Come find out why Nightlife at the California Academy of Sciences is the hottest event on everyone's social calendar! As the sun goes down, this famous San Francisco museum is transformed into a lively venue filled with music, provocative science and exhibits! Choose to enjoy unlimited cocktails prior to your behind-the-scenes tour with an optional Nightlife VIP Tour upgrade. Reserve your tickets now and get ready for an educated and fun evening at the Academy! And to make it as easy as possible, this ticket includes
instant access, meaning you don't have to go to a separate kiosk to
redeem your voucher — just present it right at the California Academy of Science's entrance and be on your way.
Science goes sexy! Come see what happens when science and the San Francisco nightlife scene converge. This is the perfect, child-free way to explore the museum after hours. Upon arrival at the Academy, you'll receive express entry into the museum. Mingle with friends, enjoy drinks at the bar with upbeat music and simply relax as the world around you transforms into a nightlife scene you've never witnessed before! Alternatively, select the VIP Tour Upgrade with Cocktails option at time of bookingand you'll gain access to the reserved bar area for unlimited cocktails prior to the commencement of your guided tour.
Join a one-hour behind-the-scenes tour, with a private viewing of some of the Academy's renowned gem and mineral collection. Learn all about the various exhibits and animals, interact with some of the Academy's scientists and discover fun facts about our planet's diversity and biology.
Then you're on your own to explore the Academy at your leisure! Head over to Penguin Hall, hang out with Claude the albino alligator and gain VIP access to the four-story rainforest! During this time, there will be food and additional cocktails available for purchase. Your ticket also includes a reserved pass for the 8:30pm Planetarium Show.
Great night, very interesting and much better to have the VIP experience
Review by: Cheri J, March 2018
This was a fun experience. They offered some fun presentations and great drinks at the bars. It was nice to be surrounded by fellow “adults” for more “adult” time to explore the museum. They also played fun music in the background. Buy planetarium tickets early because they sell out quickly.
Review by: Jordan C, August 2017
SO AMAZING!!! We recommend!!!
Review by: Reece T, August 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Catherine D, August 2017
This was an amazing place. After hours was great. The behind the scenes tour was wonderful too!
Review by: Rene R, June 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Rene R, June 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: BO, May 2017
The C.A.S NightLife VIP is the best way to see this Living Document of Science. Short- to no lines, free drinks and great sandwiches and a very special guided tour with fun people. You don't want to miss this Science class like you skipped in High School. BUS 37r takes you right to the entrance and there is a stop across the street to take you back. Get the City Pass.....BO
Review by: umbagr1, August 2016
This was a fun evening. Spend the extra 20 for the VIP ticket. You get a one hour open bar and go the the head of the line to get into the rain forest and the planetarium and earthquake exhibit. The place was packed and avoiding the lines was worth the extra money. Hip. young crowd, DJ. live music, what's not to like? This is worth doing on the Thursday night that they offer the Night at the Museum.
Review by: William Tanoto T, August 2016
The night visit to the California Academy of Sciences was something different from the usual visit to the museum. The crowd was obviously more interested in the drinks, but opening up the museum beyond the usual working hours meant that you get most of the day to do other interesting things in SF before going to visit this museum. The museum is huge, very different from other natural history museum. Definitely worth a visit.
Review by: Heather L, August 2016
Interesting night - I recommend going when it opens, as we went late and didn't have much time to explore and try the different drinks at different stations. More exhibits could have been open, but the event seemed popular enough it was sold out when we arrived.
Review by: vikki.flynn, June 2015
Just loved the behind-the-scenes tour option.
Review by: John C, May 2015
amazing place and V.I.P. trip well worth the extra cost.
Review by: Eugene Y, March 2015
Drink as much as you can in the open bar at the beginning of the tour cause it costs you money to get a drink after the tour.
Review by: Tabra C, March 2015
We loved our time here! Only regret was not getting the VIP passes but still got to see just about all of what we went to see.
Review by: Caroline W, November 2014
This was a waste of money as no-one was interested in the exhibits, everyone just wanted to dance to the too-loud music and drink to excess. I don't know why people who want this don't go to a nightclub instead?!_br/_
Everybody else's drunken behaviour ruined the visit for us, and it surely must have scared the animals in the rainforest and aquarium, etc?
