San Francisco Airport Attractions
Alcatraz Island
Middle of San Francisco Bay
Fishermans Wharf
Alcatraz, Spanish for pelican, was named Isla de los Alcatraces after the birds that were the only inhabitants. Closed in 1963, this federal penitentiary once housed such well-known criminals as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley and Robert "Birdman" Stroud. Because of its rocky terrain and it’s location in the middle of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was thought to be inescapable. Thus, its inmates were the most notorious criminals and mobsters. The 12-acre island is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is accessible only by the Blue & Gold Fleet ferry which departs daily from Pier 41 at Fisherman’s Wharf. Reservations are recommended. Advance tickets may be charged to a credit card by phone, (415) 705-5555.
Angel Island - Candlestick Point
Angel Island became a state park in 1954 when restoration of historic sites began and a program of nature conservation was undertaken. The 740-acre island provides spectacular views of the entire Bay Area from winding roads and trails for hikers and bikers. The ecology on the island protects a variety of land and marine mammals, birds, and botanical species. There are also some very comfortable beaches and picnic areas for you to enjoy.
Bicycles are available for hire in Tiburon and on the island. Kayaking tours are also available and there are guides stationed at historic points across the island to help you with your navigational needs or just to answer a question or two.
Beach Blanket Babylon
Club Fugazi 678 Green St.
North Beach
Hilarious, timely and outrageous. "Beach Blanket Babylon" makes fun of our world and has a good time doing it, oh and there are lots of very big hats. All shows except Sunday matinees, are for adults 21 and older as the show tends to be on the racy side.
Cable Cars
Victorian Park at Fisherman's Wharf, California, Hyde, Mason and Powell Streets
San Francisco
Jump on a Cable Car and you will be riding on the only vehicle of its kind still in operation. The cable cars are operated by the Muni transportation system and rides cost $2.00 (no transfers accepted or issued). The original cable cars began operation in 1873 and became the primary mode of transportation until all the routes were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. As the city was reconstructed only a few of the cable car lines were rebuilt and it seemed as if the cars had run their final routes. However, the city began restoring the lines in 1982 and two years later the famed cable cars began operating again.
Here’s where you can find cable car routes: The Powell-Mason line runs from Powell/ Market streets, crossing over Nob Hill and then down to Bay Street at Fisherman's Wharf. The Powell-Hyde line begins at Powell/ Market streets, crosses over Nob and Russian hills before ending at Victorian Park in Fisherman's Wharf. The California Street line runs from the Financial District, through Chinatown, over Nob Hill and stops at Van Ness Avenue.
Chinatown
The entrance to Chinatown is not easy to miss. It’s located at Grant Avenue and Bush Street and the festive pagoda shaped gates, with their guardian dragons, catch your eye and beckon you to enter. Smell the exotic aromas coming from Chinatown’s many fine restaurants. Visit Portsmouth Square, the original settlement of the city’s Chinese immigrants. Walk along Stockton Street that is still the location of local Chinese commerce. You’ll find fascinating shops and markets selling Chinese herbs, fresh poultry, fish, and produce, as well as clothing and other merchandise. Don’t forget to try the dim sum!
Attractions are listed alphabetically by Name:
Coit Tower
Top of Telegraph Hill
North Beach
Coit Tower sits on top of Telegraph Hill and is 210-feet high. Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a well-known local philanthropist, left money in her will for the beautification of the city. As a result Coit Tower was built. Locals tell us that the tower is built in the shape of a firehose because of Mrs. Coit’s admiration for the firefighters who fought fires caused by the 1906 earthquake. The view from the top is truly breathtaking. The tower also contains a museum with murals depicting 1930’s California.
Fine Arts Palace
3301 Lyon St.
Marina
Built in 1915 for the rebirth of the city after the 1906 earthquake and for the Panama Pacific Exposition that celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal, the Fine Arts Palace became a San Francisco landmark. Because the structure was designed to be temporary, it soon began crumbling and a group of philanthropists had it rebuilt in the early 1960's.
Inside is the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum as well as a 1,000 seat theatre often used for dance events.
Fisherman's Wharf
Along Jefferson Street
San Francisco
Fisherman’s Wharf is located along Jefferson Street. In fact, the stretch between Jefferson Street between Hyde and Jones is called "Fish Alley" and you can see local fishermen at work if you get down there early in the morning.
Buy a fresh Dungeness crab or a sourdough bowl of clam chowder from the street merchants for a trip into the past, or sit in one of the many restaurants and breweries that dot this stretch of road and enjoy a fresh brewed pint of ale and watch the heartbeat of this historic area pass you by.
Bring the kids because they’ll love the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum and the Red & White Fleet. If you want to see famous people, pop into the Wax Museum where you’ll find movie stars and U.S. Presidents. Or just keep an eye open, as a famous television show's sound stage is located in the neighborhood. Check out the World War II era submarine, the Pampanito. This gallant gray lady, located on Pier 45, spent six tours of duty in the Pacific sinking many an enemy ship. If you’re still hungry, you’ll have your pick of restaurants at the Anchorage and the Cannery. Shoppers will enjoy those places as well as Ghirardelli Square, where the many varieties of Ghirardelli chocolate can be purchased. The chocolate making machinery from the original factory is on display at this lovely open air shopping area.
Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point St.
