California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

My husband's science & engineering career was launched when he visited the California Academy as a 9 year old... 70 years ago! Having been born and raised on a family farm in Switzerland, my interest was also sparked by the Academy when we joined after the new facility was created. This visit was especially exciting because we invited a family with three inquisitive boys and their workaholic father (who visited the Academy once many years ago, subsequently earning a degree in natural science) for whom we bought a Family Membership so they might have a reason to enjoy the special family quality time uniquely available at the academy. Watching the boys and their father (who is about to remarry) form a tighter bond in the grasp of scientific exploration is a celebration of the joy of giving back!

Came here a while back with a good friend of mine. We both had a blast wandering this expansive place. We enjoyed watching the penguins be fed and swimming with one another. There's also a deck area on the roof where you can see the surrounding garden. It's quite beautiful and definitely photogenic. Beware of strong winds, so hold onto your hats! The staff was friendly and helped us navigate the museum whenever we got lost. We also stopped by the gift shop, which was actually a bit small compared to other gift ships. Nevertheless, they still had interesting knick knacks for guests. Like all gift shops, the prices here were a little high for our shoestring, college student wallets.

Great place for children and children at heart. Lots to see and interact with. The rainforest is probably my favorite part. Grab planetarium passes when you first arrive for a later time. There is a parking lot below the concourse for $6 / hour on weekends, $5 on weekdays. If you don't mind walking, there are often available free spots along stow lake which is only about a half mile walk.

Beautiful facility with an amazing rooftop green space. There's plenty to look at and interact with but make sure you go when it isn't busy. We happened to visit during field-trip season and it was packed. Barely able to look at or interact with anything. Not much you can do about it but I probably wouldn't go back again considering how much admission costs.

Good place for children, the shows are pretty good. Too expensive unless you take a yearly pass. There is one similar in Los Angeles and there it's free. But if you are in Bay Area this is a good place to frequent. Consider going on weekdays. Weekends are crazy busy. Car parking is super expensive. So park on the roads