While looking out at the beautiful views of the water from PIER 39, student groups need not go far to get a peek into the underwater world of the San Francisco Bay.
At the Aquarium of the Bay, visitors can venture through tunnels and experience leopard sharks, bat rays and giant sea bass swimming overhead. They can peer into tranquil jellyfish tanks, meet the bay’s largest predator: the sevengill shark, and watch four playful North American river otters cavorting in and out of the water. The aquarium’s touch pools are home to sea stars, anemones, bat rays, skates and even sharks.
Student groups can also take a behind-the-scenes tour to see what happens on the other side of the tanks. The aquarium is currently swimming with excitement as a plan to replace it with Ecotarium, a state-of-the-art educational attraction that will focus on preservation, conservation and the sustainability of the San Francisco Bay, is on the horizon for 2022.
For a cultural experience in the city, groups can visit the Asian Art Museum. With more than 18,000 objects spanning 6,000 years of history and representing countries and cultures throughout Asia, the museum is one of the largest in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.
The attraction makes the world of Asian art and culture accessible to everyone with lively and engaging exhibits and programs, and the collections serve as the basis for exhibition, research and education. Self-guided groups of 10 or more—or groups of any size who book a docent-led tour—receive reduced admission to the museum.
For more information, email Daniel Schwartz of the San Francisco Travel Association or go to sftravel.com.
Top Educational Attractions
The California Academy of Sciences
PIER 39
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Exploratorium
Alcatraz
Top Recreational Attractions
Blazing Saddles bicycle tours
The San Francisco Zoo
Angel Island State Park
Golden Gate Park
Top Local Festivals
Fleet Week (Oct. 6–14)
Italian Heritage Festival (Oct. 13)
Top photo: Village Artist Corner at the Asian Art Museum
Photo by Asian Art Museum
