I love nature. Finding a park like Golden Gate Park in the middle of a big city like San Francisco was so refreshing and I loved spending the afternoon there. Golden Gate Park is packed with so many different things from raw nature to an amazing fine arts museum to a lake with boats! Since there is so much to do in Golden Gate Park and it is so big, you really have to pick and choose what you want to see if you have limited time.
We started on the west end of the park at the Queen Wilhelmina Garden. There is a beautiful windmill and so many flowers. We got lunch at the grocery store down the street and walked over to the garden and sat on a bench to eat. We had a great time. From there we walked out to the bus stop (yes, there are bus stops because it is that big) and rode down to the stop with The de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden.
That is a beautiful area to explore and I highly recommend seeing as much of it as you can. Pay attention to hours because things tend to close early. From here you can also walk down to Stow Lake and take a stroll around the lake and some beautiful pictures. If you are looking for some great shots for your social media, this park is going to be full of them. And it’s not very far from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Presidio area of San Francisco.
Depending on when you visit, be sure to check out the website goldengatepark.com for upcoming events. It also lists all of the attractions in the park as well as information like the histories, prices, hours, etc. For example, you can get into the Japanese Tea Garden for free if you go before 10 am on Mon, Wed, and Fri!
Overall, we had a great time and will definitely visit Golden Gate Park next time we are in San Francisco.
Other things to do in San Francisco:
Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruise San Francisco
Alcatraz Night Tour (San Francisco, CA)
Walking the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco)
California Academy of Sciences
de Young Museum in San Francisco
