Golden Gate Park: San Francisco's Backyard
As part of our MLK Drive Repaving project in Golden Gate Park, we have moved construction on the Stow lake Drive segment of the project to next week (September 19-23), instead of the week of October 11-15. Starting next Monday (9/19), and through Friday (9/23), Stow Lake Drive will close for public access to fully grind and repave this roadway and adjacent parking lot. The segment of Stow Lake Drive between JFK Drive to near the boathouse parking lot will remain open, including access to our Permit and Reservations Office at the Log Cabin. The scope also includes replacement of curb ramps, then later striping and signage provided by SFMTA.
We're proud to welcome more than 13 million visitors each year to Golden Gate Park, one of San Francisco's greatest treasures. From a vast, windswept expanse of sand dunes, park engineer William Hammond Hall and master gardener John McLaren carved out an oasis--a verdant, horticulturally diverse, and picturesque public space where city dwellers can relax and reconnect with the natural world. The rest, as they say, is history.
Within Golden Gate Park's 1,017 acres you'll
discover gardens, playgrounds, lakes, picnic groves, trails, and
monuments, plus an array of cultural venues, events, and activities. To
help you plan your visit, we've highlighted just a few of the park's
special features and activities below. For more information, stop by
McLaren Lodge to pick
up a map, get
involved, and find out what's happening in San Francisco's backyard. For
information about reserving facilities for
picnics,
athletic events,
weddings,
and
special events, please contact our
Permits &
Reservations Division at (415) 831-5500.
Golden Gate Park Shuttle Information
Generations of San Franciscans (and young visitors from around the world!) have fond memories of the children's playground and the nearby 1914-vintage carrousel. The playground, built in 1887, underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2007 as the Koret Children's Quarter. Kids love the new climbing wall shaped like waves and rope climbing structure, as well as the old concrete slide.
Sharon Art Studio is San Francisco's largest public community art center, offering affordable classes in ceramics, glass, jewelry, drawing, and watercolor for youth, adults, and seniors.
Golden Gate Park's many gardens provide an exuberant palette of color year-round. Our calendar tells you when and where to look for floral displays, from the spectacular cherry and plum tree blossoms of the Japanese Tea Garden to tulips, dahlias, roses, and more.
The park provides shelter and food for many species of birds, including hummingbirds, herons, hawks, owls, ducks, warblers, woodpeckers, and finches. Take a moment to watch and listen for them; our almanac has tips on when and where to look.
The San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum grows and conserves plants from around the world--more than 8,000 varieties in 55 acres of landscaped gardens and open spaces. Stroll through a redwood grove or a cloud forest, and explore gardens of flora from Chile, Australia, California, and more. Kids in particular love the waterfowl pond, where you'll see geese, swans, and many other birds.
Golden Gate Park has 21 tennis courts near the children's playground and carrousel that can be reserved for a nominal fee. Sign up for free lessons for children and adults year-round.
Join the crowd for a free swing-dance party in the park every Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm on John F. Kennedy Drive, and practice your moves to the tune of jazz, blues, and swing. Open to all ages; no experience or partner required!
On the far western edge of Golden Gate Park, the Dutch Windmill once pumped irrigation water that helped transform the park's western half from dunes to landscaped lawns and gardens. Beneath the windmill is the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, in glorious bloom every March and April.
A Victorian confection built of wood and glass, the Conservatory, which opened in 1879, is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park. It houses a living museum of rare aquatic and tropical plants, including a 100-year-old giant Imperial Philodendron and a world-renowned collection of orchids.
The Music Concourse is a vital civic and cultural space within Golden Gate Park, hosting free concerts on Sundays during the summer and serving as a respite and picnic spot year-round for visitors to nearby cultural facilities.
Lawn bowling is an easy-to-learn yet highly competitive sport that can be played by people of all ages and levels of physical fitness. Join members of the San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club for a free lesson every Wednesday at noon.
The National AIDS Memorial Grove is a living tribute to all whose lives have been touched by AIDS, and a dedicated space where people can gather to heal, hope, and remember.
This 1925 Spanish Revival building at the park's western end, restored in 1996, originally housed a restaurant and bathing facilities for Ocean Beach swimmers. A series of WPA-era murals and mosaics adorn the ground floor, where you'll also find a Golden Gate Park visitor center and the Park Chalet restaurant; upstairs is the Beach Chalet restaurant, with sweeping views of the Pacific.
On October 15, 2005, the de Young Museum reopened in a new facility that integrates art, architecture, and the natural landscape in one multifaceted destination. The new de Young provides San Francisco with a landmark building to showcase the museum's priceless collections of American art from the 17th through 20th centuries and art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific.
This is the oldest public Japanese tea garden in the United States, created for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition and later expanded by Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara. Enjoy its elaborate carved gates and five-story pagoda, high-arching Drum Bridge, koi ponds, and stone lanterns, as well as the many Japanese and Chinese plants adorning its five acres. The flowering cherry trees are at their peak in March and April.
Rent a boat and paddle around the park's biggest lake, past an old stone bridge, a waterfall, and a Chinese pavilion. Or climb Strawberry Hill, an island in the center of the lake, for views of the city.
A beloved San Francisco institution since 1899, the Bison Paddock actually houses a herd of American bison. Come visit the shaggy beasts in their enclosure near the park's western end, next to Spreckels Lake.
Announcing a new blog about Golden Gate Park, featuring stories and information about the natural and cultural history of the park, profiles of some of the interesting people connected with it (both historical and contemporary) and reports of fascinating things happening in the park today. Sign up and learn more about this fabulous, historic park!
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