Enlightenment

I volunteered there many years ago and loved it. I love going there to support the hospital. Always…read morehas useful things that a patient would need. Great selection of travel, snacks, and gifts.

Hours say that the store opens at 8am, but it didn't open at 8am the day I really needed something…read more A few days later when I came back later in the morning, I asked the lady when they actually opened and she told me "whoever was on that day was probably running late. You should give them some slack." It sounds to me like it was my fault for not giving that person "slack" for running late, and it was my fault for trusting that they open when they say they open. I'm sure they're great; but if it matters for you to get something early, just know that there is a possibility that it may not be open.

Lots of cozy footwear here

Too much cat cuteness

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The Walt Disney Family Museum

4.5(1.1k reviews)

2.7 mi•Presidio

I've been wanting to go for years. Finally made the visit and it was worth it…read more The museum is bigger than expected. I spent 2 hours there and could have stayed longer, but there was a schedule to stick to. It's cool that it's a museum about Walt and his life. How the company came to be. How the animation making changed over the years. Really cool for the whole family to visit.

If you're a hardcore Disney fan, read no further. You'll think this spot is five stars…read more For those who are mildly interested, this is a museum too heavily focused on Walt Disney's early years. It's literally like the family album come to life. The other thing you'll notice is this very much a non-critical examination of the man and his legacy. For example, he was a chain smoker and it killed him. No mention. Racial issues in hiring and screen work? No mention. And he's not really put into context of American culture. The place is more a collection than a museum. Just know that going in.

Theater

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Walt Disney

Sockshop Haight Street

4.5(81 reviews)

3.6 mi•The Haight

I mean, it's all about socks. You need socks? This is the place. Every pair is so wonderful,…read morethey're all gift-worthy. They even sell Baggu bags to take your Baggu socks home with. There's sexy tights, and cute kid's tights, funny socks, frilly socks, men's socks, women's socks, it's a store full of socks. If you've got a serious thing for socks, they've got a frequent shoppers program. She sells chic socks by the sea shore

Great selection! Lots of socks ranging from casual socks to hiking and cool patterns socks!…read more Thanks to Thrum for a great experience! I had a couple questions and he answered them all and helped me out with recommendations as well! Definitely coming back soon for some more socks.

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Japanese Tea Garden

4.1(1.9k reviews)

4.2 mi

We came here for a family retreat with a big group of 6 kids and 9 adults, and everyone had a…read morewonderful time! We did a small picnic where we could all sit together, relax, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The whole place felt so peaceful and calming. We walked around, enjoyed the garden, took lots of pictures, and the kids had a great time exploring too. The vibe was amazing, especially being there together as a family. Such a beautiful and relaxing place to spend a few hours away from the busy city life. Everyone in our group loved it, and we would definitely come back again!

Mixed feeling about this beloved garden, nothing like it once was…read more The best experience lives within the beautiful, very much authentic Japanese tea house, run by Japanese staff, who are friendly and professional. But it does get super busy, and hard to find a seat. There's no high chair for babies. Understandably so, but it is hard for mothers, be aware. The hojicha comes in a traditional (restaurant style) mug, burning hot, but satisfying. The matcha service comes with small wagashi (Japanese dessert). The noodle udon was hopeless. The view to the water and garden is spectacular. Not dampened by the constant crowd rushing through the gate. There are still quite a few photo genetic spots and features: the beautiful tall bridge (oil painting like), bronze buddha, the architecture of the gift shop (bathroom close by), and the pogoda, and the chubby koi fish. But water is poorly maintained, had weird bubbles and looking stagnant. Leaves are not swept up / cleaned - being messy is not being zen. Overall, I can totally see why it is popular, but it is nothing like what it used to be. Book ahead, book online, residents of SF need to show up early to claim the free tickets. It gets "sold out" (rolling my eyes). Recommend coming here on a weekday, not on weekends, unless you are from out of town. Recommend book ahead of time. Recommend packing light. It is impossible to park here for free. It takes skills and can raise conflicts. Paid parking is super expensive. Worth a visit on a not-so-busy day. Because of the popularity of the garden, hourly tickets (even free residents' ones) get sold out, requires buying the next hour, and lining up. It's very hard to line up as someone who needs accessibility. For example, if a person has a stroller, with a little baby, there's very little empathy from staff, they will separate your family by asking another person in the group to line up (beyond steps), while the stroller person waits on the platform. I would say at least one of the staff is not courteous at all. He was rude and demanding, and not empathetic of visitors who travel with family, from afar, or needing accessibility help. The line was poorly managed.

