What are things to do for vacation in SF and close surrounding areas? (San Francisco: for rent, home)

[mjnoles1]

Planning to come to San Francisco for vacation, and will be in town for one week.

What are some things I should do while in town in San Francisco and the surrounding area?

Also, I am hearing mix messages about safety. Is San Francisco no longer a safe town? Anywhere specific I should stay away from?

[Ruth4Truth]

Depends on what you like to do. Golden Gate Park is good for recreation (you can rent a rowboat on a lake in the park), the DeYoung Museum, the plant Conservatory, and the California Academy of Sciences, which has an aquarium, a planetarium, a Japanese Tea Garden, and other attractions. On Sundays the park is closed to traffic, and there are concessions with roller skates for rent. Or you might be able to rent a bike somewhere, and explore the park by bike.

There's the Cable Car Museum downtown, where you can not only find out the history of the cable cars and see old cars, you can also see the underground cables in operation, that pull the cars.

I always enjoy walking on the beach. You can get there through the park (kind of a long walk, but doable,especially if you have a bike), or take a bus running along the north side of the park: the #5 Fulton. That will also take you downtown when you're done. It's a trolleybus.

You can visit the historic Presidio, which was the northernmost military outpost of the Spanish empire, and later--of Mexico. It's now a city park. If you're up for renting a car to go out of town, you can drive north across the bridge to visit the home of the last military governor of northern California, General Mariano Vallejo (who was also elected to the state legislature after statehood), located in Sonoma. Near the Presidio is the Golden Gate Bridge which you can walk partway across for good views if it's not foggy.
https://www.presidio.gov/

https://www.sonomaparks.org/location...vallejos-home/

There's a lot to do in and around SF. Depends on your interests: history? Nature? Funky neighborhoods and unique shops? Hiking in parks and checking out views of the ocean or Bay and city? Museums?

[Ruth4Truth]

Correction to above: the Japanese Tea Garden is a separate area in Golden Gate Park, west of the Academy of Sciences and its attractions.

https://www.calacademy.org/
https://www.japaneseteagardensf.com/


Here's a page on the Academy of Sciences nightlife activities on Thursday nights, if you're looking for something like that.

https://www.calacademy.org/nightlife

[NW4me]

Take a sightseeing cruise around the Bay.

[citylove101]

For history interests, you might take a look at Alcatraz or Angel Island, the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island, where Asian immigrants arrived. Never been, but plan to hit at least one or both on my next trip to San Francisco.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by citylove101

For history interests, you might take a look at Alcatraz or Angel Island, the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island, where Asian immigrants arrived. Never been, but plan to hit at least one or both on my next trip to San Francisco.

Angel Island is a nice location for a day hike, right in the middle of the Bay. Unique views. It was used for grazing sheep during Mexican rule. Take water, if you go hiking.

[Chava61]

Coit Tower is a good place for a great view of San Francisco!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Chava61

Coit Tower is a good place for a great view of San Francisco!

So is the hiking area at Twin Peaks! At Coit Tower, though, you get a primo view across the Bay, while at Twin Peaks, you get the ocean.

[jbgusa]

Muir Woods is great for a hike and to see the redwoods!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

Muir Woods is great for a hike and to see the redwoods!

Muir Woods is routinely mobbed with visitors, though, to the extent that there are long lines to get in. Weekdays or weekends, the same. But a redwoods visit is a great idea. The OP could rent a car and go to other redwood parks in Marin or Sonoma, and visit some historical sites the same day. Would be a great outing! Really, redwoods are a NorCal must!