Tis the Season for the California Academy of Sciences

Friday was our first day off before the Christmas Holiday, so we met family in San Francisco and visited the California Academy of Sciences. We last visited two years ago. The boys were a bit too young to really appreciate it, and they didn't meet the recommended age for the planetarium.

I had heard an ad on the radio to come see reindeer and snow, and I thought it could be fun. And it was! Four hours worth, with a nary a meltdown. Even among the five and six set, four hours is a long time to do any activity.

The thing about the Academy of Sciences is that it is super expensive. Nearly $100 for a family of four. The membership is $200, so if you intend to go more than once a year, it makes sense to buy the membership. Of course, we probably won't  be going more than once a year.

The Academy is a indoor rainforest, aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum rolled into one. So I guess from that perspective it is a big value.

We got there at 9:30 am when it first opened. This way we were able to get free four hour street parking, within a short walk of the academy. We we also able to visit most of the exhibits before the lines formed, and get tickets to the planetarium show.

We started at the Tis the Season for Science exhibit and lined up for the Snowman theater. You learn about how snowflakes form inside a giant snowman. The show was targeted at small children, and the boys loved it (in fact that, and the planetarium were there two favorite parts).

While we waited in line it started to snow. It was a thick bubble mixture. But the kids were thrilled and all ran and danced in the snowflakes.

At 10 am the four story rainforest opened, so we queued for the exhibit. Coming from snow and snowmen to heat and humidity required a wardrobe adjustment. We started at the bottom of the rainforest and climbed to the top. The rainforest is built over the aquarium. So when you look down at the swamp, you can see people watching the big fish in the aquarium. At the top of the rainforest is my favorite part ... the butterflies. Then you make sure you are butterfly free and take an elevator to the aquarium.

The aquarium is pretty cool. The boys liked the hands on area, where you can pet starfish and sea urchins. I liked viewing the big fish through the rounded glass enclosure. You feel like you're in an aquarium for the fish, and they are watching you. When you climb out of the aquarium you get to see the albino alligator in the swamp.

We then had tickets for the planetarium. The boys were too young last visit, so this was their first time, and they loved it. They stay engaged for the entire show, and we learned something about our solar system.

After that, we went to the rooftop to see the living roof - two acres of native species. Since we are having incredibly warm December weather, it was nice to be outside in the sun. Then on our way out we went to visit the two reindeer before we headed home.

Overall a great visit.