1.5 mi•Financial District, SoMa

Japanese Tea Garden, January 29th 2026. Spring is so early this year!

Zen meal

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Fringe, pieris, wisteria, cherry blossoms, azalea's and wisteria on the bridge 4/10/25

San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop

4.0(66 reviews)

This "museum" acts as the information center and gift shop for the "F" line. The "F" line are the…read morehistoric streetcars that run down Market St and the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. These street cars are the star of the attraction and definitely worth the ride. For $5.70 one can buy an all-day Muni pass which allows you to ride these cars along with all other transit EXCEPT the cable cars. These cars are a collection of preserved vehicles from the '30s to '50s. Each one was given from a city in the US. They were originally brought to San Francisco to substitute for the cable cars when the c.c. Went under major renovation back in the '80s. The street cars became a hit with locals and tourists and are now a part of historic transit systems in San Francisco. The museum is small but detailed. It is open limited hours and run by a team of volunteers. They are passionate about these street cars and it shows. They are very detailed oriented but expect a pause every 10 minutes when a street car goes rolling by. The museum is free with a suggested $5 donation. It will only take about 30 minutes to cover it but a great stop if a rail fan.

I love this place. I never thought about reviewing it lol bc it's always just a place we stop into…read moreon walks around this area. It's a nice place to just come and walk around. I'm not sure about parking bc we only come here on foot when we're doing what I call "urban hiking"... we like to hike our own city on lazy days. This is on one of our routes. It's got very clean restrooms and a cute gift shop. I think I I just like it bc we're used to coming through here and it smells good lol like, it's got its own unique scent and vibe. I'd recommend stopping by if you're a local. If you're a tourist and you are interested in this type of thing, for sure. It's a pretty educational and cool little spot.

San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop

Los Angeles car

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San Francisco car

Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís

4.3(125 reviews)

3.3 mi•Castro

This is a well preserved California Mission, one of the 21 along the El Camino Real. Today it…read morestands as a reminder of a time in California history when Spain ruled the area. This mission held its first mass just one week before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today all that remains is the chapel, a couple of small rooms attached and a portion of the cemetery. The majority of the complex is long gone, buried beneath the city that built up around it. The chapel has been restored and could be used today. The alters, wooden pews and decor resemble what this church may have looked like in its prime over 200 years ago. Today it sits in the shadows of the Basillica. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and seniors. The site can be easily toured in under an hour. However, to get the full story one may want to spend some more time.

Beautiful Mission. We drove through the San Louis Obispo area and hit up a lot of those missions so…read morewe decided we should see our local mission. If you're following google maps, make sure you put in the actual Mission and not just Mission Dolores because it will take you to the high school or park. We followed the gps and ended up at the beautiful high school. We also walked along the park. The park is large and lush and attracted lots of people on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Parking for the mission is challenging. There is lots of street parking, but everyone is parked and we didn't see anyone leaving. We did find Sunday Church Parking. I believe it said tow away zone except between 8:30 and 4:30 on a Sunday. It was a smidge after 4:30 and a space opened up and we took it. Thankfully we didn't get a ticket, but I did see 2 meter maids coming though when we left. The mission is beautiful. I wish we had come earlier so we could have taken a tour.

3.9 mi•Potrero Hill, Dogpatch

Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís

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Museum of Craft and Design

3.5(59 reviews)

I came during the Free Summer Weekend. The staff at the front desk and inside the museum were…read morefriendly and welcoming. The museum is small but had interesting exhibits. One of my favorites were the stop-motion quilts by Greg Climer. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's worth the full admission price given the size of the museum, so be on the lookout for free admission days!

While this museum is small - it's always very interesting. A lot of interesting and eclectic…read moreexhibits. The gift shop is amazing - I could go crazy here!

