20 Attractions to Explore Near San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge

The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall[3] and an office building. It is located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California and is served by Golden Gate Ferry and San Francisco Bay Ferry routes.On top of the building is a 245-foot-tall clock tower with four clock dials, each 22 feet in diameter, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city.

The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco. A huge number of diverse exhibits, and many with hand-on learning experiences. This is the only place in San Francisco where visitors can touch, tinker and play with more than 650 hands-on exhibits.

California's first certified farmers market operated by the nonprofit Foodwise. The market is widely acclaimed for both the quality and diversity of its fresh farm products, and artisan and prepared foods. The market provides a forum for people to learn about food and agriculture. Each week nearly 40,000 shoppers visit the farmers market.

Angel Island is the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. It has been used by humans for a variety of purposes, including seasonal hunting and gathering by indigenous peoples, water and timber supply for European ships, ranching by Mexicans, United States military installations, a United States Public Health Service Quarantine Station, and a U.S. Bureau of Immigration inspection and detention facility.

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park is a new 38-acre complex adjacent to the existing Port View Park. The park provides a special place for learning about the history and maritime activities of the area and an opportunity for viewing shoreline wildlife in native habitats. There is an amphitheater overlooking San Francisco Bay where live entertainment performs. There is also a viewing area for observing the super-Panamax cranes in operation at the adjacent Hanjin Terminal.

Coit Tower, is one of the city’s most interesting destinations. Located on top of Telegraph Hill, it provides 360-degree views of the entire city. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

This is a 48-story futurist building and the second-tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. It was the tallest building in San Francisco from its inception in 1972 until 2018.

The Wells Fargo History Museum is a museum operated by Wells Fargo in its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California that features exhibits about the History of Wells Fargo. It includes original stagecoaches, photographs, gold nuggets and mining artifacts, the Pony Express, telegraphs and historic bank artifacts. The museum was initially known as the Wells Fargo History Room when it opened in 1927 in San Francisco. In 1935, a museum was opened for public tours.

Aquarium of the Bay is a public aquarium located at The Embarcadero and Beach Street. Ithas focused its mission on enabling ocean conservation and climate action both locally and globally. It is one of seven institutions under parent company Bay Ecotarium, the largest watershed conservation organization in the Bay Area. It contains over 750,000 gallons of salt water that over 24,000 animals from 200+ species call home. It is the only Smithsonian-affiliated aquarium in the state of California.

City Lights Books is a landmark independent bookstore and publisher that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. It offers three floors of new-release hardcovers and paperbacks from all major publishers, as well as a large selection of titles from smaller, independent publishers

PIER 39—the most visited destination in San Francisco offers two levels of dining, entertainment, shopping and attractions, all surrounded by unbeatable views of the city and the Bay. A two-story carousel is one of the pier's more dominant features, although it is not directly visible from the street and sits towards the end of the pier. The family-oriented entertainment and presence of marine mammals make this a popular tourist location for families with kids.

This is one of the city's first parks established in 1847. It has been featured in many feature films. The park is bordered by sidewalk cafes and restaurants such as Mama's, Park Tavern restaurant and the Liguria Bakery as well as the Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

Oracle Park is the home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. The ballpark is located in the South of Market area at the corner of 3rd and King streets. Oracle Park also hosts other popular events, providing wonderful views and first-rate amenities to make any baseball game or event a memorable one. The stadium stands along the San Francisco Bay; the section of the bay beyond Oracle Park's right field wall is unofficially known as McCovey Cove.

California Historical Society inspires and empowers Californians to make the past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. The Society maintains a collection of historical documents, photographs, art and other research materials, awards the annual California Historical Society Book Prize, and publishes California History, an academic journal, in association with the University of California Press.

The Museum of the African Diaspora occupies 20,000 Sq. Ft. on portions of three floors of the St. Regis Hotel and Residences designed by SOM. It holds exhibitions and presents artists exclusively of the African diaspora, one of only a few museums of its kind in the United States. It does not have a permanent collection and instead works directly with artists or independent curators when developing exhibitions.

A modern art museum located in the heart of San Francisco. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art. The museum's current collection includes over 33,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts and more.

This is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese enclave outside Asia.

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is located at the Yerba Buena Park and is a place of cultural essence to the city. They showcase art, feature films, dance performances, public programs, etc. The center displays exhibits and collaboratively works with other foundations to promote public welfare and eliminate violence from the community. It also features all types of cinematic endeavors, including documentaries on a variety of subjects, art-house movies and foreign films.

Yerba Buena Gardens is the perfect place to play, dine, shop or just relax. This is the name for two blocks of public parks located between Third and Fourth, Mission and Folsom Streets in downtown San Francisco, California.A pedestrian bridge over Howard Street connects the two blocks, sitting on top of part of the Moscone Center convention center. It is a world-renowned cultural destination for Bay Area residents.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is a non-collecting museum at 736 Mission Street at Yerba Buena Lane in the South of Market. The museum's mission is to make the diversity of the Jewish experience relevant for a twenty-first century audience through exhibitions and educational programs. The museum has no permanent collection. It curates and hosts a broad array of exhibitions each year in collaboration with other institutions.