I'm planning on going on a date to the Academy of Science this week, and am wondering if there are any tips to get discounted tickets? The price is surprisingly high, especially compared to the other local museums, so I'm a bit worried it's out of my price range.
I am a member of the library, but unfortunately the Discover & Go passes are unavailable for all of August.
Anyone know of any other resources I should look at?
Thanks!
TL;DR: California Academy of Science charges absurdly high prices for public knowledge. Science shouldn’t be a VIP lounge. London and NYC (science) museums are free—why is SF acting like science is bottle service?
Can someone explain to me why the entrance fee to the California Academy of Sciences is so absurdly high? Like, genuinely—what are we paying for here? Does the rainforest dome come with a free monkey?
Science is already locked behind layers of privilege—elite degrees (saying as someone with a club ticket!), research grants, tenured positions, and the kind of free time that only exists for people who have never worked a double shift. It’s an exclusive club for folks in the ivory tower. **Shouldn’t a museum be the one place where “normal people” can access science without a prohibitive ticket price?
Meanwhile, the Natural History Museum in London— you know, the one with the dinosaurs and actual royal fossils— is completely free. And the American Museum of Natural History in New York lets you in for whatever you can afford to donate. (Translation: $0, if you’re feeling honest and poor)
But San Francisco? Nope, here, science has a bouncer, a velvet rope, and a cover charge that screams, “This knowledge is brought to you by people who IPO’d”. What happens here with my tax contributions as a San Francisco resident?
If your institution is more focused on premium ticketing and café revenue than making science accessible, maybe stop calling yourself a museum. Just be honest and rebrand as the Science Lounge or Rainforest Club SF. I’ll bring my monocle.
Anyone else feel like museums should be bridges, not luxury destinations?