NightLife

It was a fun time walking around the Academy of Science at night with only adults, but it wasn't completely what I was expecting.

Although it makes sense why we can't drink or eat inside, I was expecting to have cocktails while we walk around the museum. We were only allowed to purchase and consume all food and drinks outside, which is quite cold. Bring a jacket! They only had two cocktails on their menu and canned Cutwater cocktails. All for $12 each.

There was a DJ and dance floor inside, but no one seemed to partake and would rather walk around the museum. The rain forrest (closes at 7:30 PM), planetarium, aquarium, living roof, sharks, fog room, and rock exhibits were all available.

I don't recommend doing the planetarium show unless you want to fall asleep. It's not so much about space and stars, but instead... a documentary about Chile and their space programs there. So if you're planning to have a few cocktails, you're most likely to fall asleep.

This has got to be the best thing to do in San Francisco. Thursday nights, they turn this gorgeous museum into a beautiful night club, with the best local DJs. Grab a cocktail and a seat at the planetarium. Also, don't forget to go to the Shake House where you can experience simulations of the 1906 & 1989 earthquakes.

We have been members for years. I miss the old building/layout but understand things change and need upgrading. Have been wanting to go to Nightlife for quite awhile and finally went with 4 girlfriends.

Went in at 6:00 and went right into the Planetarium for the show which was boring - very disappointing. The subject was interesting - observatories in Chile - but the show focused on the people who operate the obseratories instead of actual astronomy (stars, planets, etc). The measurements of the lenses, cleaning and operating the machinery, watching people point at computer screens - obviously I am not the target audience.

After the show we went for refreshments. You cannot drink or eat inside and it's cold outside - not the way this event is promoted. There was music - loud music that can't be healthy for the animals. I googled allegators to see if noise is an issue and it is! Not cool.

If you're on a date, I suppose this is something to do. Wouldn't go back to Nightlife.

Best part - the staff. Super courteous and helpful. Obviously enjoy their jobs and make you feel welcome. They get 5 stars.

nerd out with drinks and no kids pushing their way to the front. they have different themes every week and some are more popular than others. for the chinese new year theme, the line was so far out the door. it was shoulder to shoulder. possibly more crowded than a normal saturday! but normally cal academy is better at night since its less crowded and cheaper tickets. the drinks are pretty pricey ~$15 and watered down but you shouldnt get too wasted here anyways. food is okay as its from the cafeteria unless they have vendors coming in. cant believe they charge for planetarium tickets now as well. what a rip. normally i would get tickets and fall asleep in there as the seats are comfy and its dark. nightlife is mainly to hang out, go on a date, see some fish, and of course clyde the alligator.

I went for the lunar new year themed night life event and this is just my personal experience but it was not worth going. I've been to Cal academy during regular times and had fun but night life is an entirely different experience. First off, tickets sold out for this event so I assumed the crowd would be limited. Nope. We got there at 7pm and the line to get in with tickets took about 30min. Fyi rainforest stops letting people in at 730p. After getting in, I noticed people are moving around almost shoulder to shoulder so I couldn't even enjoy any of the exhibits. Don't come hungry. I saw this event advertised to have a night market with food options but all the bakery/candy stands were sold out and the one actual food stall sold small rice bowls (about a third of a portion size) for $9. Line was absurdly long but I wanted to get something for dinner and it was getting late. Lines for cocktails and canned beer were long for $17 drinks. They had led lion dancing but again, with the crowd I couldn't really see the two lions dancing at all. Parking was difficult and the lot near the academy is closed at night. I probably won't be voluntarily visiting again for night life.

Really fun night at Thursday's night life at the cal academy. Not too crowded and masks are required. It's like the regular museum, except only people 21+ and music playing throughout the museum. There's also an outside area with food, drinks, and a dj. Not too many people dancing but felt like that could be fun too!!

There's also 20/30 minute shows going on every half hour that you're supposed to make a reservation for. We didn't, but we're able to make the last show just by walking in.

Totally would've loved to stay more than 3 hours! I'd say try and get there early for maximum museum time.

I have been waiting for forever to try out Nightlife and it didn't disappoint. It was a great fun and friendly atmosphere among the guests and staff. I loved looking at all the different exhibits, especially the sea life. I've read about this place and researched a little; I thought it might have been bigger than it was going to be, but not a super huge disappointment. I was with really good company so it added to my experience. I feel like If I went alone, I'd have more fun during the day exploring the entire area by myself.

Drinks felt a little expensive, but that's sort of to be expected. I went during COVID, so I feel like I didn't get a real chance at trying any great food, but honestly, not a huge deal. We parked in the underground parking garage that of course isn't cheap. My friends found parking on the street and walked their way up to it.

I highly recommend trying this out at least once because it's a great experience for a hang out with friends. I can't wait to come back when COVID is finally over and experience a real Nightlife.

Had to decide whether I should review the California Academy of Science OR NightLife, but I specifically went to a NightLife event, so it makes more sense to review this rather than the Academy itself. I'm sure the vibes are incredibly different, considering NightLife is 21+ only from 6-10PM and the regular hours are during the day with all ages welcome.

