California Academy of Sciences: Behind-the-Scenes Academy Tour

With a history spanning 160 years, the California Academy of Sciences is one of the most biodiverse and interactive aquariums on the planet! Join a VIP tour and see the research collection usually closed to the public. Step onto the living roof, uncover a dozen new animal species and be spoiled by science!
What does it take to make a comfortable home for almost 46 million animal specimens? Find out on this exclusive tour through the mostly off-limits-to-the-public regions of the California Academy of Sciences.
Spend an hour with a guide behind the scenes of this San Francisco institution and check out the vast research collections that regular visitors don't get to see!
Learn about amazing fish, bird and insect specimens to impress your friends, step onto the unique living roof and examine spectacular geology specimens in the private vault!
After the tour, stick around and explore the rest. Interactive exhibits, free-flying birds, seven unique observation stations, a planetarium and a natural history museum and more, all under one living roof!