Golden Gate

An 1881 Victorian mansion that was built for Mrs. Doming de Goni Atherton by an unknown architect. It was one of the first Queen Anne residences in San Francisco. It is reported to be haunted, and is a stop on the haunted tour of San Francisco.

This is an Queen Anne Victorian, built solely out of redwood in 1886 for William Haas. It has been fully preserved to its original design. It houses the San Francisco Architectural Heritage which offer tours inside the house and around the grounds.

This house was built in 1853 and as such it is one of the city's oldest residences. A ferry-boat captain known as Captain Leale bought the house three decades later and remodeled it in the popular "Italianate" style.

Dating from 1861, this eight-sided house with its cupola top, dormer windows, and roof lanterns was built in the belief that such octagonally shaped houses promote healthier living. Today, the building is an American Colonial museum. It has many artifacts on display including antique furniture and historical documents. It is run by the National Society of the Colonial Dames.

Built in 1917 by architect Ernest Coxhead, this unique "Beaux-Arts" library was modeled on a Roman basilica. It has free internet facilities.

This white "Beaux-Arts" limestone mansion was built in 1913 by sugar baron Adolph Spreckles. It has 55 rooms including a Louis XVI Ballroom. The mansion is a private residence which is owned by the famous romance-novelist, Danielle Steele.

This temple was built in 1905 by architect Joseph Leonard. Architecturally the building reflects the Vedantic philosophy that all roads lead to one God; hence the building has a mix of architectural styles like Edwardian, Moorish, Queen Anne, Colonial, and Oriental among others. It has five different towers on the top including a Russian-style onion dome and a European-style castle turret. The extraordinary temple was the first Hindu temple built in the West.

The Long Now Foundation runs a steampunk style bar called 'The Interval' with some exhibits related to their work to promote long-term thinking.

Arion Press is considered the best publisher of fine press books in the nation. A gallery on-site has a large collection of limited edition books and prints, and they occasionally offer tours of their production facility, including the pressroom and the type foundry that contains the oldest hot metal type foundry in the country.

Hosts photo exhibits and the work of modern Italian artists.

Battery Chamberlin, built near Baker Beach in 1904, was constructed as part of a modernization effort to accommodate the lighter, stronger, more powerful coastal defense weapons developed in the 1880s. Today Battery Chamberlin holds the last 6-inch "disappearing gun" of its type on the West Coast.

The Crissy Field Center includes an activity area, learning and computer labs, a teaching kitchen, library, and an information area and bookstore. The center offers a rich array of education programs that serve the entire San Francisco community. Focusing on the convergence of Urban and Natural Environments, educational programs and activities promote multicultural perspectives, environmental stewardship, and community service. They also have a small cafe inside the premises serving up organic, locally sourced food.

From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point protected San Francisco harbor from Confederate and foreign attack during and after the U.S. Civil War. Its beautifully arched casemates display the art of the master brick masons of the Civil War period. It is best approached from the Marina District along the water through the kites and bay-views of the connected Crissy Field Park.

The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center provides information on the sanctuary and features hands-on educational exhibits on local marine life. The visitor center is housed in the historic Coast Guard Station at the west end of Crissy Field. The Life Saving Service and Coast Guard were housed here from 1890 to 1990, providing a variety of services ranging from search and rescue operations to navigational assistance.

Opened in 2009, this museum focuses on the life of Walt Disney and his accomplishments. The museum is not run by The Walt Disney Company, meaning that while it views Walt Disney in a favorable light, it doesn't come off as corporate propaganda. The collections have some fascinating Disneyana, including the Oscar awarded to Disney for Snow White, a multiplane camera used prominently in Disney animated films, and a number of posters promoting early Disneyland rides. This is an absolute must-see for Disney enthusiasts, but even casual Disney fans will be impressed by the material here, which does a very good job of showing how a man with a gift for cartooning built what would become a modern media empire.

Information on points of interest and Presidio history is available at the Visitor Center. Several videos can be viewed in the theater and a bookstore offers topical books and other media.

This fortification was built in the 1870s, to withstand newer and heavier ordinance. You can view the earthen works and brick-lined magazines built to protect large Rodman guns and their ammunition.

Five brick cavalry stables were built in 1914. Each stable could house 102 horses, enough for a cavalry company. A paddock stood between the stables and the cavalry barracks on the hill behind, and a blacksmith shop was in front. After the cavalry left the stables, they were adapted to other uses — the Pet Cemetery was started and also a veterinary hospital.

From 1921 to 1936 Crissy Army Airfield was the center of West Coast military aviation. During these years of explosive advances in air power, pilots from Crissy performed maneuvers and mock battles, flew endurance flights, surveyed the west by air, and scouted for forest fires.

