Cali2010: Academy of Sciences

On the Monday of our trip, we headed into San Francisco to check out the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). On our last trip down south, we had gone to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), and we wanted to see how it compared. Plus, our friend Rich actually works there, so we were hoping he could show us some cool “not for the average visitor” kinda stuff (though sadly, he was sick that day). In any case, we drove to Golden Gate Park and found a wealth of other awesome things to check out on another trip – art museums, botanical and tea gardens, boat and bike rental places – even a bison paddock!

The boys at the entrance to the California Academy of Sciences.

So. The Academy houses an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof. Given that we were there with the kids, there was no way to adequately check out the entire venue, but we got a pretty good taste of the things we were most interested in – starting with the aquarium on the lower level. Unlike the MBA, which focuses strictly on the wildlife found on the Northern California Coast, the CAS also features displays about Philippine Coral Reefs and Amazon Flooded Forests, and has over 100 tanks dedicated to animals from around the world.

We were surprised by the amount of variety the aquarium offered.

From the hands-on experience of the touch table…

To the giant windows into the undersea world…

To the under-water walkway beneath the rainforest display.

There was never a shortage of cool stuff to see…

And neat things to learn about.

Our son showing off his favourite display – the Garden Eels.

It’s kind of like feeling small when looking up at the stars.

On the whole, I found it a little overwhelming to be exposed to so much at one time. I think part of the problem was that I didn’t realize that other parts of the world would be covered in the aquarium exhibits (I didn’t really check out my Visitor Map until we sat down for lunch, instead taking the “let’s just go explore” approach), and as a result I was a bit confused. That being said and knowing what I know now, I think it would be an awesome place to revisit and contrast/compare the different water habitats. We then made our way to the main floor and did a quick tour of the side opposite to the rainforest biodome.

I loved the photographic depiction of how life evolved over time.

Our youngest kinda dug the giant swinging pendulum.

While our eldest was a little confused about the stuffed animals in the African Hall, but absolutely loved the living penguins.

There were FAR too many exhibits for us to take in all at once. By this point, we were all already a bit worn out and getting hungry (and cranky), so we headed to the Academy Cafe on the main floor for lunch. Much to our surprise, they didn’t offer your typical “museum fare”. Instead, we found a wide range of healthy, multicultural foods – from Vietnamese Pho and springrolls, to Chinese chicken and mushroom (instead of pork) buns, to grilled paninis and cheesy pastas and so on. The food was so yummy, and the staff was super helpful.

My lunch: ratatouille, roasted potatoes, and corn on the cob!

After lunch, we got a little fresh air and quickly checked out the living roof – with its native plants, hands on bird caller, and weather monitors that help to operate the venting system – before heading into the biodome.

Depending on the weather, windows can be opened for cooling.

The baby outside the “Rainforests of the World” exhibit.

Inside, looking up at the canopy, you soon start to notice the heat.

And lots and lots and lots of beautiful butterflies!

As you start to climb up the four-story ramp, you also see…

Other creatures on exhibit in the dome – like ants, frogs, and snakes.

When you get up high enough, you can look down upon the Flooded Amazon with its see-through floor (so you can people watch too).

While all around are various beautifully coloured tropical birds.

So much heat, so much to look at, so much we’d already done…

We finally made it to the top of the ramp and, after making sure we didn’t have any butterfly stowaways, we rather quickly headed for the exit. No Planetarium, no Naturalist Centre, and no Museum Stores for us. I think by that point the post-lunch heating had made us all logy, and we had reached “brain saturation”, so we headed outside to cool off and perk up a bit. We wandered around Golden Gate Park a bit and found a couple of great parks, but I’m afraid that will have to wait for another day.

So, yeah. If you’re in the San Francisco area and are looking for something cool to do, I would totally recommend the CAS. Just be prepared for a WEALTH of information and to spend the entire day if you want to explore it fully. It strikes me that ideally, you would be a resident of the area and get a membership so you could take your time meandering and learning. Then again, there is so much to explore in the San Francisco area, I doubt one lifetime would be enough to cover it all. 😉