Review by: Lance C, October 2014
Great museum and night
Review by: Allison P, October 2014
We had so much fun. On a arrival we found DJ playing a rather but fun mix of eclectic music. We loved the Penguins, the free planetarium show and the aquarium. We also had dinner there in the café which tasty and great value. Throughout the evening there seemed to be lots of fun activities going on as we heard announcements about both salsa and belly dancing classes about to begin, we didn't join in as we didn't have time. We left about 9pm as it got very busy at this time.
Review by: Allison M, October 2014
We had so much fun. On a arrival we found DJ playing a rather but fun mix of eclectic music. We loved the Penguins, the free planetarium show and the aquarium. We also had dinner there in the café which tasty and great value. Throughout the evening there seemed to be lots of fun activities going on as we heard announcements about both salsa and belly dancing classes about to begin, we didn't join in as we didn't have time. We left about 9pm as it got very busy at this time.
Review by: Cat, December 2013
I love Nightlife at the Academy of Sciences! The nighttime experience is great fun since there are djs, food and drinks, and no children. The night I went, they were hosting a Christmas themed event, so I got to make reindeer antlers, take photos in a photo booth and even meet some real reindeer! The aquarium part is also really fun because there are a lot of really cool creatures to see. And up on the living roof, they had a telescope set up to see Jupiter!
Review by: Laura All Over, December 2013
If you're in San Francisco on a Thursday evening, don't miss Nightlife! Not only are there activities and drinks, it's also a totally different and unique experience to be in the museum after dark. We went during the holiday season and got to make reindeer antlers (there were also several other crafts), tried a bunch of Ghirardelli chocolate, saw real reindeer, watched the jellyfish float around their aquariums, and looked through a telescope on the roof. Whether you live in SF and want to try something new or you're just visiting, I'd highly recommend Nightlife!
Review by: Bonnie M, December 2013
This is the best way to see the museum.
Review by: Neeraj v, December 2013
There are multiple floors with just about everything science-y. Some cool aspects of the museum._br/_
All the exhibits and show cases were interesting to look at and super informative._br/_
Got my Planetarium pass for 7:30pm show ,the 3D show in the forum was awesome. Don't miss it. Its a great atmosphere with great music enjoy science. Don't miss it.
Review by: liz, December 2013
Don't miss the planetarium. It's a jaw-dropping experience.
Review by: Catherine M, December 2013
Fun and informative. The behind-the-scenes tour was great. We saw gems that were amazing and got to talk to scientist s who were preparing specimens for the collection. The living roof was also amazing. Drinks and food provided were good. The planetarium show was wonderful._br/_
Negatives: It was very crowded and noisy. Sometimes it was hard to view exhibits due to the large number of people trying to see the same exhibit. Drinks were served first before the tour even began so some of the people on the tour may have had too much to drink. Some of them were loud and not really paying attention to the tour guide._br/_
However, in general this was an enjoyable experience.
Review by: Katie D, December 2013
Really fun! Plan what you want to see in advance and go for the most popular things first e.g Rainforest and Earthquake sim. Music wasn't to my taste at all but other than that a great evening!
Review by: Nancy B, December 2013
We enjoyed this very much.
Review by: Helene S, December 2013
The Academy of Sciences is truly amazing; the least of which are the exhibits. The building itself is a work of art and genius! Congratulations Academy!
Review by: Bridget W, November 2013
Lots of fun - highly recommend this! But buyer beware - although this site lists a date for the ticket, the voucher you purchase here does not guarantee you entry on any particular night (ie if the event is sold out the night you go).
Review by: Robin M L, October 2013
Was a very cool tour just wished we had more time to explore with a guide and more time to relax into the evening at the bar and snack area.
Review by: Isamara U, October 2013
My husband and I spent one day of our honeymoon exploring San Francisco before heading to Puerto Vallarta. We had a great time and the NightLife at academy of sciences was the perfect final stop of a perfect day.
Review by: Diana R, September 2013
Mind blowing!a must do.
Review by: Diezee, September 2013
Mind blowing!a must do.
Review by: Sandy T, August 2013
First of all being VIP was cool with our own private reception of free cocktails and finger sandwiches. Plenty of both . Behind the scenes tour of the gem vault and the the taxidermy lab. Cool. Then to be first into the Planetarium and the other lines was flawless. Only way to do it. The other perk was parking was so easy on the street, all other visitors were leaving when we were arriving.
Review by: Irena H, August 2013
If you are on Thursday in San Francisco just go there and enjoy!!
