Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is considered one of the most interesting attractions of this port city. Travelers and locals love this park for a reason, because it is simply impossible not to fall in love with this place. Travelers and visitors to the city can stay in great San Francisco hotels located near the park. This is the largest park in San Francisco, its area is more than 400 hectares: from the city center to the ocean. Golden Gate Park is a true marvel of landscape design. It was founded in the 19th century and today it is considered one of the most famous parks in the world with an attendance of about 13 million people a year. Only two parks in the USA – Central Park in New York and Lincoln Park in Chicago – have managed to overtake this figure.
The territory of the park is rich in forests, plains and waterfalls. There are also real lakes with islands, dunes and hills.
Everyone will be comfortable here – both hikers and those who prefer active recreation like cycling or horseback riding. Also in Golden Gate Park you can do sports or find a lot of entertainment for children.
Golden Gate Park hosts street entertainment and concerts of popular performers. In the park you can see many interesting birds and animals, and there are several museums.
There are many interesting areas located in the park. These include:
- Conservatory of Flowers. This is the name of a large botanical garden created in 1878. It contains about 1,700 different species of plants from all over the world.
- Academy of Sciences. This is a vast, grandiose museum that is simultaneously a planetarium, aquarium, rainforest and natural history museum. It is home to over 40,000 animals and the Academy of Sciences has a collection of 20 million artifacts. This building is equipped with the latest technology.
- The Botanical Garden (or San Francisco Botanical Garden) is a true outdoor splendor, presenting visitors with 7,500 plants from all over the world.
- The Museum of Fine Arts offers a marvelous collection of paintings, decorative arts and other works of art for all to see. The museum also hosts a floral bouquet show every year.
- Stone Lake (or Stown Lake). This lake surrounds Strawberry Hill, from which it then flows into a man-made waterfall.
- Music Zone. This is the name of the outdoor area where various musical events are usually held. The centerpiece of the music zone is the temple of music.
In addition to the areas listed above, Golden Gate Park has a number of other interesting places, such as the Japanese Tea Garden with many ponds and paths, themed bridges and sculptures, the bison enclosure at the west end of Golden Gate Park, the mills, Bible and Shakespeare Gardens, Chalet Park, and many others.
Other options for Golden Gate Park sigway tours can be found here.
If you decide to visit San Francisco, don’t bypass this gorgeous park. It would take a full day to walk around the Golden Gate, but that hardly seems like enough. Another must-see is the eponymous Golden Gate Bridge, the most recognizable and popular bridge in the world.