Sink Your Teeth Into Dino Days at the California Academy of Sciences!

Dinosaurs have taken over the outdoor gardens at the California Academy of Sciences! The Cal Academy's newest exhibit, Dino Days, is now open and features 13 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs as well as special activities and programs. On view through September 1, 2025, Dino Days allows visitors to see, hear, and walk among realistic life-size dinosaur models that move and roar, as well as be a paleontologist for the day while digging for dinosaur fossils in the dig pit.

We had a chance to check out Dino Days during their media preview last week and it's a lot of fun. The dinosaur models are really impressive and will by a huge hit with both young dino enthusiasts and their parents.

During Dino Days, you can also explore a diverse collection of prehistoric specimens on display throughout the museum, including a dinosaur leg bone, coprolite (fossilized poop!), and touchable fossils in the Naturalist Center (through July 31). Don't forget to visit the Academy's iconic T. rex skeleton cast at the museum entrance, too.

Dino Days will also feature interactive dinosaur-themed programming, like puppet shows, a dinosaur trivia contest, story times, and dinosaur-inspired crafts on weekends.

Dino Days programs and special events include:

• Meet Dinosaur Train’s Buddy the T. rex, 1–2:30 pm, March 30
  Fans of the popular PBS Kids TV show Dinosaur Train will be delighted to meet the show’s resident T. rex, Buddy, during a special meet ‘n’ greet featuring photo opportunities, a puppet show, and free posters. 
• DinoNight!, 6–9:30 pm, May 2
  Roar into spring with an evening of ferocious family fun at the Academy! Dinosaur fans of all ages are welcomed for an after-hours celebration featuring face painting, magic shows, dinosaur-themed crafts, specialty snacks and more.
• Self-guided Dinosaur Crafts, 10 am–3:30 pm, weekends and holidays
  Design your own Ceratopsian dinosaur, create an ancient snow scene, and tell your own paleo story with a T. rex puppet.
• Low Sensory Sundays, 10–11 am on the second Sunday of the month
  To accommodate the low sensory needs of our visitors, once a month the animatronics in Dino Days will be on view without movement or noise.

Presenter-led programs take place daily between 10:30 am and 3:30 pm:

• Stomp or Chomp Dinosaur Trivia Showdown
  Team up for this friendly game show–style trivia contest and explore paleontology’s exciting discoveries. (through May 22)
• Children’s Puppet Theater: Sauropod Adventure
  Join an exciting stage program where your choices determine what happens to a newly hatched sauropod dinosaur. Survive or thrive? It’s up to you! (through May 22)
• Puppet Show with baby Triceratops and baby Deinonychus
  Presenters will dress up in their paleontologist-best and take the stage with a friendly baby dinosaur puppet to engage with young learners and share fascinating dino facts.
• From Tiny to Titanic: How big did an Apatosaurus grow?
  Compare living-dinosaur-relative Claude’s body length to the average Apatosaurus size, and explore the adaptation of rapid growth in different animals.
• Excavation Encounter
  Get your hands dirty in the dig pit as you uncover a model dinosaur fossil and make observations to identify your find.
• Roar & Read Dinosaur Tales
  Join an interactive storytime with books featuring fascinating animals from Earth’s ancient past. (May 22–September 7)
• Iguanodon Inquiry
  Practice your paleontology skills by making observations and hypotheses about Iguanodon, and learn how paleontologists use the scientific method to identify fossils. (May 22–September 7)

For more information on Dino Days, and a full schedule of programs, visit www.calacademy.org.

If You Go

The California Academy of Sciences is located in Golden Gate Park at 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco CA 94118. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.

Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week and how far you purchase them in advance. Check their website for details. You can also check out a free Discover & Go pass from the Marin County Free Library. Members are admitted free and enjoy discounts, special hours, and exclusive programs and events.

Free street parking is available on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Nancy Pelosi Drive around the Academy (3 or 4 hour limit — make sure you check the signs); paid parking is in Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse Garage with entrances at 10th Avenue and Fulton Street and Music Concourse and MLK Drives. You can also easily get to Golden Gate Park via Muni routes 28, 44, 5R, and N-Judah.