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Lovejoy's Tea Room

4.3(1.4k reviews)

4.3 mi•Noe Valley

Cute place for a nice tea party. I've been to the location…read morein Pacifica as well but this location is more of my vibe. Very cute and cozy, food selection is great and service was Good as well. Reservation recommended as they do get busy. Eligible for Amex Resy Credit

Lovejoy's is the first team room I visited a loooong time ago. First with my grandmother and mom,…read moreand now with my daughter. Celebrated birthdays, Mother's Day, baby showers, and bridal showers here. Always a treat when we visit. During our recent visit, kiddo and I ordered the Queen's tea. We always order the cream cheese and mandarin orange and smoked salmon sandwiches. This time we also ordered the chicken curry and tomato and cheddar - both good but would've like a bit more tomato. Table next to us ordered the sausage rolls which looked good - will have to give it a try next time. Reservations are highly recommended since it can get quite busy.

0.9 mi•Embarcadero, North Beach/Telegraph Hill

Inside

Trays of goodies.

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High Tea Option

Exploratorium

4.4(1.3k reviews)

Wow! So much to look at. $40 for a ticket, and a small family lunch was $60. But, it felt like you…read morewere really supporting something magical...well science but still magical. Was afraid my 3yo would be bored but she loved looking at all the experiments. We stayed for about 4 hours. Parking was pretty easy if you come right at 10am and park across the street ($27).

If you're visiting S.F. and your kids are bored with sight-seeing and the learning about history of…read moreSan Francisco, take them to The Exploratorium. Just about every exhibit is hands on and your kids will walk away having learned something and hopefully have a new respect for science. Gizmos, small machines, glasses to look through are just a few of the things your kids will deal with. Adults may learn something new as well! Plan on spending 2-1/2 to 3 hours if you hit every exhibit. Two gift shops are also worth a look.

Pitcher plant

Fun with optics!

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Wooden replica of San Francisco

California Academy of Sciences

3.9(3.7k reviews)

4.1 mi

This is hands down one of the best activities to do as a local or as a tourist (and as a child or…read moreadult). If you're an adult I'd recommend checking out the Thursday night admissions which are from 6-10pm ish. No kids allowed and 21+. So fun. We just went to the disco night which had free disco gem make up, karaoke, free DIY disco jelly fish crafts and free photo sessions. Lots of value! If you become a member you get discounts on events, merch, food and with my membership I can bring someone for free each time.

Sooo many kids here in the daytime especially weekends. Not a peaceful stroll. Adults who are…read morelooking for a quieter time may enjoy the nightlife event much more. Awesome rainforest walk! With butterflies Ants and bugs!

Frog info

Map of level 1

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African Hall

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Srivatsava G.

12 years ago

Everything is awesome and you can get lost in the store Variety of stuff is available in the store. The people in the store are also very helpful. read more

Sandy J.

14 years ago

A lot of cool stuff here

Enlightenment - giftshops - Updated September 2026

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Life

4.6

(68 reviews)

Been loving this place for 20 years Amazing oils…read moreGood incense Cards Candles Jewelry

Where else in San Francisco can you build a custom essential oil perfume blend for under $30?…read more After smelling all of the oils (highly recommend taking notes), the owner helped me create a blend to my liking with 5 different oils - Sea Salt, Oakmoss, Fig, Himalaya, and Coriander. The end result was a complex, but clean spring fragrance. The owner was so good at keeping me involved in the process, asking me if it needed tweaking, etc. I can't wait to come back to refill my bottle once I need to whip up another blend! And don't forget to say hi to her pup, Joya.

Just for Fun & Scribbledoodles

3.6

(179 reviews)

Looking for something and somewhere just for fun in San Francisco ? Summer isn't the only time to…read morehave fun in the city. There is a place in Noe Valley in San Francisco which you can find fun things all four seasons and the place is called " Just for fun ". This is the place to pick up last minute gifts. This is a gift shop/ novelty store located on 24th street. There lots of interesting items from books to games inside. Step inside just for fun or just for the fun of it. Noe Valley has good food like Fiorella Noe for pizza with slices of prosciutto and go to Saru for Sushi and Mamahuhu for noodles Walk down 24th street between the carriages and poodles then head inside Just for Fun & Scribbledoodles

Some cool, interesting stuff. Some, but not all, overpriced…read more They really need to train their Gen Y staff to answer the phone with more than a surprised-sounding "hello" leaving the caller wondering if they got a wrong number and having to ask whether they reached J4F.

