Museums - Pitstops for Kids

What to do with kids around Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta

February 25, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

What used to be an area tourists rarely had reason to visit transformed into an epicenter of Atlanta family fun upon the creation of Centennial Olympic Park for the 1996 Olympic Games. Now, kids have their pick of nearby attractions and outdoor play areas, as well as restaurants and lodging. What to do in Centennial Olympic Park with kids:

Enjoy playgrounds and fountains:

When the weather is warm, enjoy the park’s two playgrounds (one is full accessible for all abilities) and many splash fountains and reflecting ponds. Near the CNN Center, find plenty of outdoor seating, and throughout the park, find wide lawns and open spaces, as well as unique sculptures.

Explore the CNN Center:

Atlanta’s CNN Center is the CNN network’s world headquarters. Take a tour of the studios with older kids, or simply stop in to check out the Cartoon Network Store or Atlanta Braves store with kids of all ages.

Spend a few hours (at least) at Pemberton Place:

Home to both the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, this square also houses outdoor seating, street performers, and dining. The Georgia Aquarium is one of the best we’ve experienced in the country (allow for at least three hours), and the World of Coke is an Atlanta institution, offering fun museum-quality exhibits and a huge cola tasting room (just be prepared for plenty of advertising)!

Grab lunch almost anywhere, including:

Inside the CNN Center
In the park (burger and sandwich shop)
At Pemberton Place (indoor/outdoor hot dog and salad location)
Inside the Georgia Aquarium (family-friendly cafeteria)

Where to stay near Centennial Olympic Park with kids: The Omni Atlanta is located right in the CNN Center. Very impressive! If you want to be steps away from the center and the park, this is where to be. If you don’t mind a five block walk and want lower rates and a better pool, opt for the Sheraton Atlanta.

Pacific Science Center in the Seattle Center

January 9, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Families visiting Seattle WA are drawn to the Space Needle like moths to flame, and there’s nothing wrong with that: it brings them straight to one of the city’s best attractions for kids: the Pacific Science Center.

Pacific Science Center is showing some age on the surface, but inside, it’s as vibrant as ever (or more so). In addition to its permanent exhibits on life science, natural science, and space exploration (just to name a few), the center also welcomes fantastic traveling exhibits, such as this season’s King Tut display (for extra admission…save it for older kids). Each visit, my kids love the Butterfly house (with bug exhibits), dinosaur gallery, and WellBody Academy, where kids can test their physical skills. There are also mind-bender puzzles and an extensive water cycle exhibit where kids can create dams, direct toy ships, and make the water flow.

There’s an IMAX theater, laser show, and planetarium, but my family has never gotten to these things: there’s plenty to do without upgrading to the extras. (I’d make sure to experience them all if I were a Seattle resident, however.) In nice weather, the outside courtyard is fun with its kid-powered water wheel (it looks like a giant hamster wheel) and water shooters.

Nearby is plenty of dining in Seattle Center, and plenty of space for kids to run around. Expect park entertainers and musicians in the summer months. Parking is pretty easy (though costly), and families can make an afternoon out of it (or add on an evening with dinner).

So, should you go up the Space Needle while you’re there? Not if the line is long. Personally, I don’t think the thrill of the elevator ride justifies the admission price. My only exception: on slow nights, families can usually get seated to eat dessert in the Space Needle Restaurant. Watching the city revolve while dining on dessert is pretty darn cool!

Date last visited:

June 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Minutes from I-5.

Admission price:

$16 for adults, $11 for kids ages 6-15, and $9 for kids 3-5. Check to see if your local science or children’s museum memberships gains you entry. Ours did!

Tip! Save up to 50% on Seattle’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Hours of operation:

9:45 am to 6 pm daily.

