Explore San Francisco

How about spending a day at the park, to get new knowledge in plants and arts, and on top of that experience a lit bit hippie culture? All this on the 5th day of our itinerary.

Golden Gate Park: : the urban park was based in New York’s Central Park and developed in unfavorable lands, known as Outside Lands. Inaugurated in 1871, it had the implicit objective to expand the city to the West side. You can find different attractions from amazing museums to beautiful gardens. The following are some of their top free sites: Stow Lake (an artificial lake located in the center of the park where you can rent a rowing boat, motorboat or pedal boat for a ride), The National AIDS Memorial Grove (dedicated to the thousands of people affected by AIDS - picnics and other events are allowed), Buffalo Paddock (open and safe area where dozens of bison live), Dutch Windmill (built in 1902 with the purpose of pumping underground water for park irrigation), Murphy Windmill (built in 1908 for the same purpose), Spreckls Lake (an artificial reservoir constructed in 1904 and was designed for sailboats and motor boats), Rainbow Falls (a waterfall that takes its name from the colorful lights that were installed in 1930). To see all attractions visit the Golden Gate Park website. Below are some the main attractions of the park:

Conservatory of Flowers: o is a national, state and local landmark of the State of California, which has undergone several renovations over the years as for example, in the fire of 1883 which destroyed the original dome. It is the first and oldest structure erected in the park, having its construction completed in 1879. The Conservatory is a Victorian-style glass and wood greenhouse which is home to around 1700 species of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, formed by five galleries: Aquatic Plants (where it is possible to see, for example, floating plants, such as the Lotus flower and carnivorous plants), Highland Tropics (the gallery features plants and flowers that live at altitudes above 3,000 feet such as orchids), Lowland Tropics (where it is possible to find plants native to tropical areas of countries like Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia, and this gallery also houses the centenarians), Potted Plants (this gallery pays homage to the late 19th century Victorian roots when plant collectors stored them in glass greenhouses to protect them from the cold climate of Europe), West Gallery (it is possible to see ferns from New Zealand). It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6:30 pm (and it is open on the following holidays Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) and the cost varies between US$3 to US$11.

Young Museum: opened in 1895, it was demolished several times for different reasons, such as the sea air having rusted the supporting steel. After its last renovation, the museum was reopened in 2005, remaining with only vases, sphinxes and palm trees as original elements of the place. The Young presents in its collection American art from the 17th to the 21st century, modern and contemporary art, and art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, including temporaty exhibitions. The museum also has a 44-meter high observation tower, which allows for a view above the treetops of Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Brigde, and your entry is free. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 5pm. And for more information about opening hours and tickets visit the museum’s official website.

California Academy of Sciences: it was founded in 1853 under the name of California Academy of Natural Sciences, having at the time, undertake “a thorough systematic survey of every portion of the State and the collection of an office of its rare and rich productions”. In 1868 it was deemed the most complete Academy of Sciences. In 1916 the Academy’s headquarters were moved to Golden Gate Park, being the first building on the site, and in 2008 the museum was completely rebuilt. Today the California Academy of Sciences, a research institution in biodiversity and sustainability, exploring life on the planet in the coming years as a central theme, known as the oldest functioning museum in the State, is one of the top 10 natural history museums in the world, containing in its collection more than 26 million species. It combines sensory experiences, aquariums and greenhouses in a modern and sustainably designed building, having as attractions: Rainforest, a living reply of the Amazon Rainforest with fish, birds and butterflies; Steinhart Aquarium containing over 900 different species, divided into an aquarium of the Amazon Rainforest and other tropical forests, a set of California Coast fish tanks (with Giant jellyfish and corals), a Philippine Reef aquarium, a sensory experience aquarium (where you can touch starfish, corals and other marine animals), Swamp (there you find an albino alligator, fish and turtles), and Shark Lagoon with more than 19 different species between stingrays and sharks; African Hall features stuffed animals and African Savanna landscapes; Planetarium presents a show focused on environmental preservation; Earthquake is a room that simulates the shaking of earthquakes and what they caused in houses at that time (no photos allowed in this room); Living Roof, in which the slabs were transformed into an ecosystem with plants and animals; and Whale bones. The Museum is open every day from 9:30 am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 11am. For more information visit the museum’s website.

Japanese Tea Garden: originally built to depict a Japanese village during the 1894 Mid-Winter California International Exposition. When the fair was over, Japanese landscape designer Makoto Hagiwara struck a deal and turned the temporary exhibit into a permanent fixture in Golden Gate Park. Hagiwara was responsible for expanding the Garden, erecting the Tea House, a Shinto shrine and a private area for him and his family. And not only perfected the landscaping, but also created a great homage to traditional Japanese art, importing authentic wonders from his homeland such as Japanese birds, goldfish, bronze items and plants. From 1895 to 1942, Hagiware and his family lived in, cared for, and spurred the growth of the Japanese Tea Garden. However, when World War II broke out, the family was forced to leave their home and taken to the concentration camp. During the war, the name of the garden became “Oriental Tea Garden” and many arrangements were destroyed or removed, sculptures disappeared, several plants died from lack of care, the Shinto shrine and the Hagiwara house were demolished. In 1952, the Garden returned with its original name Japanese Tea Garden, and in 1953, a Peace Lantern was attached to the Garden in a effort to ease tensions associated with the past and as a symbol of friendship with future generations in the United States. As early as 1974, a bronze plaque in honor of the Hagiwara Family was placed at the main gate. Today it is reagarded as the oldest public Japanese Garden in the USA, and it is a peaceful place that offers the opportunity to explore a little piece of Japan in the heart of San Francisco. The Japanese Tea Garden is opened all year-round, admission prices range from US$3 to US$9. For more information visit the park or garden website.

Haight-Ashbury: popularly known as The Haight, it is a neighborhood in San Francisco famous for the hippie movement. The neighborhood was once home to Middle-class Victorian homes during the time of the creation of Golden Gate Park (1890). As early as 1960, young people went there in search of drugs, music and free love in the so-called “Summer of Love”, raising the hippie flag and establishing an alternative way of life that goes against capitalism. As a result of this new way of life and growing health crisis, due to the increase in drug use and lack of health insurance, the first free medical clinic in the country was founded in the neighborhood, with the slogan “Health is a right, not a privilege”. The place still has a bohemian air with Victorian houses and an ‘unconventional’ lifestyle that reflects the characteristics of the city, with several boutiques of handmade clothing and accessories, bookstores, musical instrument stores, plant-based products and much more, all on the main street, Haight Street. Check out the classic Amoeba record store, and don’t miss the house were Janis Joplin lived (Lyon St 112) or the Grateful Dead band (Ashburt St 70).