The Avenues

An absolutely stunning museum and an excellent place to take the children. Among the many highlights of this museum is the building itself; ride the elevator to the top to see the Living Roof, a literal green roof and marvel of architecture with soft hills covered in grass and flowers. On the ground floor are numerous interactive science exhibits, outdoor gardens, an aviary, and towering over the massive exhibit halls is the sphere-like Planetarium on one side of the building, while the other side is overshadowed by the domed Rainforests of the World exhibit, a massive transparent dome which contains a winding pathway that takes you to the top, past towering trees and animal displays. As if all that wasn't enough, the building also contains a fantastic aquarium on the bottom floor, which showcases the more unusual sea life such as octopus, jellyfish, sea dragons, and sea stars among its displays of coral reefs, kelp forests, and tidepools. It's a big museum; be sure to give yourself at least a few hours to see it all.

A large and unique kid's play area. Next door is a historic Carousel, which runs 10AM-4:30PM daily from Memorial Day-Labor Day and Saturdays and Sundays the rest of the year.

This antique palatial greenhouse, one of the first structures of its kind in the county, is filled with a huge variety of beautiful and exotic plant species. Pay special attention if the Titan Arum is blooming, as it only does every few years. Adult tickets go down to $11 for weekdays in December and January, and up to $15 for all weekends. Free on first Tuesday of every month.

A modern and ethnic art focused museum, with three levels of exhibits with contemporary and historical pieces from America as well as art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas in a uniquely-designed building with courtyards and sculpture gardens that includes Three Gems piece by Turrell. One corner of the building houses the free Hamon Observation Tower which offers a lovely 360-degree view of the park and surroundings.

Once used for park irrigation in the past, now a scenic oddity at the western end of the park. A lesser-known windmill, the Murphy Windmill, is located at the southwestern corner of the park, but is under restoration. Near the windmills is the lovely Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden.

The oldest public Japanese garden in the country, with beautiful plants, ponds, bridges, and Japanese-style structures including a tea house. Tours are available every Wednesday and Sunday at 1PM starting at the main gate.

A wide variety of roses on display.

One of the largest botanical gardens on the west coast, the Botanical Gardens cover 55 acres with thousands of varieties of plants from around the world and multiple specialized gardens and miles of trails (seriously, the place is huge). One of the most unique attractions is the Redwood Trail, which runs through a naturalistic redwood forest reminiscent of the ones north of San Francisco along the Californian coast. There is also a bookstore and library on the premises, near the main entrance. Free guided tours of the gardens depart from the bookstore daily at 1:30PM with an extra tour on the weekends at 10:30AM. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays another free tour departs from the Friend Gate at 2PM.

Near the district's eastern border is the entrance to Golden Gate Park. Walking into the park and through a small tunnel beneath the Alvord Lake Bridge, the first large field and adjacent hill are known as Hippie Hill. In dry weather, Hippie Hill is a popular destination for locals and offers a glimpse at the Haight's hippie culture. There visitors will find a large and popular drum circle, amateur performers of many types from jugglers to musicians, frisbee enthusiasts, picnickers, and psychedelic drug users, all mingling happily. Don't be surprised to find locals lighting up a joint of marijuana at Hippie Hill. Though marijuana use is still illegal in the US, California has decriminalized medical marijuana. A note from your doctor suffices to obtain a card enabling one to reliably check quantity and quality and purchase in a civilized manner over a counter. Hippie Hill is a relatively safe place to purchase marijuana, but law enforcement patrols Haight Street at the urging of merchants in order to maintain a teen- and tourist-friendly environment.

With roses and other flowers mentioned in his plays. A bust of Shakespeare sits at the opposite end from the entrance.

As the home of the San Francisco Model Yacht Club, one is likely to see model yachts sailing on the lake.

Previously known as Stow Lake, it was renamed in 2024, though many locals still use the old name. This pleasant lake surrounding Strawberry Hill, a scenic island with excellent views and great picnic spots, is an excellent place to relax. Boating (several types for rent) is available from a boathouse, which is open daily from 11AM-5PM. The ruins of the Sweeny Observatory are on the top of the hill, which was destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake. A Chinese pagoda sits on the edge of the island, which was donated by Taiwan in 1973, nearby the artificial waterfall.

A narrated 2.5-hour segway tour through the park. Advance reservations suggested. Ages 12 and up.

Overlooking the Cliff House and the Sutro Baths is this new visitor center, where you can find information about the Land Ends area as well as a pretty decent gift shop and cafe. The lookout also contains the statue of Diana that once stood in neighboring Sutro Heights, which was relocated inside of the lookout after it was extensively vandalized.

Wedged in a small beach inlet between the Cliff House and Point Lobos, these stone ruins were once a massive 19th-century public bath house that held multiple swimming pools, which fell into disrepair before being destroyed by fire in 1966, leaving only the concrete foundations and a pool flooded with seawater. The crumbling ruins make for some fun exploration, with a long tunnel into the cliff that leads to a view of a cove. Mind your step: the trails that descend to the site are steep and the ruins themselves pose hazards if you're careless.

On the hill above the Cliff House is the former grounds of the estate of Adolph Sutro, the wealthy landowner who built the Cliff House and Sutro Baths. Today the mansion is gone, but the beautifully landscaped grounds remain as a public park, with splendid views over the coastline and down to Golden Gate Park. Nestled within the foundations of the old mansion is a WW2 era bunker.

Inside this building, a model of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris, is an incredible collection of mainly European art, with works of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Impressionist periods, with art from some of the fundamental artists of their times, as well as some works from the 20th century from the likes of Picasso. One of the highlights of the collection is a collection of sculptures by Rodin, including The Thinker at the front entrance.

Perched above the Coastal Trail is this longtime WWII memorial crafted out of pieces of the USS San Francisco, a heavy cruiser that sustained heavy damage in the Battle of Guadalcanal and was scrapped after the war. The memorial contains a section of the ship's shell-ridden hull.

The Cliff House, a well known landmark at the extreme western end of San Francisco, provides fantastic views of the coastline and the jagged Seal Rocks just off-shore and also contains the Camera Obscura, a fascinating room-sized device which projects an image of the surrounding scenery inside.

A good place to walk, surf (or watch surfers), or just look at the ocean. If you're expecting a warm California beach like you saw on Baywatch, you'll be in for a surprise. The water will be chilly all year round. You won't be able to stay in the water long without a wetsuit. But if you do brave the water, be careful of riptides: the beach has an unusual riptide which claims several lives (usually tourists) each year. If you want to ocean swim, head to China Beach. Bonfires often line Ocean Beach on warmer days. Permits are legally required for bonfires (so be forewarned), but often spur of the moment bonfires happen on weekends. Local grocery stores usually sell cords of wood for this very purpose. Please remember to clean up after yourself, and don't leave any broken glass on the beach!

New linear park along Ocean Beach just south of Golden Gate Park where you can bike or walk a few miles without interacting with cars. The park is lined with public art and has great views of the beach and ocean.

A small, secluded beach at the bottom of a steep slope, with beautiful views to the north towards the Golden Gate Bridge. You can swim here, but the water is quite brisk.

Independently-owned theatre showing Hong Kong and alternative world cinema.

Catch a feature at this historic independent movie house. Notable for being a site of repeated screenings of The Room, with appearances by director Tommy Wisseau.