OH Guide: San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences
New in town and on the move, we've been exploring some of the awesome activities to do in the City by the Bay. First stop on our adventure...The California Academy of Sciences. And judging from the crowds on the Wednesday we went it's a popular choice for many folks both tourists and residents alike.
Closing it's San Francisco doors for a 10 year $500 million dollar remodel the museum reopened last September 2008 shiny and massive and with a strong environment message. According to the museum's site:
It's as if the new Academy brings the whole universe under one roof - an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and more! The 412,000 square foot structure is not only physically impressive, but it just may be the greenest museum on the planet, with a 2 ½ acre Living Roof, an expansive solar canopy, an extensive water reclamation system, and walls insulated with recycled blue jeans.
No teachable moment is lost in this impressive space which boasts the title of "the largest public Platinum-rated building in the world, and also the world’s greenest museum." Plaques hanging inside bathroom stalls and over drinking fountains reveal conservation facts, like bike racks and rechargeable vehicle stations, radiant sub-floor heating and the energy-generating solar panels.
I left the museum at the end of my visit feeling educated, inspired and empowered, ready to take my own family's lifestyle up one more green notch.
There are a few things you might want to keep in mind if you're planning a trip there. Listen and learn from our mistakes...as we made many:
- Arrive Early: Monday thru Saturday the doors open at 9:30am and Sunday 11am.
- The parking garage fills up fast during peak times. Our first attempt we arrived to Golden Gate Park at 11am on a Tuesday and parking was completely full.
- There are some excellent activities scheduled throughout the day from penguin feedings (a favorite of my kids who are 9 and 3 years old and a must see) to planetarium shows. The planetarium show and BUGS! 3D show require extra tickets which are free with admission but need to be picked up at both theaters. My suggestion is once you get inside head directly to the planetarium and pick up free tickets to whatever show they are passing out tickets for at the moment. Planetarium show tickets go fast. Then, head upstairs and pick up tickets to the BUGS! 3D show.
- Hit the rainforest exhibit in the morning. The day we went we decided to check it out after we ate lunch and waited in line for 30 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes to get through the exhibit once inside so we're talking a solid hour we spent on the exhibit.
- With so much to see and do at the museum plan, on it being a full day visit. We found the museum to be less crowded early in the day.
A few thoughts about admission and parking:
Museum admission is rather steep. Adults are $24.95, Youth (ages 12-17) are $19.95, Child (ages 7-11) are $14.95 and ages 6 and under are free. You also have parking which ended up being a hefty $17 for us at the end of the day. They don't validate. The museum offers 3 dollars off admission when you take public transportation. When you add it all up...the money you'll save on parking plus the discounted admission...it equals a nice chunk of saved change if you can get there on a bus.
You can opt to purchase tickets online and print them at home. We did this and were so happy we did as it saved us tons of time, bypassing the massive line to purchase tickets. However, if you do this I'm not sure if the museum has a way to discount your tickets if you take public transportation.
The museum does offer free museum days for those of you that really want a bargain.
Pack a sack lunch:
As you probably guessed by the high cost of admission, the cafes at the museum are equally as pricey. Although the menus boast some enticing gourmet grub (we had black bean soup and chicken steamed buns) it can really add up, and fast. If you decide to pack a lunch make sure it's something that fits nicely inside a backpack as they don't encourage outside food to be brought in...no rolling coolers here! Consider taking it to the garden area and going trash-free. It's a serene space complete with tables, heaters, grass, rock sculptures and water fountains. Once junior gobbles up his organic pb&j on whole grain he can freely explore the area while you sit back and relax. A great break from the bustling museum.
Take a wee break:
The interactive infant/toddler room tucked in next to the main museum store and directly across from the planetarium is a great place to escape with your wee museum-goer when she's just hit her limit or when her older brother goes to see the planetarium show which she's too young to attend. It's a special little spot filled with climb-ons, puzzles, books and more.
The living roof is an extraordinary place to visit when you need a breath of fresh air. The views from the roof are simply gorgeous and the landscaped roof will amaze and tickle your kids.
Nestled in Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences--with it's meaningful message of conservation delivered through interactive state-of-the-art exhibits--is not to be missed.
