Amazing Family Sleepovers in the Bay Area

Photo: Penguins + Pajamas Sleepovers, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

If you're looking for a fun and unique overnight experience for the family, try camping out at a museum, aquarium, zoo, or wildlife center! Popular family destinations in the San Francisco Bay Area like the California Academy of Sciences, the USS Hornet Museum, and Safari West all offer exciting programs where families can spend the night. It's be kind of like the movie Night at the Museum, except that the dinosaurs and dioramas won't come alive after hours (we hope)!

Needless to say, all of these events require advance reservations and have limited space, so register for your awesome overnight adventure soon! Many of these venues also offer overnight programs for scouts, schools, and other youth groups. All information is correct at time of posting; check each location’s website for complete information, pricing updates, and a schedule of events.

Penguins+Pajamas Sleepovers, California Academy of Sciences

Sleep over next to your favorite exhibit or creature at the Cal Academy in Golden Gate Park! Overnight guests at the popular Penguins+Pajamas program can explore the Academy after hours, see live animal demonstrations, take in a planetarium show, and then settle in for storytime before bed with cookies and milk. Breakfast is in the Academy Café, and museum admission is included if you want to re-enter when the Academy opens and explore some more. We attended this program a while back and it was a lot of fun!

The Penguins+Pajamas experience begins at 6 pm and ends at 8 am the following morning. The program costs $135 per person or $121 for Academy members. Pengiuns+Pajamas is for children between the ages of 4 and 17 accompanied by an adult. One adult chaperone must be present for every five children. Upcoming 2025 public sleepover dates are April 12, and May 9, with exclusive Girl Scouts of Northern California events on April 4 and June 14. Wait lists are available for sold-out dates. For more information visit www.calacademy.org. The California Academy of Sciences is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Stay Overnight at Safari West in Santa Rosa

Take a tour at Safari West and then enjoy a night of family “glamping” in luxury tents at their 400-acre preserve, home to animals like zebras, giraffes, gazelles, rhinos, birds, and more. Family tents at Safari West are equipped with bunk beds, and all tents have a private deck and bathroom. Overnights cost $330 to $525 per night, depending on day of the week and season. Safari-style dining is available on-site at the Savannah Grill. Continental breakfast is included. There's nothing quite like drifting off to sleep to the sounds of the preserve's African wildlife.

Overnights at Safari West do not include Safari reservations, which cost between $45 and $120 per person, depending on day and season, although overnight guests receive a discount. Children must be at least 4 years old. For more information, call (800) 616-2695 or visit www.safariwest.com.

Live Aboard Adventure, USS Hornet Museum

On the other side of the Bay in Alameda, the USS Hornet Museum offers a Live Aboard Experience sleepover for families, scouts, and other small groups. Board this famous World War II aircraft carrier and spend an exciting evening sleeping in the original crew bunks, eating dinner and breakfast in the crew's mess, and experiencing personalized a personalized ship tour, activities, and a flight simulator ride. The Hornet is a veteran of numerous naval battles and has the distinction of being the ship that recovered the astronauts from the Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969. All participants receive a certificate, a commemorative patch, and a coupon good for a future visit to the museum.

The USS Hornet's family overnight program costs $120 per person or $100 for museum members. All participants must be at least 7 years old. Visit www.uss-hornet.org for more information and to make your reservation. The USS Hornet Museum is located at 707 West Hornet Avenue in Alameda. The Hornet also offers paranormal-themed History Mystery overnights for ages 16 and up.

Family Farm Day Camping at Slide Ranch

Slide Ranch's Family Campouts are special overnight add-ons to their popular Family Farm Day programs. Spend the day participating in farm activities, crafts, and nature exploration, then set up camp in a spectacular coastal meadow under the stars! Camping is available on the Friday night before a Family Farm Day or the Saturday night after the program, and you can camp out on one or both days.

Camping at Slide Ranch cost $65 per person; children under 2 are free. Family Farm Day admission is separate, if attending. Participants must bring their own camping gear and food. Dates for their 2025 Family Farm Days are April 5 and May 10. For more information, visit www.slideranch.org.