Situated near the gun batteries of the coastal bluffs, Fort Scott was established in 1912 to serve as headquarters for the Coastal Artillery Corps of the San Francisco Bay area. Spanish Revival style buildings, the first of this style to be built on the Presidio, characterize the post, and the U-shaped parade ground breaks from traditional quadrangular design. The post was eventually converted to an Army Education Center.

Buildings 101 through 105, known as "Infantry Row," were constructed to accommodate troops consolidated at the Presidio after the Indian Wars. These were some of the first brick barracks constructed in the west, showing that the Presidio was to be a permanent post. Built in the late 1890s, these barracks display Colonial Revival style architecture with Romanesque elements.

Established in 1898 to care for sick and wounded soldiers, it is the Army's oldest named general hospital and during WWII it became the largest Army hospital in the country. Today the complex is home to Lucasfilm and lots of Star Wars fans make the pilgrimage there each year. You won't get inside unless you know someone.

You can practice your "Jedi" skills outside the Letterman Complex with this statue of Yoda on a fountain.

The Main Post is at the heart of the Presidio. It marks the site of a Spanish garrison established here in 1776 and it is home to the oldest buildings in the Presidio, dating back to 1861.

The flagpole in Pershing Square (at the Main Post) marks the site of a disastrous 1915 fire that destroyed the residence and killed the wife and three daughters of General John "Black Jack" Pershing of World War I fame. Just east lies the site of the original Spanish presidio, built in 1776 on this windswept slope. A boulder by the sidewalk approximates the northwest corner of the original Presidio, which formed a square about 300 feet (100 m) on each side. Two bronze cannons at this site, forged in the 1600s, used to be mounted at Castillo de San Joaquin, a fort built at the point overlooking the Golden Gate. They are among the oldest cannon in North America.

Built in 1875, the Public Health Service Hospital tended the needs of merchant seamen. Eventually the hospital also cared for members of the U.S. Coast Guard and other governmental agencies, Native Americans and Vietnam refugees. In addition, important research on plague diseases was conducted here. A new hospital replaced the old in 1932, and two wings were added in the 1950s. The hospital closed in 1981 and was transformed into apartments.

Many military personal have been buried here over the years, including a General from the American Civil War and 35 Medal of Honor recipients.

One of three memorials on U.S. soil dedicated to missing service members of World War II, the West Coast Memorial is a curved wall of California granite set in a grove of Monterey pine and cypress. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it bears the names of 413 members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives or were buried at sea in the offshore Pacific coastal waters.

The only structure remaining from the 1915 World's Fair, it features a classical Roman rotunda (1,100 feet wide, 162 feet high) with curved colonnades (30 Corinthian columns frame a wide walkway in the colonnade) situated in an idyllic park setting with a classical European-Style lagoon. It's a great place to unwind, have a picnic, and watch the swans float elegantly by. It also has a theater offering a variety of shows, musical and cultural events.

Part of it was built by the Spanish with adobe walls in the late 1700s, and was remodeled in the 1930s in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style adorned with rustic Spanish-tile gable roofs, heavy, rough timber lintels and beams, and decorative ironwork.

With its beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival-style exterior, it was dedicated in 1949 as a first-class service club for enlisted men and women and was the site of several historic treaty signings during the early days of the Korean War. Stylishly remodeled, the club is now a full-service conference and events center.

Built in 1864, it displays Italianate and Greek Revival architectural styles. Constructed during the Civil War, it is one of the oldest standing buildings on the Presidio. The original structure was modified by adding wings and enclosing the porches. In 1897, an octagonal surgical tower with windows on all sides was added to provide a well-lit operating room.

Built in the early 1930s, this cruciform-shaped sanctuary is a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture, with features that embellished early mission churches. Stained glass windows depict virtues of military character, and a large wall mural by Victor Arnautoff (famed Coit Tower muralist) depicts the peacetime activities of the Army.

A beautiful, immaculately kept 1-mile stretch of beach, set just behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, due to strong currents, the beach is not very safe for swimming, but for "land-lovers" it does have many outdoor barbeques and designated picnic areas to eat and relax at. Toward the northern end of the beach there is also an unofficial nude section that mainly seems to attract gay men. It has free parking and clean restrooms.

Beaches and rocky shoreline lie at the base of the coastal bluffs, while their tops provide expansive views of the Pacific coastline. The Coastal Trail extends along the wind-swept coastal bluffs, where some of the most intact natural habitat in the Presidio harbors rare plants adapted to serpentine soil and cool foggy conditions.

Gently sloping park and picnic area with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and downtown San Francisco, weather permitting. Includes playground, cafes, restaurants and food trucks.

Known by many names — "The city's front yard" and "The Golden Gate promenade" — this used to be one of the country's most active and strategic military airstrips. Today, under the care the Golden Gate National Parks Association, the 28 acre site has been transformed into recreational space for joggers, cyclists, walkers, and picnickers. There is also a significant project underway to return 18 acres back to its original tidal marshlands. With this effort, Crissy Field is fast becoming a great place to see local wildlife such as migrating long-billed curlews, semipalmated plovers and western sandpipers.

