20 Attractions to Explore Near Stow Lake Boathouse

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

China Beach is in a tiny cove tucked between Lands End and Baker Beach in the Sea Cliff neighborhood of San Francisco. It is protected by rock walls on both sides creating an area that once was a camp for Chinese fishermen, hence the name.It was once used as a campsite for Chinese fishermen. Swimming is not safe at China Beach because of many possible dangers and the lack of lifeguards in the area.

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.

This is a public beach on the peninsula of San Francisco. Large waves, undertow and rip currents make the beach unsafe for swimming, but it provides panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and Lands End. You can fish or check out the shorelife along the beach and rocky shoreline. Restrooms and picnic tables are nearby.

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.

Children's Fairyland is America's first storybook theme park, located on the shores of Lake Merritt in the heart of Oakland. It includes 10 acres of play sets, small rides, and animals. The park is also home to the Open Storybook Puppet Theater, the oldest continuously operating puppet theater in the United States.

Buena Vista Park is a centralized public space in San Francisco that stretches across 36 acres of land, which especially provides residents in the Haight-Ashbury and Buena Vista Heights neighborhoods with a place to enjoy the great outdoors, spend quality time with the family, stay active. The park is on a steep hill that peaks at 575 feet, and covers 37 acres. The lowest section is the north end along Haight.

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.

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.

Corona Heights Park is a craggy outcropping located along Roosevelt Way. It has some of the best views in San Francisco, but don’t overlook the wonderful wildflower display that carpets the grasslands each spring.The steps leading up to the peak are not supported by handrails. The peak of the hill is windy, but it offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the city of San Francisco from downtown to the Twin Peaks.

This small stretch of sand on the southwest side of the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful places in California with the massive rocks, waves crashing on the sand, and the staggering Golden Gate Bridge providing a backdrop to it all. It’s incredibly photogenic, offering spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the Marin Headlands.