Activities in the Bay Area
- Alcatraz
- Originally a Spanish fort guarding the entrance to S.F. Bay, it was a military prison in 1868 and in 1933 a Federal penitentiary. Now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
- Ferry tickets available by calling 415-981-7625. BOOK IN ADVANCE. Ferries leave from Pier 33, The Embarcadero
- Angel Island
- Originally a U.S. Immigration processing center and now a museum. Ferries available from Blue and Gold Fleet, at www.blueandgoldfleet.com
- A T & T (Baseball) Park
- Home of the San Francisco Giants
- Cable Cars, The Barn and Museum
- A moving National Monument, the cable cars were invented in S.F. in 1871 to traverse its steep hills and one time served all S.F. The Barn is the Control Center.
- Coit Tower
- On the top of Telegraph Hill, it was built as a memorial to S.F. volunteer firemen by Lillian Coit. Spectacular views and beautiful murals commissioned during the 1930's by the PWA
- Conservatory of Flowers
- Built in 1879, it is one of North America's oldest existing public conservatories dedicated to rare and beautiful tropical plants.
- Exploratorium
- An engaging science museum with hundreds of interactive exhibits
- Ferry Building
- Built between 1896 and 1903, it survived the Great Fire after the earthquake in 1906. Today a thriving gourmet showcase with markets on Saturday and Tuesdays.
- Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39
- Formerly a famous wharf for the fishing industry, it is now the home of restaurants, shops and tourist attractions
- Ghirardelli Square
- Once a chocolate factory and a woollen mill, now a shopping center with elegant shops and restaurants
- Golden Gate Bridge
- This world famous landmark, built in 1937 and named after the "Golden Gate", the waterway between S.F. and Marin County
- Golden Gate Park
- One of the largest urban parks in the world, it stretches from the Pacific Ocean to downtown S.F. with an amazing collection of sights, museums, and natural beauty
- Japanese Tea Garden
- Established in 1894 for the California Midwinter Fair, it has winding paths through manicured trees, shrubs and flowers
- Maritime National Historic Park
- A fine collection of ship models, photographs and relics with historic ships moored nearby at Hyde Street Pier
- Mission Dolores
- Built in 1791, it is the oldest building in S.F. with a small museum and a cemetery with graves of prominent early settlers of California
- The Palace of Fine Arts
- A remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition it is the sole survivor of many grandiose monuments built to show S.F.'s recovery from the 1906 Earthquake
- The Presidio
- Established in 1776 as an outpost of Spain's New World Empire, this beautiful wooded park has stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge
- San Francisco City Hall
- Built in 1915, this beautiful example of the Beaux Arts style has a Grand Baroque dome modeled on St Peter's Church in Rome
- San Francisco Zoo
- Housing over 1,000 species of birds and mammals of which 30 are considered endangered, includes a children's petting zoo.
- Strybing Arboretum
- Well maintained gardens, more naturalistic than formal, with over 7,500 species of plants, trees and shrubs from all over the world
- Twin Peaks Observation Point
- The highest point of the City with panoramic views of the Bay Area
- Walt Disney Family Museum
- A truly wonderful interactive tribute to the amazing career of one of America's most innovative film pioneers, located in the Presidio National Park
- Yerba Buena Gardens
- Landscaped gardens and waterfall in the center of the downtown with a visual and performing arts complex
Our San Francisco bed and breakfast inn is conveniently located to many activities in the Bay Area.
