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California Academy of Sciences vs Exploratorium
Both Exploratorium and California Academy of Sciences are recommended by expert reviewers. Overall, Exploratorium scores marginally better than California Academy of Sciences. Exploratorium ranks #1 in San Francisco with approval from 12 publications like Travel + Leisure, Michelin Guide and Time Out.
California Academy of Sciences
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
Travel + Leisure
Condé Nast Traveler
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55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118
From $0 /night
Fodor's
"The Cal Academy is one of the city's most spectacular treasures."
Full review
Concierge
"The California Academy of Sciences is as renowned for its collection—over 26 million specimens gathered over the past 150 years—as it is for the building that houses them."
i
Be sure to pick up tickets for the hourly shows at the state-of-the-art Morrison Planetarium, the world's largest all-digital planetarium; sit up high for the best perspective on the 75-foot-diameter dome.
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"Architect Renzo Piano's 2008 landmark LEED-certified green building houses 38,000 weird and wonderful animals in a four-story rainforest and split-level aquarium."
Full review
Travel + Leisure
"The Museum, in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, extends green, sustainable architecture in unprecedented ways."
Full review
Condé Nast Traveler
Editor's Pick
"Renowned for its collection—over 26 million specimens gathered over the past 150 years—as it is for the building that houses them."
Full review
i
Even on a foggy day, when mist twirls in the treetops, the park views from atop the roof are stupendous.
Exploratorium
Fodor's
Concierge
Frommer's
Lonely Planet
Travel + Leisure
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Pier 15, on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111
From $0 /night
Fodor's
"Walking into this fascinating "museum of science, art, and human perception" is like visiting a mad-scientist's laboratory."
Full review
Concierge
"Adults as well as kids will enjoy blowing giant bubbles or entering a tiny room that scrambles one's sense of perspective."
Frommer's
"Scientific American magazine rated the Exploratorium "the best science museum in the world" -- and I couldn't agree more."
Full review
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"Find answers to questions you wished you'd learned in school, at San Francisco's thrilling hands-on science museum."
Full review
Travel + Leisure
"Prepare to spend several hours here; rotating exhibits like “Making Sense of Sound,” where visitors don headphones to hear how deer, snakes, and other creatures process sound."
Full review
