California Academy of Sciences Free Day

March 17

Every third Wednesday of the month, the newly reopened California Academy of Sciences offers free admission to all guests.

Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, this groundbreaking institution has been a city landmark for more than 150 years, and is the only facility in the world to combine a museum, aquarium, planetarium, and world-class research and education programs under one roof.

This unique combination allows visitors to explore everything from the depths of a Philippine coral reef to the canopy of a Costa Rican rainforest to the outer reaches of the universe -- all within a single visit.

The new facility -- which employs sustainable materials and energy-saving technologies -- unifies the Academy's original array of 12 buildings into a single, modern monument to eco-conscious architecture. Crowning the building is the Living Roof, a 2.5-acre expanse of native California plants and wildflowers, which creates a sense of transparency and connectedness between the building and the surrounding park.