Directions:

The Pacific Science Center is located at 200 Second Avenue North,
Seattle. From Interstate 5, either northbound or southbound, take exit 167 (Mercer Street) toward Seattle Center. At the end of the ramp, turn right at Fairview Ave N, then turn left at Valley St. Move into the middle lane and Valley St. becomes Broad St. Continue on Broad St. Turn right at Denny Way. Turn right at 2nd Ave N.

Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits

December 27, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

The La Brea Tar Pits has a Kidscore of 80. What’s a Kidscore?

If you have any natural history lovers in your family, you can’t miss a stop at the Page Museum (home of the La Brea tar pits) during a visit to the Los Angeles area. I’m going to go ahead and fill you in now, although you’ll hear it a hundred times at the museum: there are no dinosaurs in the La Brea tar pits! This is a common misunderstanding (Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago, and these tar pits formed about 40,000 years ago), and from the number of times this information is posted, it’s clear that many kids come to the museum hoping for dinos and are greeted instead by a woolly mammoth. Also very cool, but no dinosaur. You heard it here first.

The actual Page Museum is a nice, relatively small, natural history museum with some good exhibits, and a “fishbowl” window where you can look into a lab and watch scientists and volunteers working on the bones and fossils found most recently in the tar pits. The really interesting part of the museum, though, is outside at the actual tar pits. Walking around the grounds, you can see bubbling lakes of tar, smell the sulfur and methane, and even look into an actual dig site and see the current excavation work. This is the part that makes the Page Museum unique: you can move a sabertooth cat skeleton from one city to the next, but you can’t move a tar pit. And the fact that these huge pits are bubbling away right in the middle of downtown LA makes the whole experience even more fascinating!

Date last visited:

July 29, 2012

Distance from the interstate:

The Page Museum is about 3 miles off I-10 near downtown Los Angeles. The museum parking lot is located at the rear of the building, on the corner of Curson Ave. and 6th St. and is a flat rate of $7 (bring ticket in with you Monday–Friday for validation).

Hours of operation:

9:30am–5pm, 7 days a week. Open every day except July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Admission:

$11 for adults, $8 for youth 13–17, $5 for children 5–12, and children under 5 and free.

Food services:

There are no food services at the Page Museum, but across the grounds at the LACMA there was a café with breakfast/lunch items.

Directions:

The Page Museum and tar pits are located at 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.

Manzanar National Historic Site

December 20, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

If you’re driving along US Highway 395 through California, take an hour or so to stop at the Manzanar National Historic Site, the site of a World War II Japanese-American Internment Camp, outside of Bishop, CA. Built only in 2004, this National Park Service site is wonderfully well run and free for visitors.

When you enter the site, you’ll be struck by the stunning high desert views and stark isolation, and the first thing you’ll see is the ominous guard tower. Visitors have the option of a three mile driving tour of the barrack areas, or a stop at the interpretive center. I recommend starting at the latter, especially with kids, as this center does a great job of explaining Japanese internment during World War II. Start with the 22 minute film, then wander the auditorium (once a dance hall for the interred), looking at all the fantastic exhibits. Kids are immediately drawn to the display of what a barrack looked like inside, complete with kids’ toys and clothing, and the descriptions of school in the camp (you’ll even find a year book for middle schoolers).

The National Park rangers on-site are friendly and very knowledgable, and there’s a Junior Ranger option for kids. We walked part of the driving tour afterward, to experience a bit of the scenery (the Sierras are stunning) and camp-life of the Japanese-Americans at this time in history.

Date last visited:

July 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Right off Hwy 395.

Hours of operation:

The outdoor sites are open every day, dawn to dusk. The interpretive center is open 9:00 am to 5:30 pm in the summer season, and 9 am to 4:30 pm in winter (November 1-March 31). Closed Christmas Day.

Admission price:

Free

Dining options:

None. And most times of year, it’s either too hot, too windy, or too cold to picnic here. There are nice bathrooms and water fountains for drinking and filling up water bottles.

Directions:

Manzanar is located nine miles north of Lone Pine CA (and just south of Bishop, CA), right off Hwy 395.

