- planetarium
- rainforest
- thursday night
- butterflies
- DJs
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- AFAR MediaJanuary 22, 2015On a Thursday evening swing by for an evening of "music, creatures and cocktails". Every week they feature live bands or DJs and various events- meanwhile cocktail bars stand ready for your serving. Read more
- Valerie OonSeptember 9, 2017Josh did such an excellent job narrating the structure of the universe prezzo (half hour show at the planetarium). I loved his enthusiasm and humor. The earthquake simulator was a great idea too!
- NightLife at CAS is super popular. Get there early if you want to see the rain forest or planetarium, and buy your tickets in advance if you don’t want to wait in line outside in the fog. Read more
- TroyMarch 14, 2016If you live in or are going to be in the bay area this is a great place to visit. I would go at off peak time to avoid some of the crowd but even so still a great experience.
- Ashley BowlesFebruary 23, 2017Such an amazing museum. Take advantage of the free weekends and try to catch a planetarium show. The 4 story rainforest is amazing too!
- David TibbittsMarch 18, 2015Awesome aquarium and rainforest exhibit. Butterflies run rampant in a realistic biological setting. Took my fiancee and I about 3 and a half hours to get through everything. Worth every penny
- Destynee AutumnApril 4, 2015All the exhibits are good! The cafe is incredibly expensive, I would recommend bringing your own lunch. Also bring money for the parking garage there. Easier than parking on the street!
- Jessie SSeptember 15, 2017Must go to the Thursday night gig! Drink cocktails whilst you roam around the academy learning, seeing glowing fish, play interactive dinosaur games and listen to great dj's. What could be better!
- Vicky OApril 4, 2018Loved this place! A rainforest and an aquarium all in one! Go see the penguin feedings and the albino alligator! The rainforest walk is cool make sure there’s no butterflies on you after!
- Ale TowerFebruary 13, 2017Loved the videos in the planetarium, the greenhouse with live animals and the earthquake simulator. One of the best science museums I've ever visited, in spite of it being far from encyclopaedic.
- Abby CJuly 1, 2015Very interesting. Spent a lot of time in the rainforest (albino alligator etc.) Both planetarium shows are informational too. Not a huge amount of things to do but you can stay busy!
- Sid SinghMarch 8, 2015Brilliantly maintained museum with a massive collection of animals. A beautiful aquarium along with the tropical rainforest tour. End it off by seeing the massive sperm whale skeleton.
- Silvia EdgellApril 5, 2015Way more than I anticipated. The place itself is a work of art. Thumbs up. My fav was the rainforest with all the butterflies and wild birds flying free.
- David RApril 14, 2017Nightlife on Thursday evening is good for dates. Get there early to secure a planetarium pass (free) and walk the rainforest before it closes (7:45pm). Downstairs with the fish is cool.
- Nikhil ChandranJuly 14, 2017The planetarium is world-class. And also try to read as much of the info posted in the exhibits. Very well-written and informative. Plus so many activities for kids and juniors!
- Adena BrenowitzMarch 22, 2019This place is already crowded especially on weekends but if you get there first thing in the AM it's not too bad. Also if you live in SF they do free neighborhood days so look into that to save $$.
- PILAR PRENDESDecember 2, 2016Great place!!! The acuarium is incredible!!!! And they have a adult special evening on thursdays!!! Drinking allowed!!! And a Star Wars night!!! Great great great!!!
- Ahmed SiouaniMarch 3, 2013Take a tour at the Morrison Planetarium and buy a ticket for a digital show :) It's definitely worth it. You can also stay at the Aquarium or walk around the different levels of the Rainforest.
- Eleanor RigbyJuly 10, 2017Perfect place to visit with the kids. That have a lot of activities like the planetarium, the earthquake simulator, roof garden, aquarium, birds area and a white alligator...
- Raed AlSaeedJanuary 6, 2017Worth the ticket price, try to be there early as it will need few hours to cover the whole place!
- Barry JennerApril 4, 2017Seems quite a steep entrance fee but it was well worth it with a plethora of excellent displays and hands on areas. Be prepared to spend more than a couple of hours just wandering.
- Maria DemochkoApril 19, 2013This place is amazing. It combines museum, aquarium, zoo, planetarium :) while visiting you can discover new things and become familiar with very rare butterflies, fish etc. Children are very welcome!
