California Academy of Sciences discount tickets are always a big hit here on Bay Area On The Cheap. So now the Academy is offering you their best deal ever during the month of September — 34% Off Tickets to the Platinum Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the museum. These VIP tickets sell out at the regular price [...]

California Academy of Sciences $20 Off VIP, or skip the line discount tickets — Cal Academy has so much to offer, we want to go again and again. Maybe that’s why it was named by Conde’ Nast Traveler as one of the ‘New Wonders of the World.’ Check out their cool new video tour. These [...]

The next fee-free days at U.S. National Parks will be September 25, 2010, 2010. More than 100 national parks will waive entrance fees for certain Free Days this year, including several in the San Francisco Bay Area, like Muir Woods, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and some of our California favs like Yosemite National [...]

If you own a Bank of America credit card, you can get in free to several San Francisco Bay Area museums the first weekend of every month. The B of A “Museums On Us” promo entitles one person per BofA card to free museum admission during the first full weekend of every month for 2010. [...]

A delightful new exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California is included as part of OMCA’s free day: PIXAR: 25 Years of Animation (July 31 – January 9, 2011). The PIXAR exhibit may also be discounted to Half Price later this week as another one of the Daily Deals (according to a source at the [...]

Discount Tickets to SFMOMA’s Fisher Collection Features Previously Undisplayed Works from Andy Warhol–You can’t get this deal directly from the museum, but if you buy tickets online from the link below you can save $9. The SF Museum of Modern Art’s top two floors, including the Rooftop Garden, feature paintings, sculptures, photographs, and video works [...]

Want to learn more about the Bay Area’s sharks, crabs, fish and sea stars? The Marine Science Institute’s Aquarium Spotlight Days (coming up October 16, 2010) gives you and your family an opportunity to view and participate in hands-on activities at the Institute’s aquarium and teaching facilities on the shores of Redwood Creek. On Aquarium [...]

Update 8/15/10: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Discount — Everyone Pays the Kids’ Price, and other discounts. Six Flags is now advertising their lowest price of the season for all-day passes — which is about a $20 discount–But when you factor in fees, there’s a better deal or two. Here’s how to get the best Six [...]

On Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day (September 25, 2010) you can get in FREE to hundreds of participating museums. San Francisco Bay Area museums on the list include Cal Academy, CJM, Chabot Space & Science Center, Hiller Aviation, Coyote Point Museum, and several others. Don’t just show up at a museum, though. You need to fill [...]

In San Francisco, Fort Mason Center’s “Off The Grid” is the new happening place if you’re in need of an after-5 Friday food frenzy. Have a beer, listen to live music, and feed your taste for local street food all in one place, from the city’s stellar assortment of mobile food vendors. Admission is free. [...]

The San Francisco Zoo offers free local days and discounts on other days. My favorite time to go is in the morning or late afternoon to watch the animal feedings. Check out the Bear Grotto. And see how the baby gorilla has grown. DEAL 1: San Francisco Zoo coupon, good for one free child admission [...]

Art in Carnegie Park, Livermore (September 18, 2010) is a fun end-of-summer event that draws thousands of visitors to Carnegie Park to view art demonstrations, buy arts and crafts directly from local artists, listen to live music, and enjoy local wine and food. Visitors can also browse LAA’s art gallery, a co-op run by the [...]

If you’ve ever thought about riding a bike around San Francisco, but didn’t want to pedal up all the hills, get a deal on an Electric Bike Tour that lets you ride around the city and over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, with a return by ferry. You can book this tour for $10 [...]

The weather is bound to cooperate sooner or later, so it’s time to revisit the Hornblower Dinner Cruise summer deals. Cruisin’ the San Francisco Bay while you dine and drink wine is fun even in the fog — especially when you can get them at up to a $13 discount. Hornblower will sail you around [...]

UPDATE: Birth of Impressionism will be open even later over Labor Day Weekend: Friday and Saturday until 11pm (last entry 9:30), and Sunday 10pm (last entry 8:30pm). If you haven’t been to the de Young Museum lately, here’s how to check it out for less. First, the museum is free on every first Tuesday of [...]

The San Francisco Botanical Garden Plant Sales offer amazing opportunities to buy plants you rarely find at commercial nurseries or garden centers. The next sale is September 11 – Native Plants & Succulents, propagated by volunteers from the Garden’s own collections.  You can shop or just browse a wide variety of of plants, many exclusive [...]

California Academy of Sciences Nightlife – Nightlife admission is only $12 (almost half the daytime admission to Cal Academy) and you can skip the line at the front gate when you buy tickets online here. (Not available on the Cal Academy website.) This is a huge bonus because the lines often wrap around the building. [...]

The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is the visual arts center of the University of California, Berkeley. Every First Thursday of every month you can enjoy free admission. And on some Friday Nights, admission is just $7 for the museum’s L@te Friday mixers. L@TE Friday, 9/3/10: Gallery B: Terry Riley Celebrates 75–After [...]

UPDATE 8/17/10: You can still get the Gilroy Gardens $15 off coupon good on any day through November 28 2010. You may have missed the other discounts, but check back for end of summer deals. Gilroy Gardens is a unique theme park featuring more than 40 family rides, attractions, and exhibits set among six colorful [...]

UPDATED 7/26/10: California’s Great America Theme Park, in Santa Clara, I just updated the current offers with several deals and discounts available on the California’s Great America website. Act like a kid again at California’s Great America Theme Park (aka Paramount’s Great America) and get in at a discount. I haven’t seen the new Planet [...]