From deep sea to deep space, your Academy ticket is your passport to science adventures. Explore our exhibits, public programs, events, and more. 

Please note: Morrison Planetarium will be closed for annual maintenance Feb. 24-26. We apologize for any inconvenience.

New & featured

Twilight Zone: Deep Reefs Revealed

Vibrantly colored corals and fish contrast with a dark background in a large tank within the Twilight Zone exhibit at Cal Academy

Life in technicolor: Neon-hued fish and corals abound in Twilight Zone’s vivid habitats.

Candy colors. Ingenious adaptations. Extreme conditions. Meet the unusual animals that inhabit deep reefs.

California: State of Nature

Coyote specimen with amber eyes on exhibit in California: State of Nature at Cal Academy. Photo by Gayle Laird

A colorful new exhibition reveals the surprising ways people, places, and species are connected in California.

NightLife x Noise Pop

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DJ DāM-FunK

DāM-FunK

February 20 at 6:00 pm

We’re back with another collab with SF staple Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival featuring a DJ set by DāM-FunK.

Penguins+Pajamas Sleepovers

Four girls with stuffed animals laying by the aquarium

Experience the ultimate overnight museum adventure for kids. Don't snooze on this one—tickets sell out fast!

Spark: The Universe in Us

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Simulation from new Academy planetarium film Spark: The Universe in Us of a galaxy in space

Explore the explosive origins of life in the Academy's newest original planetarium film—now playing daily.

Daily Calendar

Iconic exhibits

Steinhart Aquarium

A woman and child in front of the Philippine Coral Reef tank

Come face-to-fin with nearly 60,000 animals—from deep-sea oddities to Claude, our alligator with albinism.

Morrison Planetarium

Interior of Morrison Planetarium with guests in audience, photo by John Hartsfield

The interior of Morrison Planetarium—one of the world's largest all-digital domes.

Experience the cosmos from the Academy's all-digital, 75-foot planetarium dome. Reservations required.

Osher Rainforest

Panoramic shot of Osher Rainforest exhibit at the Academy, a 4-story glass dome housing a living rainforest

Journey through a living 4-story rainforest, home to free-flying butterflies and birds and giant Amazonian fish.

Kimball Natural History Museum

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Guests exploring Color of Life exhibit and tiger specimen at California Academy of Sciences

Explore hands-on exhibits, fascinating specimens, and the latest research conducted by Academy scientists.

Coming soon

Dino Days

Colorful illustration of a roaring T. rex and Triceratops in a prehistoric tropical landscape

The Academy goes Cretaceous: Moving, roaring, life-size animatronic dinosaurs will invade the museum on March 1!

Unseen Oceans

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Visitors try to match adults from a variety of marine species to their planktonic forms in a “Find My Baby Picture” game in Unseen Oceans exhibition

©AMNH/R. Mickens

Unexplored depths. Unusual creatures. See how strange species thrive in darkness and pressure—starting March 21.

Ongoing exhibits

BigPicture: Natural World Photography

BigPicture grand prize winner is The Forest of the Monarchs by Jaime Rojo, showing monarch butterflies completely covering trees in a sun-dappled forest in Mexico.

Grand Prize winner: The Forest of the Monarchs by Jaime Rojo

Embark on a visual odyssey of the year's best nature, wildlife, and conservation photography—now open daily.

Shake House

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Step in and hang on as our earthquake simulator recreates California's powerful 1906 and 1989 quakes.

The Swamp

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Claude the alligator with albinism sits on his rock in the Academy's Swamp exhibit

Explore a Southeastern swamp habitat, home to snapping turtles and our beloved alligator with albinism, Claude.

Hidden Wonders: Inside the Academy's Collections

California saber-tooth cat fossil from the Academy's collections

"Kitty," our California saber-toothed cat (Smilodon californicus) fossil, was collected from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

Peek into the past in an interactive exhibition of nearly 800 objects from the Academy's research collections.

Gems and Minerals Unearthed

Crocoite; Photo: Kat Whitney

Marvel at nearly 400 dazzling and dramatic gem and mineral specimens from the Academy's geology collection.

Academy in Action

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2 guests look at the new exhibition kiosk, Academy in Action

Our colorful new mini-exhibition brings our three regeneration initiatives out of the field and into the museum.

Color of Life

Color of Life

Live animals and hands-on exhibits reveal the significant role color plays across a vibrant spectrum of species.

California Coast

Silhouetted guests point and gaze at the 100,000 gallon California Coast exhibit

Get a glimpse of the richness right off our coast and gaze at rockfish, eels, anemones, sharks, and more.

Philippine Coral Reef

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Philippine Coral Reef

Watch reef fish dart through colorful forests of coral while giant rays sail gracefully under your feet.

Tusher African Hall

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Visitors wander through African Hall, filled with dioramas on both sides and an African penguin colony at the far end.

Explore our evolutionary history while surrounded by dioramas of African wildlife and splashing penguins.

Living Roof

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The Living Roof

Rolling hills and 1.7 million plants create an oasis for native species atop the Academy's 2.5-acre living roof.

Human Odyssey

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Visitors explore the Human Odyssey exhibit.

Trace the milestones of our species’ fascinating history by studying skull casts, interactive maps, and more.

Water Planet

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The Water Planet exhibit's blue glow creates a beautiful place for exploring watery adaptations.

Discover how animals have evolved fascinating methods of living in and out of water.

Hands-on exhibits

Wander Woods

Girl plays atop a fallen tree trunk with a fanciful wood sculpture in the background at Wander Woods at the Academy

Activate your kids' curiosity about the natural world in our outdoor nature play and exploration space.

Curiosity Grove

The iconic climbing tree framed by an all-new colorful mural inside the new Curiosity Grove educational play space.

Young imaginations soar in this colorful, California forest-themed playspace. Open daily, 10 am-4 pm.

Naturalist Center

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A visitor inspecting the Naturalist Center cabinets filled with specimens, books, and more.

Welcome to the Academy's hub for exploration, with books, games, specimens, and more. Open daily; hours vary.

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