An Arts and Culture Day in San Francisco

Overview

This day is for people who want a mix of indoor museums and outdoor street art, with some walking and a couple of transit hops between neighborhoods. The route moves from downtown to Civic Center, then to the Mission for murals, and finishes in Golden Gate Park. It’s about eight hours if you linger, and you’ll want to check museum closure days, since several SF institutions close midweek. Pick two or three anchors rather than trying to see everything.

SFMOMA

Start downtown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street, a few blocks from the Montgomery Street BART and Muni station. It holds seven gallery floors of modern and contemporary work, including a large photography collection and a living wall on the third-floor terrace. Hours are 10am to 5pm most days, with Thursday running noon to 8pm, and the museum is closed Wednesdays. Give yourself two hours minimum. From here it’s about a 15-minute walk or a short Muni ride to Civic Center.

Asian Art Museum

At 200 Larkin Street in Civic Center, the Asian Art Museum holds one of the larger collections of Asian art outside Asia, spanning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South and Southeast Asian works across thousands of years. Hours are 10am to 5pm Friday through Monday, 1pm to 8pm Thursday, and the museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Beaux-Arts building it occupies is the former main library, worth a look on its own. Plan about 90 minutes. From Civic Center, BART runs directly to the 16th Street or 24th Street stations in the Mission, about ten minutes.

Clarion Alley

Get off at the 16th Street Mission BART station and walk to Clarion Alley, a one-block lane between Mission and Valencia. Since 1992 the Clarion Alley Mural Project has filled it with constantly changing murals on themes of social, economic, and environmental justice. It’s free, outdoors, and open anytime, though daytime is best for seeing the work. Spend 20 to 30 minutes, then walk south about 15 minutes toward 24th Street.

Balmy Alley and Precita Eyes

In the 24th Street corridor, Balmy Alley holds the densest concentration of murals in the city, with work dating to the mid-1980s that started as a response to events in Central America and now spans many styles and subjects. Nearby, the Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center at 2981 24th Street is a community nonprofit that offers maps, self-guided info, and guided mural walks most days if you want context. Check their schedule ahead for tour times. This stretch of 24th Street is also a good place to grab a coffee or a snack before the last leg.

de Young Museum

Finish in Golden Gate Park at the de Young, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, which focuses on American art, plus textiles, and art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday 9:30am to 5:15pm and closed Mondays. The Hamon Observation Tower on the top floor is free to enter and gives a wide view over the park and city; it closes at 4:30pm. From the Mission, allow 30 to 40 minutes by Muni or car to reach the park.

Practical Tips

Watch the closure days: SFMOMA is closed Wednesdays, the Asian Art Museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and the de Young is closed Mondays, so no single day hits all of them, and you’ll want to pick your anchors accordingly. Thursday gives you the longest museum hours, with both SFMOMA and the Asian Art Museum open into the evening. The Mission is one of the sunniest, warmest neighborhoods, while Golden Gate Park trends foggy and cool, so carry a layer for the end of the day. A Clipper card or the MuniMobile app covers BART and Muni for the hops between downtown, the Mission, and the park. The mural alleys are free; the museums charge admission, and buying online ahead saves time on weekends.