Touring Virginia City, Nevada with kids

December 13, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

Located thirty minutes outside of Reno Nevada, Virginia City takes families back in time to an era of unprecedented wealth in silver and gold mining history. The drive to the boomtown from either Reno or Carson City is scenic and dramatic (and kids should be on the look-out for wild horse herds…we were lucky enough to spot one).

Virginia City lies over the crest of a hill; the first thing you see if the pioneer-era graveyard followed by the tall steeples of the Catholic and Protestant churches. The main street of town runs along C Street, complete with false-fronts and boardwalks. Families can park on the street or in one of several lots, and will want to start their day at the Visitor’s Center, located on C Street. During the summer months, you can purchase one of several varieties of Comstock Pass to save on individual attractions, and in the winter, these options are available a la carte for a discount of 50 cents on each ticket for each attraction. Ticket prices for Virginia City tours and museums are very low: most average $5 for adults and many are free for kids as old as 11. The staff at the Visitor’s Center will point you in the direction of the tours that are best for your group: you definitely can’t see everything in one day at Virginia City!

Tours and museums:

As stated, there are more homes, mines, and saloons to tour than you could see in one day, but the following are not to be missed:

Trolley Tour: This twenty minute tour gives a great overview of the town and its operations during the late 1800s. We did this at the start of our day, and are glad we did. It kept everyone interested, and we all agreed we’d have been happy to ride longer. Pick up the trolley tour at the parking area next to the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

Mackay Mansion: Once the home of William Randolph Hearst senior, the Mackay Mansion served as residence and mining office. We found it fascinating to tour the office and dining room as well as the upstairs residence rooms of the Mackay family. This site is in the process of restoration, and the guide is passionate about this project. It was a joy to listen to him, and the tour is partially self-guided, so younger children can move along more quickly if needed.

The Way it Was Museum: There are certainly more sophisticated museums out there, but The Way it Was is a fun stop that will help orient kids to the boomtown era. Outside, mining equipment is on display, including a display explaining how mules were used to grind rock and deposit ore. Inside, artifacts from the town range from newspaper clippings to a dentist chair, and kids can see buggies, household goods, and maps.

The Ponderosa Mine Tour: In the summer months, families can tour one of several mines, but if you’re visiting in the off-season as we were, definitely buy tickets to the Ponderosa Mine. Located at the back of the Ponderosa Saloon (check out the huge safe inside), the Ponderosa tour takes you into a mine shaft. Our guide was enthusiastic about his topic, and we learned about the working conditions in the mines, the pay, and the dangers. We wore hard hats, and the mine shaft did get a bit restricting; this tour only takes about 25 minutes, which makes it ideal for young kids.

There are numerous additional tours of the schoolhouse (seasonal), churches, Washoe Saloon and club (this one is haunted), and Piper’s Opera House. There’s also a Mark Twain museum detailing his life in Virginia City (he got his start here). You can always pay at the door of any tours you didn’t purchase in advance at the Visitor’s Center.

Rides and other attractions:

During the summer months, visitor’s can ride a stagecoach, buggy, or the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. The railroad operates during the end of November and beginning of December as a Candy Cane Express as well, which is perfect for young kids. (Buy tickets in advance.) Walking tours of the town are always available; ask for a map at the Visitor’s Center.

Dining and Saloons:

If you’re planning to picnic, a nice public picnic area with clean bathrooms and great views is located at the start of town (you can’t miss it). Additionally, families are permitted to picnic on the Mackay Mansion grounds by the gazebo. If you want to eat a meal out, Virginia City has an array of options. We ate a family-friendly meal at the Palace Restaurant, located on C Street. Kids will like seeing the authentic saloon bar, and parents will appreciate that there’s no smoking (not the case in all Virginia City establishments). We ordered burgers and sandwiches, and the food was quick and good.

