Golden Gate Park – San Francisco’s greenest district
Dance like a hippie, with flowers in your hair. Golden Gate Park became famous during the Summer of Love in 1967. It’s a treasured space of woodland, secluded lakes and grassy meadows. Stroll its pathways, enjoy views out over the bay and imagine what it was like back in the days of peace and love.
Got green fingers? Then you’ll love the Conservatory of Flowers, built in 1879 and modeled on London’s Kew Gardens. The Japanese Tea Garden is a 16,000 square meter (4-acre) refuge of traditional oriental architecture and bamboo groves.
A treat for body and mind
Hop off the San Francisco Bus Tour as it passes right through the middle of the park. Take a rowing boat out on Stow Lake. Feed your head with knowledge at the California Academy of Sciences – one of the largest natural history museums in the world. Or check out the contemporary art from around the world at the de Young [SK1] museum.
Other interesting facts about Golden Gate Park
- Golden Gate Park is the third most visited park in the United States
- The park is actually bigger than New York’s Central Park at 4 square kilometers (1,017 acres)
- Don’t forget to look out for the famous bison that have roamed in the Bison Paddock since 1891
- Every Sunday, a section of John F. Kennedy drive is closed off to cars, allowing joggers and cyclists a free run of the roads
- There are 10 lakes in the park and an estimated 100 or more coyotes running wild here