Review by: Katia Francois V, July 2013
Amazing tour,so much was happening there we ran out of time. Only negative thing was the planetarium, it was about the earthquakes and nothing else. If we had know we would have skipped it. Great cocktails too
Review by: Pam, April 2013
the evening tour is less crowded i guess ( no kids)
Review by: Jeffrey J, April 2013
Good place to go for a Thursday night with a difference planetarium was amazing as was the academy of science
Review by: Brennifer, September 2012
Fun times.
Review by: Birdi C, August 2012
WOW! This place is AMAZING! And what a deal to go for the Thursday "Night Life"! Over half off, and you still get to see all the cool stuff! I wish we had something like this here back home. What a trip to remember!
Review by: Judith K W, March 2012
We thought this would be a fun way to spend our first night in SF, and planned on spending a full day here later. However, after just a couple of hours, we felt we had seen everything that interested us. We were expecting more of a science museum (with experimental exhibits) and not so much aquarium/rain forest. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, just not what we were expecting. The crowd was VERY young, which I am not. But even my 25 yr old daughter felt old. They seemed to be there only for the party, and I wondered why they didn't just opt to go to a club.
Review by: KellyD, March 2012
The California Academy of Sciences Nightlife event was awesome! I headed to the museum right after work and met up with a bunch of friends. The night was relaxing and educational! My favorite part was the rainforest in the middle of the museum. The seaweed sea horses were also magnificent. It was great to be at the museum without a bunch of kids around and the DJ was great!
Review by: Don E, January 2012
Excellent tour behind the scenes of the CAS, also the Rain Forest, was able to use the telescopes on rooftop too.
Review by: Paul R G, October 2011
Great night. go into a VIP que and go straight in where you are met and given a pass to wear. You are guided through to the roof whare you can have as many free cocktails as you like abd then taken to all behind the scenes.very interesting and well worth the extra money
Review by: Roxanna A, October 2011
My daughter and I went. It was a wonderful evening. I would have arrived exactly at 6pm though, so I could see all the attractions. We were able to see the aquarium and were too late for the rest. Overall great evening
Review by: Sam, October 2011
Great attraction. Make sure you get there as early as you can as there isn't enough time after the tour to see everything as well as the planetarium show.
Review by: Kristin G, September 2011
IT WAS FUN TO SEE THE EXHIBITS AT NIGHT and THE OPEN BAR / SANDWICHES WERE A GREAT TOUCH. I WOULD SAY VIP IS THE WAY TO GO - YOU GO RIGHT TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE and HAVE ACCESS TO ALL EXHIBITS and SOME BEHIND THE SCENES EXHIBITS. YOU LEARN SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT THE PROPERTY- WHICH YOU WOULDN'T GET FROM DOING IT ON YOUR OWN. I WOULDN'T SAY NIGHTLIFE IS A "MUST-SEE" BUT IT WAS A FUN NIGHT OUT.
Review by: Sandra S, August 2011
the ticket situation was confusing, we had to exchange at the ticket booth. the line to get in was very long in the cold having tickets didn't help
Review by: Ashley H., February 2011
This is the perfect time to visit the Cal Academy -- without kids running around and cocktail in hand! Ideal for a first date or night out with friends and colleagues. It was so easy to book through Viator, we just showed up and walked right in!
Review by: CoyoteLovely, February 2011
I’m a huge Science Nerd, so I expected to love the California Academy of Sciences, but really – only California can make an Academy of Sciences so *Cool*. There was a DJ, and a live Band, and I took the VIP + Cocktails Tour, which meant open bar privileges. Trust me - you want the VIP Pass – even if you don’t drink. The ability to skip the lines into the 4 story Rainforest, and the Planetarium are well worth it. Not to mention that you get to see this beautiful climate controlled gem room, and go behind the closed doors to talk to the Scientists who are working while Nightlife is going on. There were many jealous looks as my friend and I bypassed what had to be an hour long line to get preferred seating in the Planetarium!
We went on the third Thursday of the month, which we were told was a special night in the Planetarium. Every third Thursday, the California Academy of Sciences does a review of the new Astronomy finds that week in Science. It was excellent to see something that wasn’t the standard walk-thru of the planets and solar system. The MC for the Planetarium talked about all sorts of interesting things, like the effect of the Solar Winds on the Magnetic field of Earth, and how we would appear to Aliens, if they happened to see our transmissions. It was all really great, and we caught the last show, which meant it was kind of the final thing we did that night. It turned out to be the perfect ending to a really great night.
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