Sutro Baths
The ruined foundations of an 1894 saltwater bathing palace that burned in 1966, on the rocks at Lands End.
Things to Do
China Beach
A sheltered cove beach below Sea Cliff, looking straight out at the Golden Gate and the Marin Headlands.
Love Street Vintage
An Outer Richmond vintage shop with clothing from the 1920s through the 1970s, plus southwestern pieces and vintage jewelry.
Body Philosophy Club
A vintage shop on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond, owner-curated by Belle. Specializes in natural-fiber clothing: cotton, linen, wool, silk. Dresses, denim, and 90s tees.
Green Apple Books
An independent bookstore on Clement Street since 1967, with new and used books, vinyl, and music. Acquired Browser Books on Fillmore in 2019 and opened a Green Apple location at SFO in 2024.
Japanese Tea Garden
The oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, built for the 1894 World’s Fair and tended by the Hagiwara family for nearly 50 years.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Fifty-five acres of plants from climates similar to San Francisco’s, inside Golden Gate Park. Free for SF residents with ID; free for everyone before 9am and on the second Tuesday of each month.
San Francisco Columbarium
Neoclassical 1898 columbarium in the Inner Richmond at 1 Loraine Court. Over 8,500 niches under a stained glass dome. One of the few places in San Francisco still able to inter remains. Free.
Shipwrecks of Lands End
Rusted shipwreck remains visible at low tide along the Lands End Trail. Check tide charts before you go. The 3.4-mile coastal path with Golden Gate views is the reason to go even without the wrecks.
Internet Archive Headquarters
Internet Archive headquarters at 300 Funston Avenue, in a former Christian Science church the nonprofit bought in 2009. Servers where the pews used to be. Free public reading room and Friday tours.
Conservatory of Flowers
Victorian wood-and-glass conservatory at 100 JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, opened in 1879. Five galleries of tropical and aquatic plants. $12 adults, free first Tuesdays.
Garden of Fragrance
A walled garden inside the SF Botanical Garden designed for visitors with visual impairments. Every plant chosen for scent or texture, with raised beds at arm’s height.
Shakespeare Garden
Small walled garden in Golden Gate Park planted with species mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. Each plant labeled with the relevant passage. Free, dawn to dusk.
Tree Fern Dell (Mescaline Grove)
A sunken hollow of towering tree ferns in Golden Gate Park, nicknamed Mescaline Grove since the 1960s. Dense canopy, prehistoric plants, and a two-minute walk that drops you into a rainforest.
Fort Miley Batteries
Abandoned Endicott-era coastal defense batteries (built 1899-1902) on the cliffs near Lands End. Concrete bunkers and gun mounts open to walk through. Free, dawn to dusk.
Portals of the Past
Six Corinthian columns from the Towne Mansion (destroyed in the 1906 earthquake) installed at Lloyd Lake in Golden Gate Park in 1909. Best at dawn when the lake is still.
Three Gems (James Turrell Skyspace)
James Turrell skyspace inside a grassy mound in the de Young Museum’s Osher Sculpture Garden. Free to visit. LED lights around the oculus shift how the sky color appears.
Golden Gate Park Bison Paddock
A herd of American bison has lived in Golden Gate Park since 1891. Small paddock in the western half of the park, free to see from the fence along JFK Drive.
Golden Gate Park Lawn Bowling Club
The oldest municipal lawn bowling club in the United States, operating in Golden Gate Park since 1901. Free lessons on weekends, no reservation needed. Three greens next to Robin Williams Meadow, with an Edwardian clubhouse from 1915.
Cal Academy Herpetology Collection
The California Academy of Sciences houses the sixth-largest herpetology collection in the world with over 315,000 reptile and amphibian specimens. Behind-the-scenes tours occasionally give access to the research storage.
Lincoln Park Steps
Mosaic-tiled staircase at the end of California Street climbing to Lincoln Park and the Legion of Honor. Fewer crowds than the 16th Avenue Steps, with ocean views at the top.
Lincoln Park
A 100-acre park in northwest San Francisco built over a former cemetery. Home to the Legion of Honor museum, an 18-hole golf course, and access to the Lands End Trail.
Anglers Lodge & Casting Pools
The Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club offers free fly casting lessons in Golden Gate Park, organized in 1933 and casting on three concrete pools built by the WPA in 1938. Patient instructors, no equipment needed.
Lands End
A coastal trail at the northwest edge of San Francisco, about 1.5 miles one way. Cypress trees, shipwreck remains visible at low tide, and a cliffside labyrinth above Mile Rock Beach.
Golden Gate Park
1,017 acres stretching 3 miles from the Haight to Ocean Beach. Gardens, museums, lakes, a bison herd, a Dutch windmill, and miles of trails.
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum under one living roof in Golden Gate Park. Over 46 million specimens, plus a four-story rainforest dome.
de Young Museum
American art from the 17th century to today, plus international textiles and major traveling exhibitions. The Hamon Observation Tower is free to enter.
Clement Street Farmers Market
Sunday morning farmers market on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond, 9am to 2pm year-round. Northern California growers.
Camera Obscura
A 1946 camera obscura at Lands End that projects the coastline onto a dish inside a small wooden shed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Clarion Performing Arts Center
A small performing arts venue at 2 Waverly Place in Chinatown for theater, dance, and music. $15 to $40. Near Montgomery BART.
Best of San Francisco
All lists →20 picksBest Things to Do in San FranciscoThe short list. If you only have two or three days, this is what they should be spent on.See and Do19 picksBest Neighborhoods to Explore in San FranciscoChinatown is the oldest in North America. Japantown is one of only three left in the country.See and Do8 picksBest Views in San FranciscoThe de Young's observation tower is free to walk into. Battery Spencer puts the whole bridge below you.See and Do15 picksBest Museums in San FranciscoFrom the two institutions that swallow an entire day to the free oddity on Polk Street that takes about fifteen minutes.See and Do12 picksBest Self-Guided Walks in San FranciscoRoutes with directions, timings and somewhere to eat at the end. Ninety minutes to three hours each.See and Do12 picksBest Things to Do with Kids in San FranciscoPlaces that hold a child's attention for longer than ten minutes, with the free and indoor ones flagged in each write-up.See and Do10 picksFoggy Day San Francisco: Best Indoor Things to DoIndoor plans for when the fog refuses to lift, including which museums are free and on which day.See and Do12 picksWeird & Offbeat San FranciscoA pipe organ played by the tide, tombstones built into a seawall, and gold circles marking cisterns buried under the street.See and Do
