California Academy of Sciences Museum

Craig and I are spending our Thanksgiving holiday with family in northern California and feel super lucky to do so.  It is always my favorite thing to do, be with my family.  And it is super awesome when we explore and experience new places; like today – Anth, Z, and I went to the California Academy of Science Museum in San Francisco.  We were not quite sure of what to expect but when we walked in the door we were awestruck.  Immediately there were aquariums and rainforests to divert our attention to, and through the end of November there is a “Skull” exhibit.  We grabbed a map and planned out our mode of attack.  We knew we wanted to see the skull exhibit and Z especially wanted to go to the living roof – plants and grasses planted on top of the roof of the museum where we could walk around to see. We saw all that and more.

Now I will warn you the museum price range is a bit high $34.95 for an adult, children $24.95, and youth $29.95.  One cool thing is Anth and Z received free tickets through their county library.  I am not sure how that worked but there is a thing called Discover and Go passes so this was perfect.  Also you might choose to pack a lunch, get a stamped hand for reentry, and enjoy a picnic lunch outside before going back into the museum.  They do have a cafeteria but again the prices are in the upper range, such as a child’s hot dog lunch with fruit and drink for $8.00.  Just plan accordingly for your budget.

I feel like I am not doing the California Academy of Sciences Museum justice with my thoughts, so let me share more in pictures.

 

A walk way not only along the aquarium but over where you can see fish, rays, and shark swimming under your feet.

But maybe you prefer to look up and see sturgeons, giant catfish, and more swimming over your head.

Plus a giant aquarium and learning experience with docent talks.

After visiting the lower level floors let’s travel to the top and check out the living roof.

The skull exhibit had hundreds of skulls with interactive displays too.

Drawing a skull, sea horse skeleton, and my personal favorite – the skull of a giraffe.

The rainforest was located in the center and you circled around to visit 3 different levels amidst free flying butterflies.

There were snakes.

And geckos.

Plus lots of cool frogs.

Here we are looking down from the top level of the rain forest to the aquarium at the bottom.

So what do you think? We loved our day here.  Plenty to see, do, and enjoy plus no one was bored, exhausted, or whined – especially not me.

What places would you recommend on your list to visit?