Great Escape: Night at the Museum, with Cocktails or Crafts

Many museums are seeking to attract a wider audience by staying open late, cutting admission prices and offering their visitors special lectures, communal art projects, performances and often a fully stocked bar. Here I highlight two outings you can enjoy this week, one with kids and one without.

Parks and NightLife, with Music and Drinks

Every Thursday night San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences cuts the price of admission in half, sets up cocktail bars and DJ decks, and raises the minimum age to 21. Each week brings a new theme — this Thursday, March 24, is all about national parks. There will be an exhibit by photographer and author Ian Shive, who will also premier his short film America's Galapagos: The Channel Islands and discuss his work in documenting America's national parks.

DJ collective Nu Funk Boutique, some of whom hail from Burning Man's popular Space Cowboys camp, will be in charge of getting the crowd moving in front of the giant igloo of the Piazza. NightLife starts at 6 p.m. and admission is $12 for adults 21 and over ($10 for academy members).

If you can't make this one, there's Big Cat NightLife on March 31 and a space party on April 7.

Friday Nights at the de Young: Pre-Opening Celebration of Balenciaga and Spain

This Friday, March 25, at 6 p.m., you're invited to a free night of events at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The new exhibit Balenciaga and Spain will only be open to members, but everyone can enjoy a performance by Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco and a lecture on the American fashion cycle at the Koret Auditorium.

Kids and adults of all ages can also join in the making of a fabric art project, “Beads, Baubles and Balenciaga.” The museum's Olmec exhibit will be  open for free viewing from 5 to 8:45 p.m. (To see the museum's main collection, you'll need to pay the regular admission price of $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+), $6 for youth ages 13 to 17, and free for children 12 and under.)

Keep in mind that most larger museums have caught on to this trend, so make sure to check the calendars of your favorite ones to find out about unique events as well as food and drink offerings.