First off, the $15 NightLife ticket with $3 Planetarium shows is a steal! The Academy is usually $39.95 for an adult during the week, so it's over a 50% savings. If you're not really into being around loads of kids (especially field trip groups), this is absolutely ideal. The only downside to this is people tend to be a little inebriated near the end and are a little more unaware of their surroundings, which makes navigating the Academy at a normal speed a bit more of a challenge.

The Rainforest is great, with a variety of butterflies, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and even birds! Most animals are in glass exhibits, however the butterflies and birds roam around freely. You're more like to hear a bird than see one. Just keep looking up! They're there, and with patience, you'll see one! Only downside is the Rainforest closes early at around 8pm. If you're getting there on time, do this first. If you show up late, you run the risk of missing this opportunity.

Next up in our night was the aquarium, which was my personal favorite part of the experience. The downstairs aquarium is expansive and has multiple areas with aquatic life from all around the globe. A handful of reptiles and amphibians can also be found down there. You're sure to find a few species you never knew existed. Prepare to be amazed as you take the elevator down, too. Going down through the aquarium itself and seeing fish (big ones, too!) swim around you and you descend is a fun experience.

Once you're out of the aquarium, you'll enter the swamp portion, complete with an albino alligator. A neat treat and likely a creature you won't see in person outside of the Academy. Definitely a great photo opportunity.

Outside of that, the other exhibits are fun, but underwhelming in comparison. The theme of the night (which changes every Thursday) was goats and GOATS. The goat petting zoo with Pygmy goats (one which was a three legged rescue), regular size goats, and quite possibly the largest goat I've ever seen (think Great Dane size!) were cool. The Greatest of All Time portion seemed nearly nonexistent. Or maybe just not that interesting.

Outside on the other end was an animatronic dinosaur exhibit. Pretty neat, but not a lot going on. You can do it all in about five minutes, which seems like a pretty short amount of time for a featured exhibit.

The cafe offers large portions at a fairly reasonable price for a place like the Academy. Slices of pizza as big as your head are available for $7-$8, and the slice I got fit in with the goat theme, featuring goat cheese, broccoli, and ham. Seemed like a weird combo, but it definitely worked. There was only one person working the cash registers as we got our food, which led to a fairly long line. Someone came in at one point to alleviate the problem, but it felt like both registers should've probably been open for the duration of the event.

Finally, we went to the Planetarium for a live tour of the universe. Our host was funny and personally, and definitely passionate about the subject matter. He had answers to questions about the universe and it was fairly obvious he was educated in the subject rather than being someone employed to just run an a scripted show. The planetarium is huge and offers a lot of insight into our planet, solar system, galaxy, and the universe beyond.

Overall, great experience, with some minor kinks that need to be worked out. Absolutely worth it for the NightLife portion, though I'd be apprehensive to spend the $39.95 on a day out of those kinks weren't worked out then.

"I would never bring a date here" is what I said about an hour into Spotlight 8/30. But if you're living it up as a 20-something tech wageist or it's your College Friday on one of the theme nights, it might work out(?)

I wanna say it's been almost a decade since they've been throwing these After Dark Nights at the Academy. More than enough time to shoot my own shot on one of those awkward dates everyone was on last night but thankfully those chances came and went.

I can't speak for the daytime experience, but I was over it close to hour in. So again, imagine having to entertain company with that level of interest.

To fight that, let me highlight the things you need to get to first: the Butterfly/Rainforest Room and the Planetarium Show. Both you have to fall in line for, another you need tickets to get access to. Do these first and you'll be left to your own leisure to find that viewing bubble in the Aquarium to makeout or have an argument in.

Not a lot of food choices unless you're really into loaded nachos or museum sushi. They don't seem to have a lot of drink specialties either; so you're better off ordering your regular liquorXsoda cocktail to keep you happy walking around.

At least I can say BTDT to the whole NightLife thing. I really do think you get more out of it in the daytime though: Conservatory of Flowers, joggers' routes, etc. just outside the premise; but we all know where the real "Nite Lyfe" in sf lives....

Make it and Rake it when those nights happen =)

I'd heard great things about NightLife, including the themed cocktails, the delicious food, and the all-around good time to be expected. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed by the overall experience, and the entrance fee reduction from the daytime is pretty much moot because you'll likely be ordering one of the 13+ dollar drinks at the bar anyway.

If you decide to visit, keep a close eye on the exhibit closing times. The rainforest exhibit closes at 7:30PM. We didn't even realize there was a cutoff time for any of the exhibits so we ended up missing out on one of the bigger, better (IMO) exhibits in CAS. The last Planetarium showing is at 8:30PM, which we also missed because tickets ran out early and the stand-by line was so long we didn't see a point in waiting.

Not to say that there aren't some cool things to learn, and there were quite a few 'freebies' being passed out for the 'Sharktober' themed night (free face painting, spinning the wheel for prizes like free tickets, etc.). I still thought the most impressive exhibit was probably the aquarium!