California Academy of Sciences
About
Founded in 1853, the Academy is the oldest scientific institution in the western United States, though its original downtown collection and building were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. It eventually rebuilt in Golden Gate Park, and architect Renzo Piano's current building, which opened in 2008, earned the highest LEED green-building rating for its design.
The building's roof is planted with roughly 1.7 million native California plants across 2.5 acres, insulating the galleries below and supporting local pollinators, and it houses three institutions under one roof: the Steinhart Aquarium, the Morrison Planetarium, and the Kimball Natural History Museum, along with an indoor rainforest dome that visitors walk up through several stories of canopy.
Combining an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum in a single ticket means a family can spend an entire day here without needing to travel between separate institutions, which can be a useful simplification for anyone still learning their way around a new city's transit system.
Visitor information
Admission A single ticket covers the aquarium, planetarium, and natural history galleries, and it is charged for all visitors regardless of age.
Getting there The N Judah Muni Metro line stops nearby at Irving and 9th Avenue, with several local bus routes also serving Golden Gate Park's museum concourse.
