Membership
Explore the fastest above and below water at our newest exhibit, Built for Speed.
Support our mission — join today!
Join us today and enjoy exclusive special members’ savings, programs, offers and events.
Thank you for your membership support and helping to fulfill our mission to explore, explain, and sustain life.
Members Benefits
All Members enjoy a full year of benefits, including:
- Free unlimited daily admission
- Members-only hours: Sun. 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Tues. 8:30 am - 9:30 am
- Members-only entrance
- Personalized member card
- Planetarium shows and passes for members only
- Invitations to members-only events and exhibit previews
- Members-only Penguin Feedings and Family Nature Crafts
- Free admission to Pritzker Lectures
- 10% savings on dining at Academy Cafe and the Moss Room
- Up to 20% savings on special lectures, Academy tours, Penguins+Pajamas
and NightLife - Subscription to Academy Member eNews
Membership Plans
For one cardholder and a guest
For two cardholders and your children/grandchildren
For two cardholders, your children/grandchildren, plus two additional guests
For two cardholders, your children/grandchildren, plus two additional guests
Explorers $1,000+
Interested in higher levels of giving? By joining the Friends of the Academy, you have the opportunity to inspire explorers of all ages, get closer to the scientists and their discoveries, and become a leader in a community of lifelong learners. The deeper your engagement, the closer you get – and the bigger your impact.
For information on giving at $1,000 or above, please explore the Friends of the Academy.
Discounted Memberships
Teacher $79
Share the wonder!
Give the gift that keeps on giving. Share the wonder of the Academy with your friends and family with a gift membership that lasts all year long.
Thank you for supporting an institution dedicated to exploring, explaining, and sustaining life.
Membership Benefits Include:
- Unlimited free admission
- Members-only hours: Sundays from 10:00 - 11:00 am and Tuesdays
from 8:30 - 9:30 am - Members-only entrance and help desk
- Member- only Planetarium shows and passes
- Members-only Penguin Feedings and Family Nature Crafts
- Invitations to member-only events and exhibit previews
- Free admission to Pritzker Lectures
- Up to 20% savings on special lectures, Academy tours, Penguins+Pajamas
and NightLife - Subscription to Academy Member eNews
- Personalized member card
Member Programs
Orca Lab
Sundays, 10 am - 11 am, Piazza, Members only
Sundays, 11 am - 5pm, Piazza, General Admission
Tuesdays, 9 am - 9:30 am, Piazza, Members only
Tuesdays, 9: 30 am - 5 pm, Piazza, General Admission
In November 2011, a deceased 18-foot-long juvenile orca washed ashore at Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California. The skeleton was retrieved and transported to the Academy for future scientific study. During the first few weeks of Built for Speed, visitors will be able to watch as Academy staff and volunteers carefully assemble the skeleton. The completed skeleton will be on view for the duration of the exhibit.
Fin-tastic Fish
Sundays, 10:15 am, Piazza
Fish are the ultimate swimmers, but how do they do it? Explore the fascinating physical adaptations that allow fish to swim and survive. Get up and moving to experience what it would feel like to have fins, and learn how fish use their bodies to move in different ways in diverse habitats.
Tour of the Night Sky - Summer Edition
Tuesdays, 9:30 am, Planetarium
Sundays, 10:30 am, Planetarium
Explore the stars and the skies of the season beaming over San Francisco.
Reserved member passes are also available for all other Planetarium shows.
Penguin Feeding
Sundays, 10:30 am, Tusher African Hall
Watch the birds dip and dive in their tank at the end of African Hall as a biologist dons a wet suit and hands out vitamin-stuffed herring and capelin.
Family Nature Crafts
Sundays, 10:00 am, Swamp (ages 5 and up)
May 26: Wiggly Sea Jelly
Make your very own sea jelly, and then go visit the real jellies swimming in our aquarium.
June 2: Free Sunday
Family Nature Crafts will not be offered.
Pritzker Lecture
“Conservation & Management of African Elephants”
Wednesday, June 12, 7:00pm, Tusher African Hall
Speaker: Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Founding Director of Save The Elephants
Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s groundbreaking study of elephant behavior in Tanzania in the 1960’s has paved the way for elephant research and conservation today. Since Save the Elephants (STE) was founded in 1993, its programs have expanded across the African continent to protect and study elephants in varying ecosystems, from the desert regions of Mali, to the forests of Gabon and Congo, to the savannahs of South Africa. Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton applies cutting-edge research to the implementation of lasting conservation solutions. Through the use of GPS collars, STE researchers are able to receive live information on the movement of individual elephants. This tracking data gives researchers valuable clues as to elephant motivation. It helps Hamilton understand why elephants leave protected areas, where they go, and why they sometimes raid people’s crops. This information is used to develop wise land-use plans that establish protected corridors for elephants and minimize conflict with surrounding communities. Save the Elephants is the leader in the pursuit of high-tech conservation solutions which are combined with grassroots knowledge to secure a future for Africa's elephants. It leverages technology to help people understand how they can live together with the wildlife of the land.
