Spend an entire day at Golden Gate Park! Home to Cal Academy, the de Young Museum, Koret Children's Quarter, the Japanese Tea Garden, the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, several lakes, a carousel, bison paddock - there are plenty of things to see and do.
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Tinybeans19 places
The jewel of the city has some of the best bicycle paths for families, with just a few mild gradients. On Sundays and holidays, JFK Drive is closed to car traffic from Stanyan Street to 20th Avenue, leaving it free for cyclists and pedestrians. If you want to continue on, the trail leaves JFK Drive near Lloyd Lake, veering southwest, passing near the Polo Field. You’ll eventually cross Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and end up near Lincoln Way at the Great Highway, just across from Ocean Beach.
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Tinybeans16 places
San Francisco is one of the greenest cities in the US, blossoming with parks, gardens, and open green spaces. To take advantage, lace up comfortable walking shoes and explore the city on foot. Where to tread? Trails in Golden Gate Park and the Presidio meander through true urban forests. For a challenge, conquer the hidden staircases and steep hills near Coit Tower. Alternatively, check out Tank Hill and Kite Hill—scenic spots favored by locals—on your climb to Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower.
MoreFirst Timer's Guide to San Francisco
Viator10 places
Twenty percent larger than New York’s Central Park and just as iconic, Golden Gate Park is 1,000-plus acres of rolling hills, groves of trees, gardens and hidden treasures. The park also houses some of SF’s most beloved institutions—the Victorian-era glass-ensconced Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Fine Arts Museum and the Academy of Sciences, among them—as well as less famous attractions such as the bison paddock, Shakespeare’s Garden and the north and south windmills.
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Time Out15 places
When weather cooperates, the 1017-acre park of redwood, green meadows, and museums is a perfect setting to laze half a San Francisco day. Plus a lot is free, including weekly concerts and events like Hardly Strictly (an annual bluegrass festival) and Shakespeare in the Park. But better yet there are free lawn bowling lessons every Wednesday at noon.
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Lonely Planet14 places
Golden Gate Park is a signature feature of San Francisco. Green lawns, rolling hills, small lakes, and patches of forest make the setting for countless locals and visitors to recreate, relax, and enjoy a slice of nature in the city. It also has many cultural attractions like museums, art exhibits, sports facilities, restaurants, and a Japanese tea garden.
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FATMAP11 places
Get back to nature in the biggest park in San Francisco, which is a whopping 3mi (5km) long and sprawls from Haight-Ashbury to the sandy west coast. Hug a 100ft (30m) giant sequoia if you’re inclined, marvel at the cherry blossoms and bonsai trees in the Japanese Tea Garden, or take a pedal boat around Stow Lake to see a waterfall, Chinese pavilion and plethora of birdlife. It’s a literal breath of fresh air.
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Culture Trip8 places
From bonsai, buffalo, and redwoods to Frisbees, free music, and free spirits, Golden Gate Park seems to contain just about everything San Franciscans love about their city. You could wander the park for a week and still not see it all, with myriad attractions including the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, and Stow Lake.
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Lonely Planet5 places
From bonsai, buffalo, and redwoods to Frisbees, free music, and free spirits, Golden Gate Park seems to contain just about everything San Franciscans love about their city. You could wander the park for a week and still not see it all, with myriad attractions including the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, and Stow Lake.
MoreThe best parks in San Francisco
Lonely Planet8 places