The Delta Saloon is worth a quick visit with older kids to see the infamous Suicide Table, said to be cursed by bad luck. Note: you’ll have to walk through the saloon’s many casino machines and smoky haze to get there. The Bucket of Blood Saloon is famous for the bucket’s worth of blood cleaned up after a barroom fight in the late 1800’s. It’s name is the most ominous part of the building, but it can be fun to peek inside.

Plenty of dessert and candy can be found along C Street, including Grandma’s Fudge, which we recommend. Barrels o’ Candy is located nearby; we found it to be overpriced and the candy less than fresh.

Souvenirs are everywhere, but even these are reasonably-priced. Stop at the Rock Shop for souvenir silver or gold flakes, or to pick out your own gems for just a few dollars. Old-timey photos can be taken, and The Way it Was Museum has a small selection of souvenirs at the counter.

Date last visited: November 2012

Distance from the interstate: 30 miles from Hwy 395 (580).

Directions: From Reno, take Hwy 580 to Hwy 341 (Comstock Highway). Follow signs to Virginia City.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our time in Virginia City was hosted by the Virginia City Visitor’s Center and Palace Restaurant. This generosity came with no expectation of a positive review.

Seattle’s Museum of Flight with kids of all ages

November 15, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

For most visitors, Seattle WA is synonymous with Boeing and aero-engineering. For airplane and space lovers, there’s no better stop than at the Museum of Flight. A huge, multi-building complex, the Museum of Flight can feel intimidating at first, especially if you have small children. For true fans, a full day is needed, but the highlights can be hit in a few hours if needed. On our last visit, we were touring the museum with six kids, ages 2-13, and though it was challenging at times, we found something for everyone in each part of the complex. Below, I’ve broken down the museum by section, so you can be sure to visit the parts of most interest to your family.

The Great Gallery: This cavernous hanger houses fighter jets and other war air models, some of which kids can climb into to check out the cockpit. Also in this area are several flight simulators with 3-D screens (motion rides) that cost extra (and are not worth the price, though kids will beg to go). Stick to the ground floor where the ‘real’ planes are.

The Lear Gallery: The space exploration section of the museum houses much to see on the ‘next frontier’, including the newly acquired space shuttle trainer, which I actually saw brought into the museum by the famous ‘Guppy’ transporter when I visited with my family in late June of 2012. Kids will like the anti-gravity simulator and the early Apollo capsules.

The Personal Courage Wing: This wing can be overlooked (as we did on our last visit), but actually houses fascinating studies of courageous air force fighters and aviation pioneers.

The Red Barn: Most interesting to my school-aged kids was the Red Barn, which was the original building Boeing used for their early manufacturing. Inside, the history of Seattle area flight production and world war aviation history is displayed in a way that’s interesting even to preschoolers.

Outside Airpark: Outside the museum, a number of aircraft are available to tour on the massive grounds. On the day of our visit, we walked through a retired Air Force One, which was more than a little bit cool. A concorde and several military planes are also on-site, but were closed at the time.

Tip! Save up to 50% on Seattle’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Date last visited:

June 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Five minutes off I-5.

Admission:

Adults are $17, youth (5-17) are $9. Age four and under are free. Be sure to ask if your local science museum membership is honored. Many are! You can also use your CityPASS (see tip above).

Hours of operation:

10 am to 5 pm most days of the year. On the first Thursday of each month, the museum is open until 9 pm, and is free from 5 pm to 9 pm.

Dining options:

A full-service museum cafe offers everything from snacks to meals, and has several healthy options. Expect to pay museum prices, but not much else is nearby.

Directions:

The museum is at 9404 E. Marginal Way S. From I-5, take Take exit 158 and merge right onto S. Boeing Access Road. Turn right at the first stoplight (E. Marginal Way S.) The Museum is on the right, 1/2 mile. Parking is free.

