OH! I love the nightlife…at California Academy of Sciences?!
Do you want to boogie too?
By Nate Gartrell
For eons, humanity has struggled with the age-old conundrum: How do we make learning fun, especially in an era where mind-numbing distractions exist just about everywhere you turn? Well, the folks at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco appear to have this one figured out. They’ve taken the concept of a science museum and meshed it with a 21st-century entertainment venue. The result is a learning center that’s constantly evolving, and coming up with new ways to engage people of all ages. Show up at the Cal Academy during the day, and you’ll find a planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, and natural history museum all rolled into one; arrive at night, and you’ll find something of a science nightclub, with spirits, live DJs, and seasonal themes that adapt and change around the clock.
A lot of the rudimentary science education that children and young adults receive starts out by teaching concepts, then applying them to the real world. The Cal Academy’s approach is the opposite: its displays, events, and research projects aim to teach you why science is important to everyday life, and then they fill you in on the details behind it.
Take the Cal Academy’s recently-opened “Tis the Season for Science: Life on Ice” exhibit as an example: from now through January 5th, 2020, the exhibit will feature live reindeer, indoor flurries of snow every half-hour on average, musical performances, life-sized models of polar bears and Antarctic penguins, and a Snowman Theater, described in a news release as, “an immersive, digital dome-shaped like a giant snowman,” which will play a show entitled Roaming with Reindeer. The purpose of the exhibit is to teach guests about Earth’s north and south poles, the animals that inhabit them, and how these critters have adapted to survive in some of the harshest places on the planet. The Cal Academy’s website invites guests to: “Enjoy festive live performances in the piazza, a kid-friendly show about reindeer in the Snowman Theater, and learn about our planet’s polar regions to ensure your holidays are chock-full of scientific cheer.”
The Cal Academy’s history dates back to the Gold Rush Era, and it has survived some rocky periods over the years. In 1916, more than a half-century after its start in 1853, the academy moved to its current home in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. However, in 1989, came the mother of all ironies: its building was badly damaged by the Loma Prieta Earthquake, and it became apparent that the place where millions of people had come to learn about science and engineering had not been adequately designed to withstand California quakes. The ultimate result was a $500-million remake in 2005, which forced the academy to move to a temporary new home on Howard Street during the interim; once it reopened in 2008, however, the Cal Academy was bigger and better than ever. Bay Area residents greeted the new, state-of-the-art museum by turning out in droves: the line was a mile long out the door, and the staff was forced to turn away thousands of guests for lack of space.
These days, the Cal Academy is probably best known for its NightLife events on Thursdays, where it becomes a 21+ venue with food, cocktails, a DJ, and constantly-changing themes. Most recently, on December 5th, there was a Star Wars night, where attendees could “wander among droids built by the R2 Builders Club,” or view epic lightsaber battles by the Saber Guild, a not-for-profit costuming group that specializes in choreographed lightsaber performances and is recognized by LucasFilms. The live DJ sets typically have some sort of interesting twist, such as an accompanying light show or a set up where everyone listens to music through headphones, while the actual dance floor stays completely silent (outsiders simply see a large group of people eerily dancing to nothing).
However, if you’re not old enough to drink, don’t fret—the Cal Academy has children’s nightlife covered too, with its sleepover events offered throughout the year. These start at 6 p.m. and last 14 hours, offering live animal presentations, planetarium showings, a chance to spend the night in an exhibit area, and other features. They’ll also give you breakfast before they send you on your way. Nine sleepovers have been scheduled so far for 2020, and they’re already selling out. To book yours (tickets are $119 per guest but discounted for members), visit calacademy.org/penguinspajamas-sleepovers. You can also email them at penguinsandpajamas@calacademy.org or call (415) 379-5854.
The academy’s daily exhibits are one-of-a-kind. Its 90-foot rainforest dome, the largest in the world, recreates the unique South American ecosystem’s flora, animal life, and humidity. “It will instantly transport you to some of the most biodiverse places on Earth,” the academy’s website says.
The Steinhart Aquarium, founded in 1923, is home to 40,000 animals of 900 unique species and allows guests to get up close. You can walk through a tunnel, immersed in underwater life, allowing an “unprecedented view of underwater and terrestrial habitats.” Similarly, the Morrison Planetarium, with its 75-foot dome, offers shows “fueled by cutting-edge scientific data, resulting in stunning visualizations of the latest findings, discoveries, and theories about our Universe.”
These are just a sliver of what the Cal Academy has to offer; it’s impossible to encapsulate everything in a single article. For a full list of features, upcoming lectures, and other events visit their website at calacademy.org.
The Cal Academy is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive in San Francisco. It is open 365 days a year, but has limited hours on the major holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve. Its regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. NightLife hours are from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission ticket prices vary with the age of guests but run in the $30-35 range for adults, around $25 for ages 3-17, and around $30 for seniors. Nearly all the academy’s exhibits and features are covered by a single admission ticket. NightLife tickets are in the $15-20 range.
For additional information, email them at info@calacademy.org or call (415) 379-8000.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
