20 Attractions to Explore Near San Francisco Zoo

Lake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California. It is surrounded by three golf courses The lake is home of the Pacific Rowing Club and St. Ignatius College Prep Rowing Team, both competitive rowing programs for San Francisco high school students.

This is a 33-acre recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It consists of several park sections including the Concert Meadow, the West Meadow, and Pine Lake Park. The grove's Pine Lake is one of three natural lakes in the city of San Francisco. In 2005, Stern Grove underwent a $15 million renovation, designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. New features included drainage improvements and erosion control, an expanded outdoor stage and performance facilities.

Hawk Hill is a magnificent remnant hilltop dune with ocean views of southwestern San Francisco. It offers a prime vantage point for viewing thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures collectively known as “raptors” as they soar overhead during their annual fall migration.This unique site in the Marin Headlands is steeped in military history and plays an important role in the vitality of endangered mission blue butterflies.

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps are a set of mosaic staircases in the Inner Sunset District. These colorful pieces of art showcase intricate designs that can be enjoyed from both far away and close up. The theme of the overall design focuses on the sea to the stars. You will see lovely spiral designs with small sea creatures all around them. You will also see a set of stairs with a beautiful moon. Another popular one is a yellow and orange sun.

Grandview Park is a local elevated park in the Sunset District that's relatively small, but it's packed with botanical and geological wonders.The summit of Grandview Park rises to about 666 feet. It provides one of the last remaining habitats within the city for a number of native plants, including the endangered Franciscan wallflower and dune tansy, and also bush lupin, beach strawberry, bush monkey flower, and coyote bush. The hill is crowned with Monterey cypress trees.

Thornton State Beach is a remote beach below tall bluffs just south of San Francisco. The park is known for the hiking and equestrian trails on the bluff terraces high above the waterline.There are some multi-purpose trails, some covered with vegetation or sandy dunes, that wind down closer to the ocean, but these trails have not been maintained and may be badly eroded.

This is a large urban park located in San Francisco administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. It is a large urban park with windmills, bison, museums, lakes and a carousel among its many attractions. . Golden Gate is the third most-visited city park in the United States after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial.

Mount Davidson in San Francisco is the highest peak in the city. It reaches 928 feet above sea level and offers a great hiking experience. The hill is well known for its 103-foot concrete cross on the top of it. Each year on Easter, you will find a sunrise service in front of the cross. They also have an annual event on April 24 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. It is the site of a yearly prayer service, performed on Easter.

The Stow Lake Boathouse is a recreational facility in San Francisco.The boathouse is located at Stow Lake, which is on the easternmost side of Golden Gate Park.

This is a living garden within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, showcasing over 8,500 different kinds of plants from around the world. Its 55 acres represents nearly 9,000 different kinds of plants from around the world, with particular focus on Magnolia species, high elevation palms, conifers, and cloud forest species from Central America, South America and Southeast Asia.

This is the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States located inside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Originally built as part of a sprawling World's Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Though many of its attractions are still a part of the garden today, there have been changes throughout the history of the garden that have shaped it into what it is today. This complex of many paths,, and a teahouse features plants and trees arranged in a Japanese style.

Lands End is a park in San Francisco within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is a rocky and windswept shoreline at the mouth of the Golden Gate, situated between the Sutro District and Lincoln Park and abutting Fort Miley Military Reservation. A memorial to USS San Francisco stands in the park. Numerous hiking trails follow the former railbeds of the Ferries and Cliff House Railway along the cliffs and also down to the shore.

The Sutro Baths was a large, privately owned public saltwater swimming pool complex in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District. The structure was situated in a small beach inlet below the Cliff House, also owned by Adolph Sutro at the time. Both the Cliff House and the former baths site are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, operated by the United States National Park Service.

This is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco, California. Located in Golden Gate Park. It showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles, and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific and Africa.

Among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The museums operate on an annual budget funded by membership dues, ticket sales, donations and purchases in its stores.

Glen Canyon Park is a city park in San Francisco, California. It occupies about 70 acres along a deep canyon adjacent to the Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and Miraloma Park neighborhoods. O'Shaughnessy Hollow is a rugged, undeveloped 3.6 acres tract of parkland that lies immediately to the west and may be considered an extension of Glen Canyon Park.

The Twin Peaks are two prominent hills with an elevation of about 925 feet located near the geographic center of San Francisco. The top of Twin Peaks is undeveloped. It is part of the 31 acres  Twin Peaks Natural Area, managed and owned by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. These preserved areas are home to many natural resources and wildlife. As part of the Mission blue butterfly habitat conservation, Twin Peaks is one of the few remaining habitats for this endangered species.

This is an art museum in San Francisco, California. Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It displays a collection spanning more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.

The Conservatory of Flowers is a botanical garden of rare and unusual tropical plants located in Golden Gate Park. The oldest existing wood-and-glass conservatory in North America, the Conservatory of Flowers houses nearly 2,000 species.