Best Places for School Trips in San Francisco

With a planetarium, a natural history museum, an aquarium and more, the 412,000-square-foot California Academy of Sciences might just be one of the most impressive museums in the country. In addition to those features, the California Academy of Sciences is also home to a two-and-a-half acre Living Roof, the deepest coral reef exhibit in the world, a four-story tropical rainforest, a spacious solar canopy, and a colony of African penguins. It's the perfect combo attraction to suit multiple scholastic interests! Getting In: California Academy of Sciences tickets are included with the Go San Francisco Card.

There are few field trips as classic as a day spent at the aquarium. The Aquarium of the Bay is particularly appealing, too, for a number of reasons. For one, it focuses exclusively on the marine life of the San Francisco Bay, showcasing creatures great and small that call the waters around San Fran home. They also boast a 725-gallon tank filled with jellies, a massive, walk-through glass tunnel that features sharks, octopi, and much more, and a group of playful river otters. Getting In: Aquarium of the Bay tickets are included with the Go San Francisco Card.

Quite rightly deserving the title of "most experimental museum in the world," the Exploratorium is a fantastic educational destination in San Francisco. You'll be able to escort your class through galleries upon galleries of engaging, educational material, including more than 650 interactive exhibits. This field trip is probably best for elementary or middle-grade students. Getting In: Exploratorium tickets are included with the Go San Francisco Card.

A zoo is another fine choice for a class field trip and is suitable for students of all ages. Come to the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens to visit more than 2,000 different critters, many of whom are endangered and several of whom have been rescued. Animals come from all over the world and include iconic favorites like zebras, kangaroos, grizzly bears, and many more. This zoo also earns the garden epithet with its 100 acres of flora featuring indigenous and acclimatized species. Getting In: San Francisco Zoo & Gardens tickets are included with the Go San Francisco Card.

This stellar modern art museum is a top field trip choice for schools going the cultural route. They offer a plethora of stunning exhibits of modern and contemporary art, much of which is produced by living artists. Special exhibitions also boast impressive themes and topics, including the current one on contemporary Chinese art. Please note that the SFMOMA is free for all visitors under 18; use the Go San Francisco Card to save on admission for the adults and chaperones in your group. Getting In: SFMOMA tickets are included with the Go San Francisco Card.