University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology

August 11, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology is the perfect first stop for visiting families (and a great option during rainy weather, too). Much more comprehensive than we thought it would be, the Museum of Anthropology, or MOA, features not only an impressive main gallery of First Nations totem pole carvings, but also room after room of artifacts of native peoples (both of Western Canada and elsewhere). You come away with greater respect and understanding of the first people to live on this land.

MOV focuses on ancient artifacts and cultures, but throughout the exhibits, it’s evident that pains are taken to bridge the displays with the modern-day people whose stories they tell. While a tour through the totem poles is a must see, most fascinating to us was the first-hand accounts written by the ancestors of those first inhabitants, many of whom donated various artifacts to the museum.

The Great Hall is the first thing kids will see, and features totem poles, house posts, and carved figures (most from the mid-19th century) from several Northwest Coast nations. These artifacts become meaningful as kids read about the reasoning behind various carvings, and learn the different uses for totems and the stories told through the carvings.

An outside exhibit includes two Haida houses and several more totems. Visitors can walk around them on their own, but you get twice the meaning out of the experience if you tag along with one of the guided walks, which will take you inside the houses and teach about village life, the different types of totems, and the purposes of the two dwellings. The guided talks are only about 30 minutes, and squirmy kids can always exit.

Date last visited:

July 2012

Distance from the interstate:

15 minutes from BC-99.

Hours of operation:

10 am to 5 pm daily during summer months. Winter hours vary by day.

Admission:

Adults: $16.75 Kids: $14.50 Age 6 and under: free. The museum does offer a family rate of $44 for a family of two adults and up to four kids.

Dining options:

There’s a museum cafe, but no outside food or drink. It would be possible to eat around the grounds near the parking area.

Directions:

From downtown Vancouver, the museum is 20 minutes by car. Located on the University of Vancouver campus at 6393 NW Marine Drive, it’s accessible from BC-99 to 4th to Marine. There is a parking charge (only parking is in an adjacent garage), so come prepared. Our charge was $6 for 2 hours.

We experienced the Museum of Anthropology as guests of Tourism Vancouver. While we appreciate this chance to review quality attractions for our readers, it came with no expectation of a positive review.

Vancouver on Dwellable

How to spend a day in Golden Gate Park with kids

July 9, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

Families looking for things to do in San Francisco will want to devote at least one day to exploring and enjoying Golden Gate Park. In fair weather or foul (San Francisco gets a few of those, you know), Golden Gate Park offers indoor and outdoor fun for families in a unique San Francisco environment. How to spend a day in Golden Gate Park with kids? Read on for our itemized Golden Gate Park itinerary for families (with rainy weather alternatives and age-by-age guides). All attractions are located on the east side of the park, and all are easily accessed by MUNI bus:

1. Start your day at a museum.

First off, be sure to grab or download a Golden Gate Park map. If you have school-aged or preschool kids, head straight to the California Academy of Sciences, where you’ll experience a planetarium, life sciences museum, and aquarium all in one. Located directly across from the Music Concourse (right through the park entrance at the Felton and Park Presidio MUNI stop), the academy could fill a whole morning for school-aged kids (and at least a few hours for toddler and preschoolers). If the weather is nice, be sure to visit the top floor’s Living Roof. Note: if you’re driving to the park for the day, use the underground parking garage right next to the academy, and plan to park there all day.

If you have tweens or teens (or kids interested in fine art) you might opt for the DeYoung Museum instead. It’s located directly across the street from the California Academy of Sciences, so it’s entirely possible for families to split up. If you decide to take all ages of kids, there is an art studio located in the De Young where an artist-in-residence provides hands-on activities, but that will be offered in the afternoons, so be sure to check the schedule. The museum’s permanent exhibits include all manner of fine art, sculpture, photography, fashion, and texture.

Best of all, both the academy and the museum are included on the San Francisco CityPASS and can be selected on the Go San Francisco Card.

