California Academy of Sciences tickets 2026: 49 dollars, 55 at peak

Adult admission to the California Academy of Sciences is 49 dollars in 2026, rising to 55 dollars on peak dates, according to the Academy's own ticket page. The peak surcharge is the part most visitors miss when budgeting.

The price ladder

The Academy publishes adults aged 19 and over at 49.00 or 55.00 peak, youth aged 13 to 18 at 45.00 or 49.00 peak and children aged 3 to 12 at 39.00 or 45.00 peak. Ages 2 and under are free. Visitors with an EBT card pay 5 dollars, which is one of the largest published concessions of any big city museum.

When peak pricing bites

The Academy states that peak pricing applies during spring break, summer months, holiday weekends, and November and December holiday periods. In practice that covers most school holidays, so a family travelling in July should assume the higher column. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm.

Worked example

Two adults and two children aged 3 to 12 pay 49 plus 49 plus 39 plus 39 off peak, which is 176 dollars. The same four on a peak date pay 55 plus 55 plus 45 plus 45, which is 200 dollars. Membership starts at 119 dollars a year, so two adults planning a second visit are close to the point where a card wins.

Still unclear: the ticket page does not publish a calendar of peak dates, so the only way to confirm a price is to pick your date in the booking flow.

Sources: https://www.calacademy.org/buy-tickets

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