San Francisco: New California Academy of Sciences opens Sept. 27

Having broken ground in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 2005, the new California Academy of Sciences is nearly ready for its unveiling. The widely anticipated facility, which will be open to the public on Sept. 27, 2008, will launch grandly with a free celebration, with acrobats and all.

What’s the fuss about? Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the new academy has major environmental cred (e.g., efficiency-minded utilization of resources, reclaimed wastewater usage); it is impressive from the outside and will certainly be even more so on the inside; and the complex, which formerly housed 12 buildings, now consists of one structure covering 410,000 square feet.

The new facility will hold the Kimball Natural History Museum, Steinhart Aquarium and Morrison Planetarium — all under one literally green, living and visitor-accessible roof spanning 2.5 acres. Sneak a peak of the building on the academy website.

Among the many attractions, you’ll be able to gape at alligators in the Swamp from an underwater-level view; the Rainforests of the World exhibit, encased in a 90-foot-diameter glass sphere at the building’s center, will offer a hot and humid multilevel taste of flora and fauna; and the Philippine Coral Reef exhibit, using water from San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, will hold more than 4,000 fish. Plus, parents of wee ones will be pleased to learn of the Early Childhood Center, where toddlers and grown-ups can explore together.

When: Opening weekend is the last weekend of this month, with free admission all day Saturday, Sept. 27, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Expect lots of crowds, in and outside the new building, among exhibits, live bands, drummers, acrobats, environmentally focused demos, and food and drink (sans plastic water bottles). The party continues on Sunday, but paid admission that day, as well as for regular entry thereafter, is $24.95 per adult, $19.95 for seniors and youth 12-17 and $14.95 for kids 7-11.

Tip: Leave your car at home or hotel, and hop aboard the “CultureBus.” The 74X Express line, a new Muni route, will be shuttling passengers among a handful of the city’s museums, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Taking public transport (or walking or biking) will also earn you $3 off of the cost of your museum admission ticket.

Note: The Academy of Natural Sciences’ temporary location at 875 Howard St. is now closed.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: The Living Roof at California Academy of Sciences; CalAcademy.org]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 10:25 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, Festival, Frequent Flier, Northern California, San Francisco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.