An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum—all under one Living Roof.
The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, California, is a popular feature of Golden Gate Park, originally built as part of a sprawling World's Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Though many of its attractions are still a part of the garden today, there have been changes throughout the history of the garden that have shaped it into what it is today.The oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, this complex of many paths, ponds and a teahouse features plants and trees pruned and arranged in a Japanese style. The garden's 3 acres contain sculptures and structures influenced by Buddhist and Shinto religious beliefs, as well as many elements of water and rocks to create a calming landscape designed to slow people down.HistoryAfter the conclusion of the 1894 World's Fair, Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and gardener, approached John McLaren with the idea to convert the temporary exhibit into a permanent park. Hagiwara personally oversaw the building of the Japanese Tea Garden and was official caretaker of the garden from 1895 to 1925. He specifically requested that one thousand flowering cherry trees be imported from Japan, as well as other native plants, birds, and the now famous koi fish, expanding the garden by four acres. After San Francisco's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition closed, he obtained the two large ornamental wooden gates, and probably also the Tea Garden's prominent five-tiered pagoda, from that fair's Japanese enclave.
One half of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. www.legionofhonor.org
Open Daily at 7:30am. Fall & Winter October through early November: Last entry at 5:00pm 1st Sunday in November through January: Last entry at 4:00pm February through early March: Last entry at 5:00pm (closed at 6:00pm) Spring & Summer 2nd Sunday in March through September: Last entry at 6:00pm (closed at 7:00pm) Admission is FREE for all Members, San Francisco City & County Residents (with proof of residency), and School Groups. Admission for non-residents is as follows: Age/Category Admission Adults $8.00 Youth 12-17 and Seniors 65 and over $6.00 Children 5-11 $2.00 Children 4 and under FREE Families (2 adults and all children under 17 residing in the same household) $17.00 The Botanical Garden is FREE daily 7:30–9am and all day on the second Tuesday of every month as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Thursdays 6pm-10pm | 21+ $15 general admission | $12 members Follow us on Twitter: @CASNightLife Join our email list: http://bit.ly/1Br3Gty Details and tickets: http://www.calacademy.org/nightlife
Morrison Planetarium, the largest all-digital planetarium in the world, is situated in a living, coral reef at the California Academy of Sciences. Thanks to immersive, full-dome, video technology, the dome seems to disappear when imagery is projected onto it, creating an experience more like flying than watching a movie.
The Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences is at the forefront of efforts to understand two of the most important topics of our time: the nature and future of life on Earth. Based in San Francisco, the institute is home to more than 60 research scientists and aquarium biologists, as well as more than 28 million scientific specimens from around the world—nearly 40,000 of which are alive and on display in the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. The institute also leverages the expertise and efforts of more than 100 international Research and Field Associates and 300 distinguished Fellows. Through expeditions around the globe, captive breeding programs, and investigations in the lab, the institute’s scientists strive to understand the evolution and interconnectedness of life. Through these same efforts, as well as through partnerships, community outreach, and public engagement initiatives, the institute aims to guide critical conservation decisions and address the challenge of sustainability.