How to get Discounts, Deals & Freebies at Cal Academy
California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, has so much to offer we want to go again and again. Maybe that’s why Condé Nast Traveler named it one of the “New Wonders of the World.”
The museum features a world of fun, with an aquarium, planetarium, four-story living rainforest, live coral reef, thousands of live animals, state-of-the-art space show, a natural history museum, and more all under a living roof. And all this is included in the ticket price.
On this page: I’ll share Seven Ways to Save on Cal Academy Tickets, including the popular Skip The Line deal, the Nightlife deal, Cal Academy Free Days, and other ways to save.
You have tons of choices, like with Combo Passes, the Transit deals and AAA discounts, the best place to park, and other savvy tips for enjoying your trip to the California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park.
Best Time To Go to Cal Academy
One of my favorite times to go to Cal Academy is during the winter when they feature a holiday program with live reindeer, indoor snow flurries, a giant Snowman Theater, and special fun activities.
You’ll enjoy festive performances by musicians, cultural groups, and the famous Tap Dancing Christmas Trees, and hands-on exhibits that show you how reindeer adapt, stay warm, stay afloat when crossing icy rivers, and how they find food in the harsh Arctic winter.
No matter when you go, you’ll find a full day of fun things to do (most people stay for around four hours). The savvy way to go is to get skip-the-line tickets online, which are good for a year, so if you change your mind, you can still use them later. Depending on whey you get tickets, the price may not be better.
If you’d rather go on a free admission day, keep reading. Locals have special free days available. Not a local? The Academy of Sciences offers quarterly free days for everyone. Scroll down this page for details.
Cal Academy discounts may not be what they used to be. They stopped offering regular discounts and coupons to upgrade their brand, based on advice from an outside consultant, according to my contact there.
You’ll still see coupon sites advertising Cal Academy coupons and discounts, but they will lead you to a dead end, or to the same prices you can get at the door. That said, I’ve found a few savvy ways to save on tickets.
The best deal now is to go with a combo pass. These are way better than they used to be. The best option is the “Build Your Own” San Francisco Pass (see below), because you can select as few as two activities (or as many as you want) to and save 30 percent or more on both/all, and you have an entire month to use them up.
Plus you can get the passes online and show on your smart phone (or print a voucher if you prefer).
Cal Academy Discount Tickets: 7 Ways to Save
The Cal Academy ticket offers listed below include admission to everything at the museum, and that means all the amazing special exhibits, too. Note: No Cal Academy coupons are available at this time.
1, Skip-The-Line Tickets
The way to get California Academy of Sciences Skip-The-Line + Go Any Day tickets is online only, via one of the Academy’s ticket partners (with no coupon code needed).
NOTE: During peak days (around the holidays and summers), prices sometimes go up.
Skipping the long line outside during busy days is the way to go, especially during holidays and summer.
And if you change your plans, you can just use these tickets later because they are “Any Day” tickets. When you get tickets elsewhere you typically have to choose the date of your visit when you order.
- Peak Season Deals: If you get your tickets directly from Cal Academy during peak holiday and summer days, you’ll pay peak prices, which can be several dollars more. Our travel partner often has the lower price longer because the museum can be slow getting their prices changed everywhere (compare prices).
2. Go City San Francisco Pass
{best price} This San Francisco discount pass can be the best way to save on tickets, with a discount from 20% to 55% depending on how many attractions you select.
What I like about this deal is that they give you a custom option so you can choose as few as two attractions (like Cal Academy and Aquarium of the Bay, for example) and save on both.
Or you can choose to do more. You have 30 days from the time you visit the first attraction to visit them all. Best of all, you can either show the card on your smart phone or print a voucher to show at the door.
3. San Francisco CityPASS
{best price} A discount card that provides free admission to six Bay Area attraction including the California Academy of Sciences. Saves you $57 overall, and you have nine days to use it up.
4. AAA Discount
If you’re a AAA sometimes offers a discount. Check with your CA AAA representative.
5. Public Transportation Deal
Get $3 off anytime when you take public transportation or ride a bicycle to the museum. Simply show your public transportation ticket or bicycle.
6. Library Discount
The Academy works with several Bay Area programs to make museum passes available to anyone through libraries and social service organizations. Learn more via Discover & Go.
7. Military Discount
Present a valid military ID or proof of service (VA card or DD-214) at the ticket window when you go to get $3 off daytime general admission (for active-duty military only, not your family, friends, or dependents).
NIGHTLIFE at California Academy of Sciences
Even if you missed the recent $2 off Nightlife deal, you can still get skip-the-line tickets and go hang with the animals and the party animals without waiting in the horrendous line with the rest of the crowd.
Nightlife admission is only $12 (less than have the price of daytime tickets). You can get tickets for this price at the door. Better yet, you get them online here via our link and skip the long line out front.
Cal Academy Nightlife Deals
California Academy of Sciences holds adults-only evening mixers called Cal Academy Nightlife every Thursday. These are theme parties with DJs and drinks. Nightlife is every Thursday night 6pm – 10pm. They offer a couple of deals:
Skip-The-Line Cal Academy Nightlife Tickets
Tickets are for general admission but around half the price you’d pay to go during the day. AND, if you get these online here you can skip the long ticket line out front.
AND the tickets are good for any Nightlife (up to the expiration date about a year from now as of this writing). So if you don’t end up going this week, you can use your ticket later.
Price is now $15 (used to be $12 but with the success of this event the price went up). Print your voucher and go whenever you want. Look for the sign out front for speedy entry.
Cal Academy earthquake exhibit
FREE DAYS at California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences offers a couple of ways to get in free throughout the year. Follow the links below for specific dates. (These change often so I don’t want to post them here.)
CAL ACADEMY FREE 3-DAY CELEBRATIONS
California Academy of Sciences now holds three days of free days twice a year. Follow the previous link to find out the dates for the next one.
SAN FRANCISCO LOCAL FREE DAYS
Cal Academy offers Neighborhood Free Days by San Francisco zip code. Each visiting adult is limited to six children for free entry.
You’ll need to show proof of residency. Follow the link above for free days in your SF district.
Cal Academy: Know Before You Go
Where to get Cal AcademyTickets
You can get tickets at the door, or save time and skip the line with this Cal Academy ticket offer mentioned above.
Hours
Open daily except for certain holidays. REGULAR HOURS: Daily 9:30am – 5pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm. Closed on Christmas Day.
Nightlife is on Thursday nights from 6pm – 10pm. See closed and blackout days on the ticket page. Closed December 25.
Address & Location
California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 (in Golden Gate Park).
Where to Park near Cal Academy
Parking is easy in the parking garage next to the museum, but is far from cheap. You can usually find free parking on the side streets near and behind the museum.
Public Transportation
First off, BART doesn’t stop within walking distance. (If you’re using BART, ride to one of several transfer stations and catch Muni’s N line.) Other transit options on this CAS “Getting Here page.
Cal Academy Planetarium
Book your time as soon as you walk in the door! You’ll be sorry if you don’t. It’s free with your tickets, but you need to reserve your spot, first come first served.
How Long to Stay
Most people spend about four hours in the museum. You can take a lunch break on site in the museum’s restaurant or snack area.
Get the free App
Just before you go, get the free Cal Academy app. Called the Cal Academy Insider, this free iPhone app helps you navigate the museum, provides supplemental exhibit info, suggests self-guided tours, and makes sharing easy (via email, Twitter, Facebook).
Did You Know
A little trivia to share with your friends and family — California Academy of Sciences has been called the ‘Greenest’ Museum in the World and is Platinum LEED certified.