2. Eat lunch on the Music Concourse or at local food trucks.

If it’s raining, families may opt to eat at one of the museum cafes (both have one), but if the sun is shining, it’s far nicer to eat on the concourse. (We were lucky enough to settle down with our picnic right as a school band was beginning an outdoor concert.) A number of food trucks (we saw Indian food and hot dogs on our visit) park on the end of the concourse next to the Japanese Tea Garden.

3. Spend the afternoon at the Children’s Playground or Conservatory of Flowers.

If you have young children (really, anyone 12 or under), head east to the first children’s playground to be build in the U.S. (according to locals), which you can access via foot from the Music Concourse area. The playground, located on your park map at Koret Playground, features lots of nice climbing equipment, a huge ‘spider web’ net, and the original concrete slides build into the hillside. (These look a tad dangerous by today’s safety standards, but we didn’t see any injuries. Kids slide down on pieces of cardboard…of which there’s plenty laying around for this purpose.) Next to the play area is the historic carousel, which is a real deal at $1 for kids and $2 for adults (adults can also help kids on and take photos without paying for a ticket).

If it’s raining, walk just past John F Kennedy Drive to the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers instead, which is much more fun for kids than it sounds. Not only will you be warm and dry, but the huge arborium is beautiful winter or summer, and features temporary exhibits such as ‘Plant-o-sorus’, which teaches kids all about prehistoric plants from the dino days. Hours are 10 am to 4:30 pm, closed Mondays, and tickets are economical: most families can visit for under $20.

Bonus: read about additional botanical gardensadditional botanical gardens to visit across the US.

4. If you still have time, visit the San Francisco Botantical Garden or Stow Lake.

Walking west past the baseball diamonds, families will reach the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Similarly priced to the concervatory, the gardens are open longer hours as they’re out-of-doors, and provide more paths for kids to stretch their legs. If more gardens aren’t your thing, continue west to Stow Lake, where you’ll find picnic grounds, a boat house, and plenty of ducks to feed. In nice weather, families can rent pedal boats ($14-19/hour at the time of our visit), or can otherwise walk along the shore or rent a surrey bike.

Head back to your car, or if you didn’t drive your own vehicle, catch a ride back to your San Francisco hotel from MUNI along John F. Kennedy Drive or near the De Young (at Park Presidio and Felton)!

Exploratorium Museum of Science

July 5, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

A short MUNI bus ride from just about all points in the city, the Exploratorium is a wonderful activity for kids in San Francisco. Located conveniently at Pier 15, the Exploratorium is a hands-on science mecca for preschoolers through teens.

We love how this cavernous building is set up to encourage kids (and their parents) to really let loose: explore its exhibits in any order, for any length of time. It’s set up in sections by field of science (life science on the second floor loft, magnetics and engineering next to it, cognitive science and ‘thinking and feeling’ at the back, etc) but each exhibit stands alone. More than simply hands-on, almost all the exhibits challenge families to work with a partner or in teams, conducting experiments or field testing (aka challenging) their hypothesis.We especially loved the ‘sound and hearing’ section, where we took a auditory journey with a blind man through a BART station.

We spent three hours in the Exploratorium, which I thought would be enough, but I had to drag everyone out (including my husband) in order to keep our evening plans. Younger kids may need less time (the scope of the museum may feel daunting to some), but if you have school-aged kids, plan to be here a long while! The museum is very well contained (really just one huge room), so we felt comfortable letting the older kids roam at will.

Tip: One of the museum’s most popular exhibits, the Tactile Dome is experienced by scheduled appointment (and separate ticket) only. To grab a time slot (set throughout the day), plan to be at the museum in the morning, or order tickets online in advance (the ticket price is slightly more than regular admission, but includes admission to the rest of the museum as well). We visited in the afternoon, and by the time we arrived at 1 pm, the earliest Tactile Dome time available was 6:30…too late for our schedule.

Of note: In case you own an older guide book, the Exploratorium is now located at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. While this location is certainly be more convenient for tourists visiting the Fisherman’s Wharf area, I encourage visitors to still take the time to see the lovely Presidio area of San Francisco.

