Self-guided Visits
Take your students on an exciting exploration of the natural world. Our three floors of exhibits, ranging from dinosaurs and dioramas to hands-on interactive stations, are sure to make your field trip to the Academy the highlight of the school year.
Special Exhibits
Glow: Living Lights
June 1-September 29
Glow: Living Lights takes visitors on a journey through land and sea in pursuit of creatures with the incredible ability to produce their own light.
Dinosaurs Unearthed
October 12,2013-March 30, 2014
Roaring, moving, life-size dinosaurs invade the Academy for a multi-sensory experience.
Art of Science
This gallery features changing displays of artwork that explore the interplay between science and art.
Permanent Exhibits
Butterflies!
Stroll among beautiful live butterflies and moths from around the world in our year-round tropical garden. Watch colorful adults emerge from their pupae and discover other forms of metamorphosis.
Reservations required, 20 minute per session
Dinosaur Hall
Explore the exciting world of paleontology, stroll beneath towering fossil skeletons, and examine dinosaur anatomy up close. Stop by the Fossil Preparation Lab to talk with staff as they clean and prepare real fossils.
Diorama of Africa, Asia, and North America
Travel the globe without leaving the museum! Our ever-popular dioramas let students get nose-to-nose with gorillas from Africa, pandas from Asia, and bison from North America.
Science at the Academy
Find out what Academy scientists are up to these days in this multimedia exhibit. Watch video footage from research expeditions, see recently collected specimens, and find out about our latest scientific discoveries.
The Florence R. Foerderer Live Animal Center
Watch animal care staff tend to the more than 100 live animals that call the Academy home while learning about each species at interactive stations.
Programs
Naturalist Presentations
Join our staff as they explore natural history in these informal presentations involving live animals and/or museum specimens. Naturalist Shows are presented daily at 2:30 pm and run for 20 minutes.
Science Live
Watch our scientist and archivists at work from 1–3 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.