Welcome to the Academy – the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof. It’s a stunning architectural achievement with hundreds of unique exhibits and nearly 40,000 live animals.
General Admission
Admission to the California Academy of Sciences includes access to all museum and aquarium exhibits, including the rainforest, the planetarium, the living roof, and the 3D theater. It also includes entry to a wide range of daily programs and activities, including dive shows, penguin feedings, swamp talks and more.
Please note that due to popular demand, the Academy may be full and at our occupancy capacity on the day of your visit. To confirm your preferred visit date, please pre-purchase your tickets online.
Tickets
Below is a pricing schedule for General Admission tickets as well as for Academy Tours and for the Thursday evening Nightlife events.
| General Admission | Buy Tickets » |
|---|---|
| Adult | $24.95 |
| Senior (ages 65 and over) | $19.95 |
| Student | $19.95 |
| Youth (ages 12-17) | $19.95 |
| Child (ages 7-11) | $14.95 |
| Ages 6 and under | FREE |
| Specialty Tickets | |
| Platinum Tour Details » | $99 / person |
| Group Tours Details » | |
| NightLife Tickets | Buy Tickets » |
| Adult (21 and over) | $12 |
| Member (21 and over) | $10 |
| NightLife VIP Tour Details » | $59 |
Ticket Discounts
Save $3 off the price of admission by biking to the Academy or by taking public transportation. For complete transportation options »
Free Days
Visit the Academy for free, every Third Wednesday of the month.
Brought to you by The Bernard Osher Foundation.
Directions & Parking
The Academy strongly encourages biking or taking public transportation. You’ll save $3 on admission without the hassle of parking.
For those of you who are driving, please note that parking is available in the Music Concourse Parking Facility, and that the museum entrance can be accessed via the garage elevator. The facility includes 15 conveniently located parking spots that are wheelchair accessible. For complete parking information, including maps »
For a real time parking garage capacity report, visit m.calacademy.org on your cell phone. In the event that the primary garage is full, the mobile site provides directions to two additional parking locations.
Accessibility
The Academy provides a wide variety of services to individuals with disabilities.
- Wheelchairs are available at the Coat Check on a first come, first served basis.
- Accessible parking is available in the underground garage.
- Assistive listening devices are available for visitors who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
- Audio tours are available for visitors who are blind or partially sighted.
Service Animal Policy
In order to protect the public and the collections housed at the California Academy of Sciences, no animals, other than most service animals for disabled persons, are permitted at the Academy. Please note that no service birds, reptiles, or amphibians, are permitted at the Academy, but all other types of service animals are permitted.
Permitted service animals may accompany a disabled person in most public areas of the Academy. In order to maintain the interactive nature of the Academy while protecting the health and safety of its living and preserved collections, no service animals of any kind are permitted in the Rainforests of the World exhibit, in or around the Raptor Mews exhibit and Early Childhood area, or in any part of the back of house areas. The Academy may additionally exclude service animals from other areas where there is no physical barrier between the public and an exhibit, whether living or preserved.
Service animals must be restrained and under the control of their handler at all times during their visit to the Academy. Service animals must be leashed. At the discretion of an Academy staff member, if a service animal displays disruptive or aggressive behavior, its handler may be asked to remove the animal from the facility. The handler may return to the Academy without the animal.
For further inquiries, please contact the Academy’s Contact Center line at (415) 379-8000 and press 0 to speak with an agent. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact an ADA assistant via email at accessibility@calacademy.org.
To download a PDF version of the Accessibility Guide, please click here. A representative may also be contacted by mail:
c/o: Academy Accessibility
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
         |
Museum Hours |
|
Monday - Saturday
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tickets can be purchased up to an hour before closing.
Extended Winter Hours |
|
Thanksgiving Weekend, 11/27 - 11/28
Friday and Saturday
9:30 am - 6:30 pm
Sunday
11:00 am - 6:30 pm
Winter Break, 12/21 - 1/3
Monday through Saturday
9:30 am - 6:30 pm
Sunday
11:00 am - 6:30 pm
The Academy will be closed Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Extended hours will not be in effect Christmas Eve, 12/24 and New Year’s Eve, 12/31.
During extended hours, last entry to the Rainforest will be at 6:00.
Location |
|
55 Music Concourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 379-8000
Plan Your Expedition |
|
Check out our new interactive exhibit map. We're still tinkering with it but it's available to explore. Let us know what you think!
Members-only Hours |
|
Tuesdays: 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Sundays: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Members may only bring the number of guests allowed by their membership level. No additional guests tickets are sold during Members-only hours.
NightLife |
|
When the lights go down, fun begins. Every Thursday, the Academy opens its doors to adults from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Attendees can explore the museum and enjoy world-class music, talks, and activities. Food and cocktails are available for purchase.
Academy TV Spots |
|
Dining Reservations |
|
The Moss Room does not accept reservations for lunch. Dinner reservations can be made by calling (415) 876-6121 or www.opentable.com.
