Jan 17 2009
Academy of Sciences free on the third Wednesday of every month
The amazing new Academy of Sciences is free on the third Wednesday of every month.
Opening day at the Academy of Sciences, September 27, 2008
Inside the Academy, several weeks later
Where:
Golden Gate Park
When:
Third Wednesday of every month, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Last admission is at 4:00 pm.
Logistics:
Be prepared to wait on line. The Academy is very popular, and with a regular adult admission price of $24.95, you can expect big crowds on free days. As always, it’s best to get there early.
You need separate tickets for the Planetarium show. Tickets are free, but at some point during the day, they will be gone. If you can’t get a ticket, try going up to the Planetarium’s door where there will be a “stand-by” line.
Penguin feedings are at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm.
Don’t forget to go up on the roof!
More information:
Phone: 415-397-8000
Photos (c) 2008-09 Ms Terri
I didn’t have any problems taking photos.
They seem to have a very strict limit on the number of people they allow to be inside the building at any one time. That means that the line to get in gets backed up and grows very long, but that once you get inside, it’s not too crowded. And it’s a big space, and people tend to spread out.
I actually got a membership as a gift, so I haven’t tried to go in on free Wednesdays. But I’ve been there several times on sunny weekends, when the building was definitely filled to capacity and there were long lines waiting to get in. And it wasn’t bad at all inside — take a look at the second picture on the post, which was taken on a Sunday afternoon.
The main problems I had were getting into the Planetarium (though I was able to get in on “stand by”), and getting into the Rainforest, which has its own separate line (again, to keep the crowd size inside down). But it was worth the wait!