Must-See Natural History Museums in the Bay Area

The Bay Area in San Francisco is as rich in natural history as it is in cultural history. This article is going to cover some of the most popular natural history museums in the area, where they are located and what they have to offer to tourists who have never been to a natural history museum.

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA

55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 379-8000

Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Science houses an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest. The Kimball Natural History Museum was founded in 1853. It contains 20 million specimens and draws upon its 150 years of research to give its visitors spectacular exhibits of wildlife, natural science, dinosaur fossils and more.

The Academy offers exhibits for all ages. Toddlers can enjoy a variety of activities in the Explorer Cove, such as climbing into a tree house, exploring the 15-foot replica of an Academy schooner and tending an organic garden. Children and adults will enjoy looking at the towering skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and the 87-foot long skeleton of a blue whale, sixteen dioramas that showcase a variety of mounted animals, participating in interactive science exhibits and more. Visitors also have access to a wide variety of special events. To learn more, please visit https://www.calacademy.org/events/.

The Academy offers general admission tickets for all ages, along with special tour rates.

General Admission

Adult - $24.95

Senior (ages 65 and over) - $19.95

Student - $19.95

Youth (ages 12-17) - $19.95

Child (ages 4-11) - $14.95

Ages 3 and under - FREE

Specialty Tickets

Platinum Tour - $99 / person

Group Tours - Details

NightLife Tickets

Adult (21 and over) - $12

Member (21 and over) - $10

NightLife VIP Tour - $59

Parking is available in the Music Concourse Parking Facility for visitors who wish to drive to the Academy. Please be aware that the garage can fill up quickly during the weekends. Visitors who wish to take public transportation will save $3.00 off of their admission tickets. For more information about parking and driving directions, visit http://www.calacademy.org/visit/.

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Carmel, CA

165 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(831) 648-5716

The Pacific Grove Museum is located blocks from the beach and a 20-minute walk from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, on the corner of Forest Avenue and Grand Avenue. Visitors come to learn about the Native American history, mineralogy, marine life, bird watching, insects and plant life.

The museum operates from Tuesday through Thursday, between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm. Admission to the museum is free. However, the museum will take donations for $3 per person or $5 per family. Groups of 14 or more require advance reservations.

Visitors have unlimited parking on three sides of Jewell Park, located directly across the street from the museum's front entrance. Additional, limited parking is located on Forest Avenue, along with Central and Grand Avenues.

Teachers can schedule free field trips to the museum, where students will participate in topic-specific, hands-on programs in the Education Room. Students can learn about fossils, life cycles, animal adaptations, rocks and minerals, California Indian artifacts and local animals and their habitats. To learn more about the education program, please visit the Education page.

An upcoming event, called Science Saturday: Lights, Shadows, and Photography is scheduled for Saturday, July 31, 2010 between 11:00am and 3:00pm. It will feature hands-on science activities for children, speakers and arts & crafts all focused on lights, shadows and photography.

For more information about the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and driving directions, please visit their website at www.pgmuseum.org.

Children's Natural History Museum, Fremont, CA

4047 Eggers Dr., Fremont 94538
(510) 790-6284

Originally a rescue mission, the Children's Natural History Museum is the largest and fastest growing museum in Fremont. Sometime in the 1940's, in a quarry that is now covered by a freeway, a group of young boys discovered what would become the largest collection of ice age fossils in the San Francisco Bay area.

This collection is housed in the Wesley Gordon Fossil Hall. Visitors will see a wide variety of fossils, including mammoths and sabertooth cats that once lived in the area.

The museum has grown to include an astronomy exhibit, which shows how the Earth evolved over 4.5 billion years. The Nature Hall includes 100 year-old specimens from the original DeYong museum in San Francisco, a collection from Otto Graff and the "Shells of the World" collection.

Admission for non-members is $7 per child, $2 per adult. Members pay $5 per child only.

Special 1.5 hour events are held from 2:00pm to 2:30pm, which includes a half hour lecture and a scavenger hunt for children. One lucky child will win a prize once the hunt is complete.

Contact Laurey Hemengway at laurey@msnucleus.org or at (510) 790-6284 to schedule an additional tour. For more information about Fremont's Children's Natural History Museum, please visit their website at www.msnucleus.org.

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Santa Cruz, CA

1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 420-6115

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History was established during the late 1800 by naturalist, Laura Hecox. Miss Hecox donated her collection of seashells, minerals, fossils, Indian artifacts, and other specimens and curios to the City of Santa Cruz in 1904. The museum has since expanded to include outdoor exhibits on the wharf featuring marine life, fishing, and wharf history, a surfing museum and more.

Children under 18 are admitted for free. Adults pay $2.50, seniors $1.50 unless they enroll in a membership. Then the admission is free for them.

Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, between 10:00am and 5:00pm during the summer (June 7^th through Labor Day). School year hours Tuesday through Saturday, between 10:00am and 5:00pm.

The museum offers several events, including Super Summer Saturdays. The next event is on July 17^th. The Water Beat with ZunZun is a lively, interactive performance that focues on water conservation and watershed issues. Two shows are available: 10:30am and 12:00pm.

For more information about upcoming events and the museum, please visit their website at www.santacruzmuseums.org.