any questions. Wonderful exhibits and moderate temperature throughout. I disliked the parking situation. You had to fight for public and paying parking. Recommend packing in lunches and snacks. The cafeteria is robbery and always busy. Panic expense food hungry choices (that's how you'll feel). I'd go back but not on a Saturday.

This is my favorite place to see different sea life and amazing creatures!

I went here for the first time for the Thursday's night life event. It was so beautiful to see the aquarium at night. They have weekly night life events with different themes. Some of the popular events were the Star Wars and Jurassic Park theme.

I think this is the best mesuem in bay area....a lot of cool stuff here. Rain Forest park inside is very cool. They also have good half dome theater.

Since its opening a few years back it never stops to amaze me. This is the best and coolest building in the city. Inside is super cool, great exhibits, the Philippines' coral reef is spectacular, so many fish and species to admire! Very cool store and things to learn. Even the cafeteria has a great menu. Staff is fantastic. I wish I could go there every day!

Cool spot, but go when there is nobody around or if you have small children. I'm single and in my twenties and it felt like a glorified day care when I went. Very distracting and hard to really enjoy myself.

Great experience with the after dark. The bands were amazing and the exhibits were fantastic. Definitely would go back again.

Nice museum but not worth it for the cost of an adult admission. Tickets cost 35 each and the museum, while nice, didn't feature much that one could not find at similar museums at a cheaper price.

The building is impressive and thought the inclusion of the rain forest and aquarium would make up the cost of admission, but both were rather underwhelming compared to dedicated aquariums. There were not many exhibits beyond the two and the planetarium, which we didn't have time to check out.

The earthquake exhibit was a nice touch and was unique to the city. As someone from the east coast I had always been curious about the intensity of an actual earthquake and the exhibit helped make that connection.

As with many museums in the area they took pictures in front of a green screen and charged an exorbitant amount to get a copy physically or digitally considering the cost of admission.

In the acadamy of science it is awsome . you can explore everything you need to know about the world. also you can meet some animals and learn about them too.

I had a great time today (Free admission day) at the Academy. We got there at 9:37 am and the line was extremely long (probably because it was free), waited 1:30 hours to get in at 11 am. It wasn't too bad. Even though so many people tried to cut lines (Yes, I'm talking about you! You should feel ashamed of yourself!)

There's enough free parking on the street (all day) during the weekend as long as you are willing to walk a little.

The academy overall is not that big. I just lovee the aquarium with so many different kinds of fish!!! They are so pretty! I can't stress it enough. They are prettier than Monterey Bay's to me. The only thing I would come back for.

The rest are more educational for children. It is a good source of science education for kids but not really for adults if you have science background, so it was sort of boring to me.

- The albino alligator: I was kinda expecting them to feed Claude for us to see but I guess they wouldn't do it in front of kids. Don't waste your time waiting for the show, you will just be looking at an albino alligator that moves once every half an hour - his nature anyways. The show basically tells you background info on albino animal in general (again, basic biology).

- The naturalist: it was pretty cool. If you see something cool in their showroom (locked behind glass door), you can ask them to open and you can touch and talk to them about anything in there. I had a great time talking about elements with them (guess what kind of scientist am I?!).

- Planetarium: The chair was too comfortable and it was the end of my long day, I slept through it. But to be honest, it's similar to the Tech Museum show.

Shout out to the awesome staffs tho. I admire their commitment and dedication to teaching science to kids. The staffs tirelessly worked but always have a smile on their faces! You are the real MVPs! I enjoy seeing these young aspiring scientists (aka kids) and can't wait to see what they will bring to the scientific community.

My family and I have enjoyed the California Academy of Sciences so much that we've joined - so we may learn even more fascinating facts about our world and some of the science that behind new hypotheses.

Interesting, informative, beautiful, but the exposure could be better for this price.

The exhibits in the California Academy of Sciences are really fun and lively. You could easily spend 4-5 hours there if you are intrigued by science and live animals. The place itself is kept very tidy and the staff are nice as well. So, overall, it is a lovely place to spend some time and learn a little about science.

Wonderful facility that includes multiple exhibits and experiences. I took a tour of the rain forest, aquarium and planetarium while I was there. Exhibits are well maintained, interactive and informative. The rain forest is particularly well done as you wind your way up into the canopy and then descend under water into the sunken forest floor. We also had a great guide in the planetarium (aaron) who took us on a wonderful trip exploring the universe. Highly recommended.

