You'll find the Hidden Garden Steps at 16th Avenue and Kirkham Street in the Inner Sunset. The steep staircase, adorned with beautiful mosaic tiles, depicts colorful flowers, plants, insects and more! At the top, turn right and follow 16th Avenue through the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood. Here, you'll reach another set of beautifully tiled stairs where you can climb from the sea (at the bottom) to the stars (at the top).

We bet you've seen this place hundreds of times as you've zoomed up 101 toward San Francisco: A hill covered with white letters, reading "SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO THE INDUSTRIAL CITY," —it's the Hollywood sign's way-less-glamorous, NorCal cousin. Getting to the letters is easy from Grand Avenue, just a short, uphill walk through a quiet suburban neighborhood. The Letters Trail is quick and takes you right up to the big white signs.

This staircase is not necessarily urban, but it's hidden in Mill Valley—and one of our favorites in the Bay Area. For the more experienced hiking family, this 3.70-mile loop tackles 680 stairs—but wow! How amazing are you going to feel when you reach the top? This trail takes an average of 1 hour and 53 minutes to complete, and feel free to bring your furry four-legged family members (as long as they stay on leash).

Go down Sansome Street three blocks to a concrete-and-steel stairway called Filbert Steps where you start your ascension. Wooden cottages, rose bushes, and sculpted gardens line both sides of the stairs. Kids will love the “Teacup poodle OK” mural around a water hydrant on your right. Continue the stairs up to Coit Tower—enjoy the view—and come back down the Greenwich steps. These turn into Greenwich Street, leading you to Levi Plaza’s park, a zen place with fountains to splash around.

Located between 24th and 25th Streets, this block-long alley is one of the best spots to see murals. The murals began in the mid-1980s to express anger over human rights violations and political corruption in central America. Today, new murals pop up all the time and can include gentrification and government injustice.

The Mission of Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) transformed Clarion Alley into a space filled with murals. There's been over 900 since 1992. Walking around the Mission District is like stepping into an outdoor art gallery. If you'd like to see even more murals and learn about each piece—take a walking tour.

Murals from the Works Progress Administration era cover the entire first floor of the Beach Chalet building. Enjoy the free art show before grabbing a bite to eat. The Beach Chalet restaurant (upstairs) and Park Chalet (downstairs and outside) are both delicious. The beach is just across the street, too! What could be better? Gorgeous murals, a delicious lunch, and a family frolic in the sand!

More and more colorful murals have popped up in Chinatown in the past decade. Take a stroll through this lively neighborhood and see how many you can spot! Our favorite is the giant blue dragon On Trenton Street and Pacific Avenue.

Two murals inside the station are almost identical. Can your family find the differences? What do you think the murals look like? Peacock feathers, hot air balloon, a symbol of diversity? The beauty of art is that it's up to your interpretation.

The kids will surely get excited when they see the huge T-Rex dinosaur painted in rainbow hues.

The giant Oakland Dreams mural is definitely Instagram-worthy. It represents youth holding on to their dreams. Beautiful and inspirational!