El Polin spring water bubbles from a rock wall at the head of this riparian valley. The spring provided a source of fresh water for the Spanish Presidio, and Spanish and Mexican families built their homes in this sheltered valley. Today, you can picnic in the bucolic meadows near the spring or explore the surrounding forest and grasslands.

Perched high atop the Presidio, Inspiration Point has great views over the Presidio and the Bay and is great to visit both during the day and at night.

Contains the last free-flowing stream in San Francisco, which provides water to the inhabitants of the Presidio.

One of the oldest foot trails in the Presidio, Lovers' Lane is an easy, one-mile walk. U.S. soldiers used the trail to visit their lovers and family in San Francisco.

The campsite of the Anza settlement party in 1776, it became a source of fresh water for San Francisco during the early years. Ducks and waterfowl make their home among the tule reeds. Mountain Lake today fronts a popular neighborhood park with playground equipment, tennis courts and a Par Course.

A mature forest of pine, cypress, eucalyptus and other non-native trees covers the higher areas of the Presidio. The army planted these trees from the 1880s through the 1940s in order to make the area appear larger with more relief, to limit visibility within the Presidio, and to beautify the post.

Founded in 1895 by the private San Francisco Golf and Country Club, the original 9-hole Presidio Golf Course was one of the earliest courses on the West Coast. In 1910, the course was expanded to 18-holes. Today, the course is open to the general public.

A small hiking trail winds around this scenic lake, noted for its historic importance in that it supplied water to the nearby colonial Spanish settlement of the Presidio. There is also a playground and a tennis court at the southern side of the lake.

Sculpture of bridge architect Joseph B. Strauss.

Marina Green is a long, flat strip of grass at the front of the Marina that runs along the Bay, equidistant between the Presidio and Fort Mason. The "Green" teems with joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, kite flyers, volleyball players, frisbee throwers, and rollerbladers — all getting their health kick exercising in an iconic location. The activities continue all the way through Crissy Fields ("The City's Front Yard") to the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge where you will find surfers patiently waiting for that next "big one."

Learn about the importance of preserving our natural environment on an 8 hour cruise to this National Wildlife Refuge, 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco in the Gulf of the Farallons. The islands' 211 acres of rocks and surrounding waters are home to Sea Lions, Tufted Puffins, Pigeon Guillemots, and Rhinoceros Auklets among other species. In total, twenty three species of marine mammals, including 18 species of whales and dolphins reside in these waters.

If you climb these steps you can get a breathtaking view of the Palace of Fine Arts, the Marina, and the Bay. The Steps are known locally as the "San Francisco Stair Master"... and with good reason!

There are a number of themed walking tours available in the area including:

These architectural tours of Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow are given by the San Francisco Architectural Heritage Foundation and focus mainly on its abundance of "Painted Ladies" (no... not grandma! — it refers to Edwardian and Victorian mansions) as well as the historical underpinnings of the area. They offer several different tours of varying lengths so check their website for specific details.

Who's afraid of ghosts? Well, if you have the backbone for it, you can visit places long suspected of being haunted by ghostly visitations and spirits on this one hour guided tour.

BATS is a performing arts theater company that focuses on all forms of improvisational format, including theatersports. They also provide classes for anyone interested.

The Blue Bear Performance Hall is used mostly for school musical performances. They have a music school that teaches all kind of music from Jazz to rock-n-roll to musicians of all ages. The hall also hosts some independent stage productions.

The Art Deco/Neo-Classical Clay Theater was built in 1910 and is one of the oldest movie theaters in the city. It specializes in indie and international films. It's a small little theater, with smallish seats and an even smaller screen; but its got a cozy atmosphere, its popcorn comes laden with butter, and overall it's a great place to catch an art house film. The Clay was closed in 2020, shortly before COVID, but the local community rallied to preserve the theater, with it being designated as a city landmark in 2022. As of 2026, the theater has not yet reopened, but an investor has purchased the building with the intention to reopen it.

Hosts theater, dance, talks, and film festival productions among other things.

The Magic Theater is where you can go if you are interested in seeing productions from new and established American playwrights such as the Pulitzer Prize-winner, Sam Shepard.

This 1,000 seat theater hosts concerts, comedy shoes, film events, and lectures.

The Young Performers Theatre is a professional children's theater. It hosts a dozen or so shows each year and also offers classes in the dramatic arts, creative drama, comedy and musical theater.

Ok, hands up who can swim 1.5 miles through chilly waters, jump on a bike and cycle 18 miles, and then polish it all off with a mere 8 mile run... any takers? Well every year this event attracts 2,000 people who can, including world champions and Olympic medalists. The course winds its way through Fort Mason, along Marina Green and through the demanding trails of the Presidio and beyond. Anywhere along the route is good from a spectators point of view, but the transition area and the finish is at Marina Green.