Special Access for Members
Early Explorers Cove (ages 0 to 5 and adult friends)
Sundays, 10:00 - 11:00 am
Tuesdays, 8:30 - 9:30 am
Enjoy members-only hours in the cove with your little ones. Enjoy the garden shed, infant tide pool, farmer’s market, coral reef and more!
Touch Tidepool
Sundays, 10:00 - 11:00 am, Steinhart Aquarium
Explore our Touch Tidepool during members’ hour and shake hands with a sea star and other friendly creatures. Our docents will supply plenty of information and allow you to handle the animals too!
Naturalist Center
Sundays, 10:00 - 11:00 am, Level 3
Enjoy members’ hour up in our Naturalist Center and examine a wide variety of specimens, engage in a range of activities, conduct research, ask questions and connect with staff members.
Rainforest of the World
Sundays, 10:00 - 11:00 am, Main floor
Step inside a living 4-story rainforest during members’ hour. Meet chameleons from Madagascar, climb into the tree-tops of Costa Rica to find free-flying birds and butterflies. Finally, descend in a glass elevator into the Amazonian flooded forest, where an acrylic tunnel allows you to walk beneath the catfish and arapaima that swim overhead.
Member Savings
Academy members receive up to 20% off on the following:
- Behind-the-Scenes Tours, $19.95 for members
- Lectures & Photography Workshops, special member pricing varies
- Nightlife, $10 for members
- Academy Sleepovers, $79 for members
- Shopping, 10% savings for members
- Dining, 10% savings for members
Want to know about other programs and events? Visit the events page for details
Join, Renew or Gift |
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Download Application here [130k]
(800) 794-7576
(415) 379-5730 (fax)
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
Members-only Hours |
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Sundays: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Tuesdays: 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Share the Academy experience with friends and family. You are welcome to bring your guest(s) and purchase additional tickets as necessary during members-only hours.
Thank You |
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Built for Speed is generously supported by:
- Lakeside Foundation
- The Bernard Osher Foundation
- Wendy and Eric Schmidt
The California Academy of Sciences is the Official Education Partner of ORACLE TEAM USA.
Frequently Asked |
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Question: Can I buy a gift membership?
Question: Can I apply ticket purchases toward a conversion to a Membership plan?
Question: Is the members only line always available?
Question: Do I need to present my membership card for my free admission?
Question: Does the Academy offer reciprocal members’ admission at other institutions or participate in the Association of Science-Technology Centers Passport Program?
Question: What happens if I lose my Membership card?
Question: Does the Academy participate in a matching gift program?
Friend Testimonials |
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Lauren Hall
Friend of the Academy and Friends Steering Committee member
“I have always been fascinated by infectious disease: everything from prions and viruses to protozoans and worms. Everyone in my family is mad for science, and we always take friends and family to the Academy when they visit. Whether it's Steinhart Aquarium, a Planetarium show, or a lecture on stem cells, there's something to interest everyone. We support the Academy knowing that our gift supports scientific research, exploration and education”
Lucy Bowen Taylor
Friend of the Academy and Friends Steering Committee member
“The Academy has been a wonderful resource for my family when we're looking to do something that is fun, inspiring, and expands the way we see our world. There's no better way to learn than by doing, and our whole family has loved things like shaking in an earthquake, seeing an alligator up close, or powering a light bulb from a piece of fruit. The warm and friendly staff engage our kids so that they learn without realizing they are being taught”
Summer Tompkins Walker
Friends Steering Committee member and Friend of the Academy
“At age 11 I had my first BIG encounter with the wildness of the ocean. I was moved deeply by the intensity of its unique ecosystem rich in diversity of sea life and its complex underworld. It left me wanting to make sure that we never let such dynamic ecosystems be put in jeopardy. The diversity and wildness of life is truly captivating to me and I hope to protect as much of what is left for my children and future generations.”
Laura and Mike Patnode
Friends of the Academy
“The Academy presents long-term value by increasing our investment in science and education and helping form the sort of world we want our children to grow up in. We need to make sure our children have the skills they need to solve problems, and the biggest thing is to educate children about science. We take every opportunity to talk about the Academy with friends and family —I feel good being associated with such a wonderful place and doing my part to promote it.”
Martha Kropf
Former Docent, Honorary Trustee, and Friend of the Academy
“I’m passionate about informal science education, grounded in the research and science of the Academy. Science and engagement — that’s what the Academy is all about.”
Joann Franklin-Knox
Academy Docent and Ten-Year Member of Friends of the Academy
“What is so worthwhile about the Friends is reaching out to the community and inspiring and informing them of what we are all about. As they begin to understand the remarkable work the Academy is doing, they become supportive as well. It’s an extended community.”
Donor Bill of Rights |
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The Academy adheres to the national Donor Bill of Rights, promulgated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Donor Bill of Rights [33k]
