posted by Traveller on Sep 23

San Francisco Golden Gate Park, is a lovely park that you should not miss when you are in San Francisco. In the greenery part, you will find sports fields (such as public tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields), wind-mall, museums, gardens, lakes, trails for horseback ridding etc.. You will be surprised that this park alone can keep you occupied for up to a week.

On Sunday, one of the roads, John F. Kennedy Drive is closed to cars. As such, you will see joggers, cyclists and in-line skaters making full use of this facility. Beware that fog can sweep into the park with amazing.  So, it is good to bring along a sweatshirt or jacket.

San Francisco Golden Gate Park is no ordinary park.  It is so large that using a car to explore the whole park will definitely saves you time. However, during weekends and holidays (June – mid-Dec), there are Golden Gate Park Free Shuttle in the park to bring you from location to location. It runs every 15 minutes between 15 stops in the park.

The following are some attractions that you may want to consider.  They are; Beach Chalet and Park Chalet, Children’s Playground, Conservatory of flowers, Dutch Windmill, de Yong Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, National AIDS Memorial Grove, Shakespeare Garden, Stow Lake, Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, among others. Some of these attractions are highlighted below.

Japanese Tea Garden.  This is a 4-acre landscape of small ponds, streams, waterfalls, stone bridges, Japanese sculptures, bonsai trees, miniature pagodas, wooden bridges etc.  This garden was created for the 1894 Mid-Winter Exposition. If you are there in Spring, you will see the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Stow Lake.  If you are a photography enthusiast, the Stow Lake is one of the most photogenic spots in San Francisco Golden Gate Park.  This lake surrounds the Strawberry Hills have many activities such as picnicking, pigeon-feeding, turtles watching, cyclists taking a break, etc.. You can climb up the hill by crossing one of the 19th-century stone bridge located on the south-wet side of the lake.

Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Garden. If you plan for a picnic, this is one of the best spot to consider. This 55-acre arboretum has plants from areas with similar climates to that of the Bay Area, such as west coast of Australia, South Africa, and the Mediterranean. If you like plants, you are in for a treat.  There are more than 8,000 plants and trees varieties throughout the grounds.  Gardens that attracts the adults includes the Biblical, Fragrance, California Native Pants, Succulents, and Primitive Plant Gardens.  Whereas for the kids, they will have funs on the large shallow fountain and the pond with ducks, turtles and egrets.

Dutch Windmill & Beach Chalet and Park Chalet.  If you travel to the west end of the park, you will be able to see the two old windmills. Enjoy the windmill and the view of the Pacific Ocean.  The Beach Chalet and Park Chalet is just near by, since you are already here, you might just as well pop in and have a look.  The building is a Spanish Colonial-style structure built in 1925.  On the first floor, there is a three-dimensional model of the Golden Gate Park, artifacts from the 1894 Mid-Winter Exposition and other park events, a visitor center, and a gift shops etc..

Conservatory of Flowers. If you are a flower lover, this is the place you should not miss.  The gorgeous, white-framed glass structure will immediate captivate you the moment you sees it.  There is a garden in front of the conservatory and have seasonal plants. The flowers are often used as designs depicting the Golden Gate Bridge or the city sights.  There is a Dahlia Garden on the east side of the conservatory were you can find cypress, pine and redwood trees. To the west is the Rhododendron Dell which you can find about 850 varieties.  In March, when many of the flowers bloom, it is very beautiful.

If you do happen to be San Francisco, above are some of the attractions that you should not miss when you are at San Francisco Golden Gate Park.  Some other attraction worth visiting are; Children’s Playground, Dutch Windmill, de Yong Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, Shakespeare Garden, etc..

Picture Reference:

The pictures (Golden Gate Park Aerial View, Conservatory of Flowers, North Windmill, Japanese Tea Gardens and Strybing Arboretum) are taken from Wikipedia and are published under the GNU Free Documentation License.

The Public Domain Picture, Stow Lake is taken from Wikepidia.