20 Attractions to Explore Near China Beach, San Francisco

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

The Walt Disney Family Museum is one of the Bay Area’s most inspirational venues, welcoming visitors to an historic building that reveals 40,000 square feet of imagination, which features the life and legacy of Walt Disney. It features the newest technology and historic materials and artifacts to bring Disney’s achievements to life, with interactive galleries that include early drawings and animation, movies, music, listening stations, and a 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland.

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.

One of the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world, and one which definitely is most photographed.

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.

This is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. Situated in the Marina District of San Francisco, California. In addition to hosting art exhibitions, it remains a popular attraction for tourists and locals.

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.

Kirby Cove is a small bayside park with trails and a campground where you can absorb incredible views of San Francisco from across the Golden Gate. It offers a sandy beach, over a mile of trails across the forested hillside, accommodating campsites, and an unforgettable experience in nature.