When outdoorsy San Franciscans need a nature fix, they head to the Marin Headlands, a wildlife haven on the coast known for its hiking trails, Pacific Ocean views, and historic sites. Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the headlands sit just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.
Home to the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team (winners of the 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series Championships), Oracle Park is known for its waterfront setting on San Francisco Bay. This ballpark also features better-than-average stadium food, from Dungeness crab tacos to Hawaiian-style poke to Ghirardelli chocolate sundaes.
One of only two remaining functional World War II Liberty ships in the world, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien is permanently docked at Fisherman’s Wharf in the San Francisco Bay. Visitors are welcome aboard the unaltered ship—named a National Historic Landmark—for an authentic glimpse into the wartime experience at sea.
San Francisco’s Sutro Baths was once a public bathhouse with seven indoor swimming pools. Perched atop granite bluffs at the city’s western tip, it symbolized the great wealth brought by the Gold Rush.
San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood caters to young professionals with its hip shops and vibrant nightlife. Once an open valley where cows grazed (hence its name) and fishermen lived (due to its proximity to the Bay), it’s now filled with high-end boutiques, trendy restaurants, and bars.
Running for 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) along San Francisco’s Pacific coast, Ocean Beach marks the western edge of the city. The wide shoreline attracts both locals and visitors for picnics, walks, beach bonfires, and beautiful sunsets. Though swimming isn’t common here (the water is cold), surfing is popular.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) is a stunning venue for experiencing art in all its urgent vitality. The permanent collection, exhibitions, and events give artistic voice to issues facing California, the United States, and beyond, and encourage visitors to engage with art as an essential part of public life through interactive installations.
The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic San Francisco structure that has been captured in countless photographs for decades. For travelers vying for the perfect snapshot, visit Sausalito's Vista Point for views of the bridge and San Francisco skyline in the distance.
San Francisco’s Exploratorium is more than a museum—it’s one giant laboratory. Perched on the downtown waterfront at Pier 15, the Exploratorium brings together science, art, and human perception through interactive, science-based experiences. The Exploratorium is wholly hands-on, with nearly every surface designed to be touched, played on, and engaged with.
A hidden gem near Union Square, San Francisco’s Marrakech Magic Theater features the magic and comedy routines of Jay Alexander, a magician, mentalist, and comic who performs his signature acts in an intimate setting.
Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood, the Gothic-style Grace Cathedral is best known for its stained-glass windows that depict modern figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Robert Frost, and Albert Einstein. The church’s commitment to social issues is showcased in its AIDS Memorial Chapel, which houses a bronze altarpiece by activist Keith Haring.
A restored World War II submarine docked in San Francisco Bay, the USS Pampanito offers visitors a unique experience of military history. Explore the vessel that sank six Japanese ships in the Pacific, from the claustrophobic bunks shared by 70 submariners to the kitchen and dining area.
This neighborhood in the northeast section of San Francisco features mostly high-end real estate with enviable views of San Francisco Bay, but it’s also home to one of the city’s top attractions—the crooked block of Lombard Street. One of San Francisco cable car travels straight up and down the hill on Hyde Street, drawing lots of visitors to this otherwise residential area.
One of San Francisco’s biggest districts, SoMa, meaning South of Market Street, encompasses several communities, including South Beach, Mission Bay, Rincon Park, AT&T Park, and Yerba Buena Gardens. A mix of commercial, residential, and entertainment neighborhoods, SoMa is a vibrant cultural hub of San Francisco that continues to evolve.
Step inside the Walt Disney® Family Museum to understand the man and innovator who created Mickey Mouse and Disney World® and revolutionized the movie industry. Interweaving Disney’s personal history with early drawings of Disney’s animated works, this museum takes visitors back in time to Hollywood’s earliest days.
Journey through Asia—without embarking on an overseas trip—in this museum dedicated to art from the region. During your stay in San Francisco, view artworks spanning different periods in history and contemporary art from cultural regions, such as India, Japan, China, and Korea.
Enjoy a day at the San Francisco Zoo, home to hundreds of animals from around the world. Highlights include the African Savanna exhibit, dual-level Primate Discovery Center, and boundary-free South American Tropical Rainforest. Kids can pet animals in the Children’s Zoo, and kids of all ages like the daily Keeper Talks and animal feedings.
With its cliff-top location on the western edge of San Francisco, the Cliff House restaurant attracts locals and visitors with its fine dining and views of the Pacific and Ocean Beach. Originally opened in 1863, the Cliff House has gone through many changes over the years and today is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Fans of the curious and bizarre feel at home at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it houses rare and unusual plants from threatened rainforest environments. Pass a wide, welcoming front lawn and step inside the giant, white greenhouse to discover the beauty of the natural world.
From 1910 to 1940, hundreds of thousands of immigrants—mostly from Asia and Mexico—were processed at the US Immigration Station on Angel Island; many were also detained and interrogated. The restored station is now a museum dedicated to the education and interpretation of this period of American history.
Originally owned by the California Fruit Company, followed by Del Monte Foods, The Cannery was once a major fruit and vegetable canning plant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its 1937 retirement however, The Cannery’s historic building has been preserved and now houses a myriad of shops, boutiques, and restaurants on Leavenworth Street.
Home to both the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet, the War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932 and is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. The grand beaux-arts venue seats more than 3,000 people for opera performances and ballets, as well as other events such as concerts and lectures.
San Francisco’s Japantown, a microhood of the Western Addition neighborhood, is the oldest Japantown in the US and one of just a few left. It’s home to restaurants serving sushi, ramen, and other fare, a shopping center, a Japanese supermarket, and the 5-tier Peace Pagoda.
Discover the history of a generation of writers known as the Beats at the Beat Museum, which pays tribute to the movement in memorabilia, books, and a video documentary. This small museum, situated on a busy corner of San Francisco’s Italian North Beach neighborhood, is easy to include on a tour of the city.
One of San Francisco’s main thoroughfares, ever-pulsating Market Street cuts a diagonal line from the Embarcadero on the city’s northeastern edge to the Twin Peaks neighborhood. It’s home to everything from big-name shops, restaurants, and cafés to offices, theaters, and plazas—attracting visitors and locals both day and night.
On an unassuming street in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, Jerry Garcia and other members of the Grateful Dead lived in a classic San Francisco Victorian for a couple of years before and after the 1967 Summer of Love. Today, it’s a popular photo stop on hippie-themed tours of the city.
Tucked beneath the bluffs of the Presidio on the northwest edge of San Francisco, Baker Beach is a local favorite where a picnic on the sand comes with excellent views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Baker Beach offers a respite from the busy city and a chance to spot dolphins just offshore.
Between San Francisco and Santa Cruz sits the sleepy beach resort community of Half Moon Bay. Many of the town’s historical buildings now house upscale restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques, but the coast is the real draw here. The mansion-lined stretch of cliff-backed beach—with its scenic Cowell-Purisima Trail, excellent dining, and endless waves—draws surfers and picnickers throughout the entire year.
San Francisco foodies and local chefs alike flock to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market to peruse stalls bursting with some of Northern California’s finest produce. At the waterfront market, visitors can tempt their taste buds with local goat cheese, fresh-pressed olive oil, organic vegetables, and a variety of ready-to-eat artisanal goods.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) aims to capture the depth and breadth of present-day Jewish culture and experience. There’s a permanent collection by Jewish artists, but special exhibitions and educational programs change frequently and are designed to spark discussion about the arts today.
