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20 Free Things You Can Do in San Francisco
1. Bike or Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge
The world famous Golden Gate Bridge was opened in 1937 and at that time, it was the longest suspension bridge ever created. Made from steel and with a total length of 1.7 miles, it is the most photographed bridge anywhere in the world.
2. Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is 1.5 miles off the shore of San Francisco. The most famous being the federal prison. This was between 1933 and 1963. Many infamous prisoners have stayed here including Al Capone and Robert Franklin Stroud. The island now is a tourist attraction and many people flock here each year to explore the depths of the prison.
Fisherman's Wharf
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
3. Fisherman's Wharf
San Francisco's most famous waterfront community. Souvenir shops and stalls selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls appear at every turn, as do postcard views of the bay, Golden Gate and Alcatraz.
4. Union Square
"Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks. A shopping paradise.
5. Golden Gate Park
A large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the development of Golden Gate Park.
6. Chinatown
Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants in North America
7. The Presidio
A 14,491-acre park that’s part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is an outstanding destination for families, adventure seekers, history buffs, and anyone else who likes to relax on the edge of one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
8. Cable car
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system. An icon of San Francisco, the cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway.
9. The Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts is a beautiful historic landmark in San Francisco modeled after epic Greek and Roman architecture.
10. Castro District
San Francisco's Castro District is the heart of the city's LGBTQ culture, as well as a vibrant neighborhood brimming with restaurants, bars, and even a grand movie palace.
11. Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach is a beach on the west coast of San Francisco, California, United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. It is adjacent to Golden Gate Park, the Richmond District, and the Sunset District
12. Museum of Modern Arts
SOMArts is a vibrant, art-full place to visit whether you are seeing a performance, viewing an exhibition, taking a class, connecting with your neighbors or engaging with one of the Bay Area’s many cultural communities.
13. Coit Tower
Coit Tower is a 210-foot (64 m) tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay.
14. View from Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks as it's name suggests is made up of two summits, and is one of the more popular parks for taking in panoramic views of San Francisco.
15. Ghirardelli Square
Ghirardelli Square, considered the first successful adaptive reuse project in the country, has a history that spans more than a century and covers three continents.
16. The Painted Ladies
The "Painted Ladies" is a row of seven colorful Victorian homes that escalate Steiner Street in San Francisco, CA. Each home follows Queen Anne architectural style, characterized by distinct features like gingerbread gables and stained-glass paneling.
17. Bay Bridge
The Bay Bridge is a 7km / 4.5 mile long bridge connecting San Francisco with Oakland across the San Francisco Bay. The double deck bridge was completed in 1936, just six months before the opening of the more famous Golden Gate Bridge.
18. Walt Disney Family Museum
The Walt Disney Family Museum is an American museum that features the life and legacy of Walt Disney. The museum is located in The Presidio of San Francisco, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.
19. San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. They compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League West division.
20. Take a Stroll down Lombard Street
Lombard Street is an east–west street in San Francisco, California that is famous for a steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns. Stretching from The Presidio east to The Embarcadero, most of the street's western segment is a major thoroughfare designated as part of U.S. Route 101.
21. Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco – Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture houses one of the most comprehensive Asian art collections in the world, with more than 18,000 works of art in its permanent collection, some as much as 6,000 years old.
22. Japanese Tea Gardens
The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, California, is a popular feature of Golden Gate Park, originally built as part of a sprawling World's Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894.
23. Pier 39
Pier 39 is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of California sea lions hauled out on docks on Pier 39's marina.
24. Yerba Buena Gardens
Located in the cultural heart of San Francisco, Yerba Buena Gardens is the perfect place to play, dine, shop or just relax.
25. Muir Woods National Park
Muir Woods National Monument is part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, north of San Francisco. It’s known for its towering old-growth redwood trees.
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