California Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences: Explore the Sea, the Stars, the Rainforests & More
Nestled in the heart of Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences boasts some pretty impressive credentials: This San Francisco landmark is the only place on Earth that houses an aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum, all under one living roof. Your general admission pass lets you get up close and personal with hundreds of free-flying tropical birds and butterflies inside the four-story living rainforest and gives you access to the award-winning, galaxy-spanning digital shows in the Morrison Planetarium. Animal-lovers can feast their eyes on an albino alligator, a colony of feisty African penguins, and more than 38,000 other live animals in the Steinhart Aquarium. In the new exhibit, Giants of Land and Sea, you can explore Northern California’s natural wonders through a variety of experiences: Feel your way through an immersive fog room, keep your balance in an earthquake simulator, virtually ascend to the top of a towering redwood, and see a variety of specimens and fossils. You can learn about everything from meteors to minerals to mankind’s evolution … and that’s all before you make your way up to the rolling hills and fields on the rooftop.