California Academy of Sciences

See an aquarium, a planetarium, a rainforest dome and a natural history museum under one living roof in Golden Gate Park.

55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park · San Francisco, CA

About California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences has been around since 1853 and moved into its current Renzo Piano building in Golden Gate Park in 2008. One ticket covers the Steinhart Aquarium, the Morrison Planetarium, a rainforest inside a 90-foot glass dome and the natural history halls, home to some 60,000 aquarium and rainforest animals. Look for the African penguin colony and Claude, the albino alligator, then go up to the 2.5-acre living roof. Adult tickets are $49, or $55 on peak days, and adults 21 and over can come to NightLife most Thursday evenings.

#science museum
#aquarium
#planetarium
#rainforest
#penguins

What's around here?

The closest stops to California Academy of Sciences, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
de Young Museum
Under $25
Browse American art, textiles and works from Africa and Oceania in a copper-clad museum in Golden Gate Park.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Iconic
Golden Gate Park
No admission fee
Spend a day walking or biking from the museums and gardens near Stanyan Street to the windmills and Ocean Beach at the far west end.
0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Tours
Outdoor Adventure
Ride California
$50+
Guided electric bike tours through scenic California coastal towns on premium pedal-assist e-bikes.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Sightseeing
Iconic
Haight-Ashbury
No admission fee
Stroll past Victorian houses, boutiques and record stores in the San Francisco neighborhood of the 1967 Summer of Love.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
History Buff
Legion of Honor
Under $25
See European art and a cast of Rodin's The Thinker in a copy of a Paris palace on the cliffs of Lincoln Park.
2.2 mi awayMore like this
Museums
Family Favorite
The Walt Disney Family Museum
$25–$50
A museum in San Francisco's Presidio dedicated to the life and work of Walt Disney, with permanent galleries and rotating exhibitions.
Transit: reachable by public transit
2.2 mi awayMore like this