Date last visited:

May 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Located (currently) in the Presidio, just moments from the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway 101.

Admission prices:

Adults are $15, youth (13-17) are $12, and children (4-12) are $10. As with most San Francisco attractions, the best deal for visiting the Exploratorium is to use a CityPASS or Go San Francisco Card card. Free admission the first Wednesday of each month!

Hours of operation:

10 am to 5 pm Tuesday-Sunday (closed most Mondays)

Dining options:

A large, open cafe with snacks, drinks, and light meals is located on the main floor and is lit by nice skylights and provides seating where parents can see most of the action. Otherwise, picnics can be taken outside on the Palace of Fine Arts grounds or nearby duck pond.

Directions:

The Exploratorium is located at 3601 Lyon Street in the Presidio. It will soon move to Pier 15. For now, from Park Presidio, follow the signs for the Highway 101 Detour. Then turn right on Geary Boulevard, left on Van Ness Boulevard, left on Lombard Street, and right on Lyon Street.

California Academy of Sciences

July 2, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

The California Academy of Sciences is by far one of the best things to do with kids in San Francisco. Ideal for school-aged kids but also entertaining for preschoolers and toddlers, the California Academy of Sciences is a trifecta of scientific fun, featuring a planetarium, aquarium, and life science museum all under one (living) roof, which is an exhibit of its own.

Families will want to devote at least a half-day at the academy: we stayed a full morning, and still never got to the planetarium (next visit!). Be sure to get a schedule of the day’s events when you enter. On the day of our visit, we were able to catch the African penguin feeding and the tropical fish feeding. Both activities included a talk from a marine biologist and lasted about 15 minutes. The docents at the door of the academy are very helpful in alerting families of the daily activities; we were glad to have them!

The academy is set up with two large domes (you’ll spot these from outside). One houses the planetarium, and the other houses the rain forest canopy, a tour along elevated walkways past plants, trees, and many animals (including lots of butterflies and birds). The rain forest canopy will end at the top, where guests can take an elevator down to the ground and basement floor aquarium. (I suppose you could do the various sections of the academy in any order you like, but it flows very well to see the rain forest followed by the aquarium, both in a logistical sense and an educational sense…the exhibits build upon one another.) I think the ‘flooded rain forest floor’ section of the aquarium was my seven-year-old’s favorite spot: he lingered at the rain forest snake section, where he could experience the (simulated) sensation of having his arm constricted by an anaconda.

Tip: it’s warm in the rain forest dome; you’ll want to shed sweaters or coats, so be sure to wear layers!

After experiencing the rain forest dome, we took the elevator to the top floor of the academy, which is actually the roof. We looked out over the ‘living roof’ exhibit, where acres of rooftop has been seeded and serves as an natural habitat to many animals and birds. It’s lovely on a nice day!

Date last visited:

May 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Located in Golden Gate Park, an easy drive past the bridge from Highway 101.

Admission prices:

General admission the the California Academy of Sciences is not cheap at $29.95 for adults, $24.95 for youth ages 12-17, and $19.95 for children 4-11. A much more economical option is to purchase your tickets through a San Francisco CityPASS or Go San Francisco Card.

Hours of operation:

Mon-Sat 9:30 am to 5 pm. Sunday 11 am to 5 pm

Dining options:

There is a cafe on-site, with both indoor and outdoor seating (with play areas in the outdoor space). Instead of trying either option, however, we had brought a picnic lunch, which we enjoyed in the Music Concourse directly outside (while listenening to a free middle school outdoor concert!). On warm-weather days, this is the way to go. (Food trucks also assemble between the Music Concourse and the nearby Japanese Tea Garden.)

Directions:

The academy is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. It’s easily accessible via MUNI bus lines. If you drive, street parking is available, or better yet, try the parking garage near the De Young museum.

Note: California Academy os Sciences has a Kidscore of 92. Learn more about Kidscore.