Fishermans Wharf
Ghirardelli Square in an excellent example of elegant Victorian architecture. The original site of the Ghirardelli chocolate factory, this area is now a major shopping attraction. You can still buy Ghirardelli chocolate here and the hot fudge sundaes are not to be missed.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is also known as Highway 101 North and connects San Francisco to Marin County. The bridge is 1.2 miles long and took over four years to build at a cost of $35 million. Many obstacles including fog, high winds and the treacherous waters below, made construction extremely difficult and dangerous, so much so that eleven workmen were killed. Pathways are provided for cyclists and pedestrians. This is a great place to view the city and the walk across takes about an hour. Be sure to dress warmly, regardless of the time of year, because it can get very windy up there. But don’t worry, the bridge can withstand winds up to 100 miles an hours and can sway 27 feet. If you’re driving across the bridge from Marin into San Francisco, there is a $3 toll.
Golden Gate Park
John F.Kennedy Drive
Richmond
Golden Gate Park is a 1,017 acre city park and home to several attractions. Wear your comfortable walking shoes because you’ll want to see everything. For nature lovers there are beautiful wooded areas with bike paths, wide grassy fields, lakes and ponds, and lush gardens with a wide array of local plant life.
For museum buffs, there are several to choose from including the well-known M.H. de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences that includes the Morrison Planetarium, the Steinhart Aquarium and the Natural History Museum. You can enjoy several different types of flowers at the Conservatory of Flowers, which is modeled after the Kew Gardens in London. In the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens you can wind your way through the Garden of Fragrance, the Moon-Viewing Garden and the New World Cloud Forest. Take a break at the lovely and relaxing Japanese Tea Garden, a four-acre sanctuary featuring soothing koi ponds, bamboo trees and traditional Japanese architecture. Go to Golden Gate Park’s west side to see the Dutch Windmill and the historic Beach Chalet. Boat rentals are available at Stow Lake for your paddling and rowing pleasure. No, that’s not your imagination, there is, in fact a live herd of bison grazing in a paddock just off Kennedy Drive. Locals don't even blink an eye at seeing these big beasts in the middle of their city park. Bison have been grazing there since the 1890’s. Take the kids over to the beautifully restored Herschel-Spillman Carousel or let them play in the playground.
Mission Dolores
3321 Sixteenth Street
Mission District
The Basilica Parish of Mission Dolores has a unique historic, religious, and architectural significance. One of the oldest missions in Northern California, Mission Dolores is a cultural landmark for many locals.
Today, besides being a destination for hundreds of thousands of San Francisco visitors, Mission Dolores is an important part of the community and the center of a vibrant and diverse parish.
Pier 39
Near the Embarcadero and Beech Streets
Fishermans Wharf
Pier 39 is a total tourist attraction with street performers, a carousel and lots of kitschy shops. There are also many places to eat and great views to Alcatraz and the Bay. If you promised to buy your cousin a t-shirt, this is a good place to find it. Bring lots of cash as things tend to be expensive there.
San Francisco Zoo
1 Zoo Road
San Francisco
The Zoo is being expanded to provide new attractions. In addition to the regular Zoo attractions, they offer a 4 acre Children's Zoo where there are smaller, less intimidating animals. Kids can feed and pet the animals. The Doelger Primate Discovery Center is home to rare and endangered monkeys, Rainbow Landing is a walk-through aviary where you can feed colorful Australian lorikeets by hand as they land on your arms and shoulders. Other new areas include the Auralian Walkabout, Koala Crossing, Gorilla World and the Feline Conservation Center. Dress for foggy weather.
SFMOMA
151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard Streets)
South of Market (SoMa)
As one of the world's most innovative museums of modern and contemporary art, SFMOMA welcomes and invites you to come and explore what we have to offer. The museum hosts some of the finest works of modern, contemporary art in the world, and certainly west of the Mississippi. Ansel Adams and Swiss born Mario Botta have had exhibits here along with the likes of Matisse, Judith Rothschild, Paul Kos and Nam June Paik. If these are not enough, the building itself is a modern work of art, hosting a café, coffee shop and plenty of souvenir opportunities. If you happen to be in town, on the first Tuesday of every month the museum offers free admission for all.
Theatre District
Walking distance from Union Square
Union Square
For theatre buffs, just minutes away from Union Square is the Theatre District. You can see a Broadway hit or a local production at The Geary Theatre, Mason Street Theatre, Curran Theatre and Theatre on the Square.
Union Square
Bordered by Geary, Post, Powell and Stockton streets
Union Square
Do you like to shop? Do you like to walk? Then Union Square is the ideal place for you. Shoppers will delight in the many boutiques and department stores located in this condensed area surrounded by Geary, Post, Powell and Stockton streets. You’ll find well known stores like Neiman Marcus and Macy’s, Tiffany, Gucci, FAO Schwarz and Niketown to satisfy everybody’s tastes. The newest attraction is the DFS Galleria which features a wide array of goods from all the best known Bay Area attractions like the Napa Valley, Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf. You’ll find the DFS Galleria at the corner of Geary and Stockton.
From Dim Sum to fresh crab to trendy California cuisine, San Francisco has tastes and flavors to tempt every palette. Try authentic Chinese dim sum in Chinatown, traditional or trendy Italian food in North Beach, fresh seafood at Fisherman's Wharf, or sushi in almost any neighborhood. And because of San Francisco's proximity to the Wine Country, the wine cellars at local restaurants are eclectic and offer wines to please the novice wine drinker as well as the expert.
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