Soul of SF
Home to two major museums - the Cal Academy of Science (which publishes a free app/guide specifically to the park) and de Young museums - a Japanese tea garden, a flower conservatory, a herd of bison, numerous lakes, a polo stadium, an early 1900's carousel, windmills, a Sunday roller disco, massive festivals and countless characters visiting on a daily basis - Golden Gate Park surprises with regularity!
Much of the park is blocked to automotive vehicles on Sunday making it a great time to explore. On the weekends - unless it's cold or raining - you can usually pick up a game of volleyball at Peacock Meadow, barbecue at Speedway Meadow, or rollerderby with the crew off JFK.
Bicycles (or other self-powered rolling vehicles) and feet are the preferred modes of park transport - for those seeking a ride, shuttle service runs on weekends and holidays.
Around Golden Gate Park...
Much of the park is blocked to automotive vehicles on Sunday making it a great time to explore. On the weekends - unless it's cold or raining - you can usually pick up a game of volleyball at Peacock Meadow, barbecue at Speedway Meadow, or rollerderby with the crew off JFK.
Bicycles (or other self-powered rolling vehicles) and feet are the preferred modes of park transport - for those seeking a ride, shuttle service runs on weekends and holidays.
Around Golden Gate Park...
Botanical Garden
All your flora are belong to us
A tranquil 55 acres inhabited by 7500 hundred plants, the garden► delights plant nerds, walkers and picnickers - especially on warm days!
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Cal Academy of Sciences
Stunning aquarium and rainforest
San Francisco's most freshly baked (err.. renovated) museum delights with large aquariums, African dioramas, a rainforest, and planetarium all wrapped in a wondrously uber-modern grass covered "living roof"► with skylights.
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Conservatory of Flowers
Living Victoriana
Located just inside Golden Gate Park from the Panhandle, the oldest surviving flower conservatory in the western hemisphere (1878) and consists of 25 tons of glass - and after a 2003 restoration, it seems likely to hold the title for a while longer yet :)
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de Young Museum
A fine fine art museum
Opened in 1895 with a hyper-modern rebuild in 2005, de Young is among the oldest and best museums in the city - inside and out!
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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Who let the strings out?
Founded in 2001 by the late private equity entrepreneur Warren Hellman, and combining an A-list of acoustic musicians and no admission (thanks Warren!) Hardly Strictly is a major musical event! More than a half million folks attend during the three day weekend.
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Hooverball
What is that game???
San Francisco became a major center of Hooverball following a surprise 2nd place finish in the national championships a couple years ago!
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Japanese Tea Garden
Feeling lucky?
The oldest public Japanese garden in the country, this Golden Gate park gem is a great place to walk, check out the koi, structures, statues.. or have a cup of tea :)
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Panhandle
Not just for panhandlers...
A halfway house between urban San Francisco and the Golden Gate Park, this long (3/4 mile) narrow (1 block) strip of park divides the Haight and the Western Addition ("NOPA" if you're a real estate agent).
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Speedway Meadow
Grand Central
Speedway Meadow in the middle of Golden Gate Park is probably the most popular picnic spot in the city. The location is far enough out for the coastal Fog to have a larger-than-Dolores impact, but the spacious meadow and surrounding areas (eg, adjoining Stow Lake) offer a lot of outdoor activities.
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Stow LakeThe largest of Golden Gate Park's man-made lakes, Stow is a hub of activity including hiking, bicycling and, formerly, boating. The boathouse rentals (boat and bike) are currently closed, and catalyst of an ongoing battle.
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