- Hands down my favorite place to visit in the city. The exhibits are amazing, and right now the baby ostriches are so cute! A must see for everyone! My favorite are the penguins though :)
- Aaron DodgeMay 27, 2017So many cool things to see while also sipping on delicious cocktails. Very friendly staff and presenters everywhere. Highly recommend for a no kids, fun experience.
- Juston PayneAugust 17, 2018Buy tickets in advance and arrive before opening. You'll be rewarded with having the aquarium nearly to yourself.
- Wonderful place to learn about nature. Weekends are full of kids. Night life is a whole other crowd. Can't get enough of CalAcademy. Oh yea, I'm a docent there, so this isn't biased at all.
- Suja RamachandranAugust 29, 2012Great tourist spot to check out. Make sure to catch some of the films (Earthquake, and Planets). The cafe is FANTASTIC. Fresh and delicious. Beat the tour buses and get some yellow curry.
- Buy tickets online, print them at home or bring them on your smartphone to save time and possibly money. Be sure to check when Free days are to avoid paying altogether. Or to avoid Free Day.
- Bike parking in front and in the underground garage but bring a hefty lock and know it’s high risk 😬
- Karina LopesDecember 4, 2014The tropical forest inside is simply wonderful. It is very warm but you can find lots is butterflies flying free
- Hanan MalSeptember 12, 2019Awesome museum! The aquarium is amazing! Unfortunately the forest was closed when we visited.
- Kirstie O'DonnellJanuary 15, 2015Planetarium amazing. Spend a day here well worth it. Good food also. When we were there Galapagos was a highlight.
- PeterJuly 22, 2022Arrive early for Nightlife and line up early for the Planetarium show. It can get very crowded. Also wear an N95. It’s Covid city in there
- Tablet HotelsFebruary 26, 2013Renzo Piano designed this green building. While the admission price is a bit steep and it's often crowded, the Rainforest Dome and Water Planet Exhibit are well worth it.
- I've been coming here since I was a small child but still love it in my early 20s. lots to see—give yourself time
- Olena Plaskonis (Spirina)February 6, 2019Amazing place for children and adults!!!! Chose program about stars in Planetarium, you won’t regret it
- OkCupid Daters' ChoiceJuly 13, 2017California Academy of Sciences was voted the Best Intellectual Date Spot by OkCupid users in the first-ever Daters' Choice Awards! Tap Read more for additional date spot categories in San Francisco. Read more
- Ashley MillerMarch 13, 2015Incredible aquarium...incomparable to the Aquarium by the Bay. NightLife is a fun way to see it on Thursday nights. It's 21+ w/ cocktails available all over the museum and special exhibits and themes.
- PleyisJune 21, 2016Excelent planetary experience. Aquarium beautiful! There are discounts for students presenting your credentials, no matter if it is foreign.
- David McGuireMay 5, 2014California tank has great leopard sharks, and the Philippines coral reef tank is not to be missed! Nightlife for singles is the ticket- especially the Sharktober event with Shark Stewards.
- Eric NakagawaSeptember 15, 2019Live in SF and have kids? Get the membership. They’re a 501c3 and you can write off membership fees.
- DailyCandyFebruary 25, 2014Get up close with Amazonian fish, coral reefs, and an albino alligator at this museum of natural science. Don’t miss the Living Roof observation level and the popular, after-hours NightLife series.
- Helio MedeirosApril 9, 2016Really love this place! You should try the earthquake machine :) the cafeteria isn't good at all
- There's free WiFi! Outlets are a bit scarce, but come during the week when there's no freakishly large crowds. My favorite is hanging out in front of the reef tank.
- Déborah RodriguesApril 15, 2018This museum is expensive but totally worth the price. You can interact with butterflies, watch sea creatures swimming, and experience natural disasters.
- Ken BaldwinMarch 31, 2014This is worth going to. they have an amazing biodome and cool aquarium thats integrated into it. I love going here around 420.. hint hahahah
- Hostelling InternationalJune 10, 2011Indoor rainforest, planetarium (don't miss this show, it is amazing) and an aquarium. Located in Golden Gate Park it is near the De Young museum and the flower conservatory, also very worth seeing.
- CollegeFashionistaJanuary 14, 2014Every Thursday night the Academy of Sciences becomes 21+ and there is an open bar along with live music and a DJ! It's a fun, different and surprisingly enough educational night out!