I was extremely disappointed in the California Academy of Sciences. I would not recommend it to my friends or family traveling to this area.

Not only was it the most expensive destination on my trip along the California coast line; it was also the largest waste of my time. I found the parking a major hassle at Golden Gate park - get there early! - if I make it to San Francisco again I fully intend to leave my vehicle at home!

One adult admission here is $24.95. I would hope that with an admission price that high and the large amount of people this destination attracts that they could have possibly built more educational and in-depth exhibits. I found myself continually amazed at how small the size of the tanks seemed to be in relation to their contents and also the lack of information available for the exhibits and species within. I also was disappointed in the size of the line-ups for the rain forest and video presentations. This place seems to be quite unorganized and the staff was also not informative especially in comparison to those at other places I traveled to such as the Conservatory of Flowers and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Regardless, I left feeling that I had wasted my time and money which could have been put to a greater use elsewhere in the park.

If you feel you must go here I highly recommend bringing your AAA card for a discount, going early in the morning and certainly to avoid the weekends.

RECOMMENDATION: I think that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a much better value for your time and money. Why? The location is beautiful, the quality and quantity of the exhibits are fantastic, it's a great and fun place for kids and lastly I found it to be extremely educational and informative! While the admission is higher there are also some really good deals in the membership section that are worth it even if you and your party are only going once.

The rainforest and the aquarium were great exhibits and were worth the trip on their own.

We did Thursday nightlife. It was a really fun group experience with experiments, beverages, and exhibits.

This is a wonderful place for children and adults! The exhibits are well done and the staff is exceptionally helpful!

Aquarium, natural history museum, rain forest and more all for 1 admission. It's a blast every time

Every exhibit is amazing and there is plenty to do for kids all ages and it is fun for adults as well. The aquarium is amazing and rainforest is really cool.

Everything is nice, but the security is crap the sicuiry a garbage they robbed me my racing bike was the ranger in front in the corner and no asshole iso nothing are blessed with the thugs report to the police and neither, be careful with their cars ayii Oh, many thugs

Closer to the Natural History Museum. Was there science related ?? . Parked on the roadside on weekends.

I enjoy this place but it's very expensive overall and they don't change things enough. They always make a big deal out of new exhibits but some of them have fallen short of expectations.

Unless you go here all the time, the one hour average nowhere near enough. We spent the whole day.

Very interesting items on display and phantastic experience in planetarium

Thursday nights are the best! My friends and I had an amazing time and there is so much to do. (21 and up)

Always great to visit. The planetarium show is one of my favorites along with seasonal mineral exhibition or special cultural exhibition.

My son loves this place. It's our 2nd year membership and he is two now. Lots of things to see in a very elaborated presentation. It's like being Jacques Cousteau w/o a ship.

The California Academy of Sciences 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. The Academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research. It is California's oldest museum. Now that I ve given you the history of the museum, let me tell you why it s one of my favorite places to visit in the city. The California Academy of Sciences is located in largest park in the city, Golden Gate Park. The Academy is in the upper northwest area of the park, next to the De Young Museum and Music Concourse. There is ample parking in and around the park but also a parking garage that patrons can use. The Academy of Sciences is a great place for family, friends, and children especially. There are several amazing exhibits to visit once inside the Academy like
the African Penguin Colony, Osher Rainforest, The Swamp, California Coast, Philippine Coral Reef, and Steinhart Aquarium. The Academy is entertaining, informational, family friendly, and affordable. There are also FREE museum days for San Franciso residents. This is definitely worth checking out!

You do not have to love science to fall in love with this place. I have been here for both academic and personal reasons. It is an absolute blast for children and families. Highly recommend to everyone.

One of the shining stars of San Francisco. Love this place!

It is a superb museum which is hugely big. You can easily spend a half day or a day if you are accompanied by children. There will be something for everyone, big and small: exhibitions, rain forest, dinosaur skeleton, planetarium, aquarium, etc. There are many things to learn about seismic activity in general and more specifically about san francisco which is a risk area.

If you are passing through San Francisco, this is a step not to be missed.

N.B.: the weekend it is better to buy his ticket cut line online because there is a lot of affluence and the wait can be very long.

I wouldn't come here if I had learned more about it. Under the misleading name of science museum, it is more of a combination of natural history museum and aquarium. However, for these two kinds of things, there are much much better ones elsewhere.

Exploratorium is THE science museum I would really like to see. And it's in the same city. I regret sounding like an ad, but I deeply regret not hearing about it before I came.

