| S.F. Bay Area
San Francisco Attractions
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate
Park
— Opened September 27, 2008

55 Music Concourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
California Academy of Sciences
— a "Green" Museum
- Aquarium
/ Amazon Forest
- African Hall / Penguins
- Living Roof / Observation
Terrace
- Planetarium
- Rainforest / Birds &
Butterflies
- Restaurants - Piazza, Cafe,
Moss Room
- The Swamp / White Alligator
- Nightlife at the Academy
(Experience the museum at night
Febrary 12-October 29, 2009)
WOW! What an amazing
musuem — the
pictures just don't do it justice. It's the most open museum
we've ever visited. Looking up at the domed ceiling and circular
skylights gave us the feeling
of
being
inside a giant spaceship (see pictures below).


Golden Gate Park's
NEW innovatively designed California Academy of Sciences re-opened
on September 27, 2008 — after a three-year renovation. It
is one of San Francisco's
most spectacular — and "greenest" buildings.
One-of-a-Kind
The Academy is the only place in the world that houses one
of the world’s largest Planetariums, an Aquarium and Coral Reef, a Natural
History Museum, and a glass-domed Rainforest — all under the same roof.
The long multi-story rectangular
structure features a central open Piazza with two enormous glass
domes on either side (one houses a Rainforest, the other a Planetarium),
and 2.5-acres of "green" space on the Living Roof that
sits atop the structure.
The Academy's open, airy galleries
are filled with light and life — it's quite spectacular!


There's a lot to see here, so
pace yourself — plan on spending the whole day if you want
to see everything.
General Admission
Admission includes access to all Museum and Aquarium Exhibits, the Rainforest,
the Living Roof, Planetarium Shows and daily regularly scheduled events.
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The newly designed Academy is
quite a departure from the original museum. However, The
Swamp returns as one of the Academy's most popular
exhibits. Ditto African
Hall — another favorite venue from the original museum.
One thing that didn't return to this Academy was the famous "two-headed
snake" from years ago — do you San Francisco Natives
remember it?
Academy Piazza
You can't miss the huge open Piazza — it
dominates the space located just inside the Academy's main entrance.
This is a fun place to stop and rest your weary feet, grab a drink
and a snack — great people-watching too!
Academy Restaurants
Over 1.7 million plants on the Academy's
new Living Roof provide ingredients for its two restaurants — The
Moss Room and Academy
Café. Both eateries feature
famed chefs Charles
Phan (Slanted Door) and Loretta Keller (Coco500).

Host Special Events
415-379-5497
Host a VIP Reception, Corporate Event or Private Party at the California
Academy of Sciences — a unique venue
sure to make any event a memorable one.

Earth's Evolution
— "Islands of Evolution"
Academy exhibits include "Islands of Evolution" — Earth's history
and its future.

Foucault Pendulum
The Foucault Pendulum is named after the French physicist, Léon
Foucault. The swinging
sphere proves that the Earth rotates. The force of gravity keeps the
ball swinging
back
and
forth. As the Earth rotates the pins come into contact with the constant
arc of the bob and are knocked over.
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Academy Hours
Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm
Sun 11am-5pm
Closed Thanksgiving
and Christmas Day
Free Wednesdays
Enjoy - Free
General Admission to the Academy on the third Wednesday of every month.


Nightlife at the Academy
Feb 12-Oct 29, 2009
Thursday 6-10pm
Every Thursday, after the Academy closes, the museum will
feature "Nightlife" — a
weekly evening event blending cutting-edge science, music, cocktails and food
in
a
unique
museum setting. Visitors will get a chance to mingle, explore
the museum at night and interact with scientists and other experts.
Activities
will
vary week-to-week, and will include stargazing,
science cafes, informal talks by scientists, opportunities to meet aquarium
animals... and more!
Food & cocktails available for purchase. $10 per person ($8 for Academy members).
Adults 18 and over.
More Info
California
Academy of Sciences
CultureBus
Explore SF Arts & Culture
CultureBus provides residents and visitors with a new
eco-friendly transportation alternative to and between San Francisco's popular
Museums and Cultural attractions.
A CultureBus ticket is good for unlimited
travel between the Asian
Art Museum,
the California
Academy
of
Sciences, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 
The yellow Culture Bus runs daily,
8:40am-5:50pm.
No service on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year's Day.
SF
CultureBus
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Rainforests of the World
— Magical Setting
The magnificent Rainforest is one of the Academy's highlights
— it's our favorite area of the musuem.

Get
an up-close view of animals and plants from the rainforests of Borneo,
Costa Rica and Madagascar — the Rainforest is filled
with more than 40 species of free-flying birds and beautiful multi-colored
butterflies.

You may want to start your
museum visit here — it's very popular. Expect to
wait in line during peak times.
More
Info and Pictures of the Rainforest, Animals, Birds and Butterflies
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Aquarium / Coral
Reef / Amazon-Flooded Forest
The Aquarium is located below ground level — one
level down from the Academy's main floor.
Visit the amazing underwater Amazon-flooded
Forest and walk under the "Tunnel of Fish," check out the
beautiful Coral Reef (the biggest in the nation and the deepest in
the world) and Water Planet — see
thousands of exotic fish, small sharks,
a giant octopus, jellyfish,
anacondas, giant
catfish, piranhas, electric eels, spotted stingrays ... and
more!

More
Info and Pictures of the Aquarium, Coral Reef, Amazon-Flooded Forest
and "Tunnel of Fish"

The Living Roof
and
Open-Air
Observation Terrace
This unique 2.5-acre "green" Living
Roof and Open-Air Observation Terrace is located on the Academy's top level. The rooftop provides
a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including birds
and butterflies — and serves as an exhibit on environmental
sustainability and biodiversity.
More Info
and Pictures of the Living Roof and Open-Air Observation Terrace
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The Swamp
— Rare White Alligator
See a beautiful rare White Alligator and
a variety of swamp creatures at the Academy's Swamp, located on
the lower level.
Morrison Planetarium
Get a unique wrap-around
visual experience of outer space inside the Morrison
Planetarium — one of the world's
largest planetariums.

Natural
History Museum
— African Hall
— Naturalist Center
— Special Exhibitions
The Natural History Museum includes the African
Hall (don't miss the Penguins),
Special Changing Exhibitions, and the Naturalist
Center on Level 3. Enjoy fantastic
Academy views from the third floor walkway looking down at the
Piazza, Planetarium and Coral
Reef.

Tusher African Center
(African Hall)
African Hall, a favorite
venue from the original museum, features recreations of animals
in their
natural
settings — 21 African dioramas showcase zebras, gorillas,
lions, and leopards.

South African Penguin Colony
—
Penguin
Feedings Daily
Walk to the far end of African Hall to see the
colony of South African Penguins. More Info and Pics of
South African Penguins
and Penguin Feedings
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CA Academy of Sciences page
Aquarium
/ Amazon Forest
African
Hall / Penguins
Living
Roof /Observation Deck
Planetarium
Rainforest
Restaurants
The
Swamp / White Alligator
Back to SF Museums page
Back to main Golden Gate Park
pg
More Info
California
Academy of Sciences
415-379-8000
Tour Group Info
415-379-5210

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