California Academy of Sciences

Definitely worth the admission price. We paid around $49 per person, and it was absolutely worth it. We spent several hours here and never got bored. There’s so much to see under one roof—from the impressive aquarium and the four-story rainforest with free-flying butterflies and birds to the penguins, reptiles, and fascinating natural history exhibits. Everything is well maintained, interactive, and suitable for both adults and kids. If you’re visiting San Francisco, I’d highly recommend setting aside at least half a day for this place. It was one of our favorite attractions in the city and well worth the ticket price.

We are on vacation and my son enjoys science places. After the Exploratorium, he started looking at other places on our GoCity passes. He decided on the California Academy of Science. This place is really incredible. It is surrounded by gardens and has an underground parking garage. Inside there is a rain forest, an aquarium, with an African exhibit, Vivid and so much more. We were there for three hours and did not have a chance to experience everything. Unfortunately, there was a private event after closing, so we were not able to drag out our visit. When you decide to visit, be sure to plan on being here for half a day at least. The butterflies are truly amazing to behold as well as the mineral exhibit and the cross section of the giant redwood tree. They also have some fun characters hidden in plain site, which I did not catch on to right away. Come by and have fun while learning something new.

Excellent museum. Relaxing and informational. Beautiful aquarium and tropical Forest with birds and butterflies in a 4 level dome enclosure. Small gem and mineral area was interesting. They have live penguins which were cute and also watched a show at the planetarium which is included in the day ticket price. Cute roof garden reminded me of Teletubbies!We covered the entire museum in 3 and a half hours at a leisurely pace.

One of the things I love most about San Francisco is its sheer diversity. From the stunning architecture to the hubs of scientific exploration, this city has it all. Right next to the de Young Museum sits the California Academy of Sciences, a place that holds so much nostalgia for me. Growing up, coming to San Francisco meant exploring their dinosaur exhibits and seeing the zebras. As I got older, I discovered their NightLife events. Being able to experience the entire museum as an adult at night brought back those incredible childhood memories while giving the space a completely new and exciting energy. Now as a professional wedding photographer and videographer, it is an absolute dream to showcase the weddings we capture here. We recently documented a truly remarkable day filled with fun, excitement, and a very intentional high end feel. Having the opportunity to capture beautiful images in such diverse environments all within one building is incredible. We were able to shoot stunning portraits right next to Claude the historic albino alligator and capture beautiful silhouettes in front of the zebras. The venue allows couples to blend a wildly fun experience with a truly luxurious aesthetic. This was easily one of the most memorable weddings I have ever filmed, completely topped off when Peaches Christ arrived for a surprise drag performance. If you are planning to get married nearby, I highly recommend hosting your outdoor ceremony at the Shakespeare Garden just a few steps away. Whether you are bringing your family for a daytime visit, signing up to check out the nightlife, or planning an epic wedding, the California Academy of Sciences is simply a phenomenal place to be!

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco This is such a great place for all ages, young and old! There are so much to see and learn! From live butterflies, jellyfishes to cute, funny penguins. 🦋🪼🐧 The Rainforests of the World is humid and gets pretty hot easily. The beautiful blue butterflies flies around and be careful where you are walking, there are live roaches in there too! 😂🦋🪳 The planetarium is great to watch documentaries and any of their showings. There's two gift shops, one in the front of the museum and one in the back, behind the planetarium. 🛍️ There are large aquariums here, so much marine life to learn and see. The enclosure where Claude lived looked so empty. He will be missed. The restaurant is great also, there are indoor and outdoor seatings. The Rooftop has a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Park and the surrounding museums but can be very windy! ✨ As of April, 2026. For those with Calfresh/ SNAP/ EBT, individual prices are $5 each person (limited 4 and must purchase in- person/ no online) and $49 for Family Membership. With Family Membership, you also get 10% off at the gift shops and at the restaurants. I love coming here and will continue to come back!

A must-see SF destination for all ages (and I genuinely mean "all ages," I visit often as a grown adult). A ginormous, absolutely stunning museum with a wealth of cool science facts and beautifully mounted animal/plant specimens. Always very busy and a bit on the pricey side for tickets, but it's 1000% worth it. If you're neurodivergent and struggle with noise and/or crowds, the small library in the Wilson Family Nature Lab is a good, relatively low-stimulation spot to decompress. Highly recommend the additional VIP tour if you or your kids are big on biology/STEM, aren't squeamish about preserved biological specimens, and want a taste of how the Academy functions behind the scenes as a legitimate scientific research institution.

This was one of the best museums I have gone to. My family and I truly enjoyed the time we spent there. You can most certainly expect to spend a full day in the museum just wondering around. The price of the tickets might seem a little overpriced, however, as soon as you decide to head out from there - you'll realize that it was worth it! The place has several decent food restaurants and you can expect to dine in and enjoy high quality food. One of the main attractions is the Planetarium (an analog version of Las Vegas Sphere) which features interesting short 30 minutes documentaries. Very recommended.

All staff were great! Very helpful and willing to recommend activities. Got there late but we were able to cram a little of everything in since a staff said what route to take she was great! Wish I knew her name but we walked through the butterfly dome, aquarium, the SF earthquake simulation (thanks to the gentleman from gift shop recommendation) and a few walk through areas, then ended at the teletubby roof dome where another staff offered to take our photo and she didn't rush us out, was so kind. It was awesome!!