White guy is trying to poison my ice cream.He is sick.I should file the case in the court.

Our kids loved this place, staff was great, features are incredible and educational. Must see if visiting SF. Fodd was decent but expensive, bring your own snacks of you remember

Out of all the museums I have been to over the years, this is definitely one of my favorites! I guess it helps that I have been there twice for free, but even though I have been several times, it seems that there is always something new to see. The rainforest exhibit is amazing; you go up a spiral walkway through each level of the forest and can observe the different types of trees, butterflies, lizards, birds, and even spiders (which were not in a glass case, by the way). The museum also has live penguins and an amazing eco-friendly roof which is covered with living plants and exotic flowers. If you are in San Francisco and want to have a relaxing, yet educational day, check out the California Academy of Sciences!

The Academy of Science is one of the more fun, interactive and exciting museums around. The architecture (Renzo Piano) is beautiful, the rooftop garden is one of a kind and the aquarium is an unbelievable experience. The museum is great any day but the Thursday Night Life events (21+) are my favorite. Food, cocktails and music throughout while getting to learn about some amazing scientific topics. A must-see in San Francisco.

Good if you are travelling with kids. The 3 "I"s. Interactive. Interesting. Informative. Exhibits included the planetarium, the African animals, walk-in rainforest (with butterflies, frogs, snakes, macaws, etc), aquarium (eels, giant turtles, penguins, jellyfishes, seahorses, sea dragons. Check out the albino alligator too. Visited the pterosaurs special exhibition too teaching us about flight of these great creatures.

Excellent place to bring your kids. Great aquarium. Try and catch the divers dive in the aquarium.

Absolutely NOT worth the $55 per ticket I paid. My wife and I spent an hour or two walking around being consistently underwhelmed by the exhibits. Honestly had we realized sooner that we weren't going to encounter anything worthwhile we would have attempted to get our money back.

I'm a huge fan of science museums and can't get over feeling like I could've spent $100 on something with far more value. This was a $20 per person experience.

This was my favorite place to visit in the Bay Area. I've visited the Bay area maybe 15 times now? That says something right.

Fun and relaxing, take the family or even a date night, they have it all!

Although it's a tad pricy, it's well worth the experience. The exhibits are diverse and interactive. We spent the entire day here. It's well worth the money to buy the season pass and go as many times as you want to. You have a fast pass entrance and get in earlier than day use visitors. My favorite part was the stingrays and butterfly exhibits.

Some nice exhibits, a little dated. Ticket is a little pricey for what you get but if you're into science it's a must visit.

Great spot for the family, but also for adults. My first time here was for one of the Academy of Sciences After Dark events, where it's adults-only and they sell alcohol inside. It makes it fun to go after work with coworkers or friends. We went as a group for a team bonding event. There's quite a bit to see and the tickets were only $15.

While it's no Exploratorium, it is a really cool building with a lot of stuff. A membership is a must for people with kids in SF.

Maybe for Americans who saw nothing and awesome))) But for people from the post-Soviet space, and even more so those who visited similar museums in Europe, there s nothing to do here. My daughter went with her class on a field trip, and only this made we ll go too. I ll say right away, I m sorry for the money spent on tickets. Of course, the weekend s route will come down, but don t expect anything from the big name Academy of Sciences, which we bought))

The museum is fantastic! The Rain Forest is an exhibit that I will never tire of. One bone of contention though. As a professional Philatelist who stocks stamps featuring African Penguins, Wild Cars, Parrots and other exotic birds, Elephants, Rhinoceros, etc., in sufficient quantities to sustain sales for a large city's Natural History Museum and I live 10 minutes from the museum, I thought it was a perfect fit. I brought some samples into the Gift Shop and the manager on duty was extremely excited that I was bringing into them a much requested sales item. She gave me the name, number of the person who does the ordering for the museum and website of the company that supplies them. The later was the drawback as I must convince the conglomerate that supplies Museum Gift Shops throughout the United States. This is why most Museums have the same mass produced items for sale in their gift shops.

Needless to say, despite my spending considerable time putting together an email with a few dozen photographs, there was never a reply. I will try again this fall before the holidays, although I fear that it is too late in the year to add a new product line.

A great museum with a white alligator! I have been several times on my own and for different events. My company rented it out for our holiday party and it was fabulous getting dressed up dancing and drinking while browsing the exhibits. I also attended once on Thursday night for their nightlife event which essentially is a party with drinks and djs. Most people came in small groups or couples so I recommend coming with friends and not really the best grounds for meeting new people.