Blue Couch Travels

Focal Point: California Academy of Sciences

April 29, 2026

Before eagerly hitting the road to journey towards Yosemite, I wanted to cover some fun stops in San Francisco. The first is the California Academy of Sciences. Located in the center of Golden Gate Park, it genuinely surprised us with its beauty. Below is a history. But more than that, I wanted to document some of the beautiful creatures located within it’s walls. I wish I’d spent more time writing down each of their names. Unfortunately, I did no. So for now, you’ll have to settle for just seeing the beautiful photos.

California Academy of Sciences (2021)

The Academy: A Story of Survival and “The Fog”

If you think your commute is rough, imagine trying to start a scientific society in San Francisco in 1853. California had only been a state for three years, the Gold Rush was still in full swing, and most people were more interested in finding nuggets than naming new species.

But a small group of dreamers founded the California Academy of Natural Sciences anyway, making it the first society of its kind in the Western U.S.. They were even ahead of their time socially, passing a resolution in their first year to invite the “aid of females” in every department of science—a move that eventually gave us some of the most legendary botanists in history.

California Academy of Sciences – From Tripadvisor

1. The Heartbreak of 1906

For decades, the Academy grew until it occupied a massive building on Market Street. Then came April 18, 1906. The Great Earthquake and the subsequent fires leveled the building and incinerated almost everything inside—millions of specimens were lost in a matter of hours.

But two things saved the Academy’s future:

The Heroes: Staff members like curator Alice Eastwood literally climbed the wrecked museum stairs to rescue the “type specimens” (the most important scientific records) from the flames before the building was consumed.
The Galápagos “Backup”: As fate would have it, an Academy expedition was actually at sea in the Galápagos Islands when the quake hit. They returned to a smoldering city with a ship full of new specimens that became the “nucleus” for the collection you see today.

2. Making a Home in the Park

By 1916, the Academy moved to its permanent home in Golden Gate Park. This is when the “extras” started making it the icon it is today:

Steinhart Aquarium (1923): This added a whole new dimension to the park. It’s currently home to Methuselah, an Australian lungfish that arrived in 1938 and is now the oldest living aquarium fish on Earth.
Morrison Planetarium (1952): Built using optical expertise the staff gained repairing Navy equipment during World War II, it featured a one-of-a-kind star projector.

California Academy of Sciences (2021)

3. The Modern Marvel (2008)

The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 was the final straw for the old, mismatched buildings. Instead of just patching the cracks, the Academy decided to “lift up a piece of the park and put a building underneath”.

Architect Renzo Piano designed the current state-of-the-art facility, which opened in 2008. It isn’t just pretty; it’s a powerhouse:

The Living Roof: A 2.5-acre “rolling hill” of native plants that soaks up 3.6 million gallons of rainwater a year.
Double Platinum: It’s the world’s first “Double Platinum” museum, recognized for being the largest and most sustainable building of its kind on the planet.