de Young Friday Nights

Who doesn't enjoy free stuff?! And what better way to enjoy the arts than a visit to this museum and enjoy some awesome sights of the city from the top of their building?! The place was really happenin' and the drink were flowing making for an even happier place (not open bar though...) If I had more time, I would've stuck around to see the other performances and exhibits, but my time was short but I hope to come and check out more of their Friday nights...and maybe even bring a date!

Came here when they were having the Girl with the Pearl Earring exhibit and that night they were showcasing the Dutch and water management.  They had an amazing acrobatic performer and live music.  I have to say it was not really my crowd because there were a lot of young families with kids.  So why do I give it 4 stars?

1)  Observation tower.  You can get an unobstructed 360 view of the city and possibly bay if it's not too foggy AND you can stay warm!  Wahoo!  

2) Free.  Yup, you have full access to the entire museum except the special exhibits.  That's on top of de Young Friday Nights (live music, lives performances, author readings, kite-making, etc).

3) The crack that runs from the sidewalk and you can follow it to through their courtyard and to the entrance.  Pretty cool.

4) Alcohol.  Well, this just adds to the fun no matter what you are doing.

Don't know how it compares to Nightlife at the Academy of Sciences because I've never been.  That will be up next some other time. All in all, I would consider coming back here.

Located across from the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. Plenty of parking.

I've been here on a school field trip in elementary but not after their renovation (so long ago that I don't even remember coming here but I remember going on so many field trips to museums as a student in the SFUSD that I can bet that I've been here haha).

I found on their site that they have free events on Friday nights (5-8:30pm). It just includes the concert of the night, drinks you can buy ($8-13), free kids craft station, entrance to the observatory deck. If you want to explore the museum, it'll cost $10, not bad if you ask me, especially since they have a Rembandt collection going on right now. S and I walked around on the main floor, lots of people sitting or standing with drinks in their hands enjoying the singer of the night, and kids getting their face painted or making some crafts. We took the elevator up to the 9th floor (the Observatory Deck), it was a 360 degree view of San Francisco! It was beautiful! It was definitely worth the trip to come here just to see the view!

Here's what S and I did for our date night, hope it'll inspire you with ideas! :) We went to dinner 1 miles from here (B Star for dinner, Genki for pre-dinner dessert, twin peaks for the night view of SF). I have reviews of the listed places as well :)