California Academy of Sciences General Admission Ticket
Description
Embark on a science adventure when you visit the world's only aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum - all under one living roof! And to make it as easy as possible, this ticket includes instant access, meaning you don't have to go to a separate kiosk to redeem your ticket — just present it at the California Academy of Science's entrance and be on your way. New Exhibits! Vivid: Immerse Your Senses opens May 22, 2026. An all-new exhibit, Vivid: Immerse Your Senses invites you to step into an unforgettable, embodied experience that awakens the senses and unlocks hidden worlds and unexpected perspectives. Be transported to six unique ecosystems that reveal Earth's mysterious, magical worlds through ultra high-resolution video projections, ambient soundscapes, nature-inspired scents, and interactive animal avatars.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore hands-on exhibits as you stroll beneath the bones of some of the planet's largest inhabitants. Meet the charismatic African penguin colony while a biologist feeds them and answers your questions, be dazzled by nearly 400 dazzling specimens from the Academy's renowned geology collection, and more. Plus, uncover the surprising connections between California’s unique species, places, and people in our newest exhibit - California: State of Nature! With scientific specimens, engaging interactives, illuminating multimedia, and fascinating models, we’ve got everything for you to explore our state’s unparalleled biodiversity across four ecosystems.
Home to nearly 60,000 live animals, representing more than 1,000 unique species, you can experience one of the most biologically diverse and interactive aquariums. Plunge into the world's deepest living indoor coral reef, encounter over a dozen species in the Venom exhibit, and descend into the little-known “Twilight Zone” to learn about the diverse marine life of the pitch-black sea.
The 75-foot planetarium dome screen will immerse you inside cutting-edge visualizations and hyper-realistic virtual environments. From faraway galaxies to the working of our own planet, zoom through the cosmos like never before. Choose from multiple different award-winning show options and times available each day. Planetarium show passes are included in the price of admission and can be reserved at the planetarium pass pick-up desk across from the planetarium entrance.
Step inside a glass dome filled with a lush four-story rainforest teeming with over 1,600 plants and animals. Mingle with free-flying birds and butterflies to exotic reptiles, golden-silk orb weaver spiders, enormous Amazonian fish, and more. At each stage of the journey, you'll come face-to-face with some of the incredible animals that call these forests home.
California Academy of Sciences is located within Golden Gate Park
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Planetarium passes are free and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. When you arrive at the Academy, scan the QR code posted in the lobby to reserve a showtime. Please note that shows may not be appropriate for children under 7, and children under 4 are not permitted.
- Sustainable, grab-and-go food and drinks are available for purchase at the Academy Café and Terrace Restaurant
Reviews(602)
I accidentally ordered tickets on line and tried to cancel them by email soon after I realized it and got no assistance. I paid for 4 tickets and didn't even go.
This was a fun experience. The rain tree forest is the best part seeing the animals and looking at the history is phenomenal. Its a must go to, and with botanical gardens and other museums and parks in walking distance you can make it a full day.
What an amazing experience!! I went with my husband and our 10 month old baby. All three of us were amazed! My son was so observant and loved seeing everything. This is somewhere I would definitely return too!! Staff was friendly too! We parked in the parking garage and paid like $15. Can’t beat that!!
Easy process of purchasing a ticket beforehand and got 25% back from capital one shopping portal which makes the price a little more bearable. Great place to visit with kids!
Large and varied displays. The aquarium is beautiful. Be sure to see the penguins. Kids love it. Do the earthquake experience. Well done! The tropical garden with hundreds of butterflies is fun and beautiful. You walk up the ramp around the garden, and the butterflies fly around you carefree. The dinosaur T-Rex at the entry is a great photo shoot. Rideshare drops and picks up in front of the museum.
I ended up booking tickets here because it was raining out and my family and I had time to kill. We were pleasantly surprised with the amount of different exhibits and how interactive they were. The rainforest display was really cool to walk through with my kids- the highlights were the butterflies at the top
Enjoyed the Academy of Sciences. The only negative is that we missed our train and we were very late. I tried to get the ticket changed through the museum but because I bought it through a third party vendor they were unable to do that. There was no way to reach Viator or Tripadvisor to ask if there was an opportunity to exchange the tickets for another day. We had one hour to rush through.
Free admission from 9 to 10 a.m. but need to apply and can do it online. Get there early for parking spaces on side road.
Everything close at 5 PM, big problem is a parking spot, planetarium, not really good, talking about telescopes only not about the stars
The Academy is a nice place to visit if you have kids. The exhibits are very informative. You would spend about 2 hrs to see it all. Is not as busy as the website makes it seem.