The Last Straw

4.9

(39 reviews)

I was in town and looking forward to my visit to the Last Straw but it was closed! For good…read morereason-- Marge has retired and closed her shop. However, it looks like she may have sold the business to someone else as there is a note on the door with that person's contact information. I will always remember this charming store and have many pieces to remember it by. I will try to visit if and when it reopens as a new business. I really loved Marge's taste in jewelry and will miss her and the Last Straw.

Love,love, lovey this place where you can find so many trinkets whether it be bracelets, earrings,…read morelotions and other things. It's a cash only business and well worth going in to check out. Check the hours before heading here. The proprietor of the store is a very sweet woman.

Luz De Luna

4.7

(81 reviews)

So many lovely little items! Including various polished stones and silver jewelry which are my…read morefavorite! The lady minding the store was very sweet and helpful. It was a wonderful find in the Mission neighborhood!

A number of years ago Luz de Luna was on 25th St between Mission & Bartlett Sts. a unique little…read moreshop filled with beautiful works of art from Mexico. The little shop is now in a larger more accessible shop in the heart of the Mission. Still filled with unique objects, now clothing, and lots and lots of jewelry. One of my favorite purchases (see photo).

Things Lucky

4.8

(29 reviews)

I sure hope the tourists know to walk down a block to Page Street because this is a much better…read morestore for these kinds of products than all the ones up on Haight Street. The gentleman in the shop was so kind and the atmosphere was so tranquil and the space so well laid out and soothing and peaceful. It was like finding a treasure chest and getting to hunt through it for colorful surprises. I found beautiful little treats for myself and the prices were very very reasonable. I hope others will support this gracious neighborhood shop.

Great store!! Loved the experience of walking through and talking with the shop keep. Nice…read moreselection for all. If you are in town it is a must see.

Serendipity Cards And Gifts

4.2

(99 reviews)

The Mission Christmas Edition: There is still time to find a gift before Christmas . There a few…read moreexcuses you can use this year in 2025 for not getting that gift in SF. You can blame the power outage but that happened over the weekend in SF before Christmas. There are a few days left to grab a gift. One place has some good fun gifts which will be a bit more unique from that Target store gift card you may be planning to give. It's located in the Mission District and it's called Serendipity( not the Christmas movie) . On a Winter Holiday stroll on Valencia street between the Chic n' Time and the Valencia Pizza & Pasta there is a cards and gift shop. Serendipity has cards for the holidays and also the traditional stocking stuffers and Secret Santa gifts. You will find candles, socks, jewelry,and other surprises. This is the spot if you want to gift something to a person who most likely doesn't have the item you're giving them. Come to Serendipity before you turn into Ebenezer Scrooge. Come to Serendipity where they have gifts for any occasion and "setting "from Birthdays Christmas , and, the "Wedding" because Winter is season for Holiday cheer should be "spreading" and the last thing you want is having a Christmas gift that you are "forgetting" Go to Serendipity by bike , car , bus, feet, BART, or Waymo , Uber, or "Lyft " because the Holidays is the time to "uplift" the spirit of a person with a Holiday "gift" and get that Christmas card with Mariah Carey or Taylor "Swift"

I saw this place while walking by and decided to take a Quick Look. They have an incredibly large…read moreselection of cards for all kinds of occasions. Think about stopping here before your next birthday party. So many cute things here.

Botanica Lucky Candles

4.2

(6 reviews)

I got some candles from here and they broke! I called and asked the owner if I can still use them…read morefor if she can give me another one. She rushed me off the phone and said I can still use it. I spend a lot of money here and thought hmm, maybe she will give me another since this one fell out of the bag and was not wrapped securely. Nope she straight rushed me off the phone and hung up. Not very nice. I don't know what to think now.

I was on my way home from a botanica just a right across this shop and saw them and I was like why…read morenot check them out cus I thought they were permanently closed (according to google). As soon as I walked in fell in love how they have so many products such candles, oils, incense statues and especially Santa Muerte statues and many more! Even though I've spent hella that day, it was a must the buy a Santa Muerte statue which only costs $50 and it was a decent size. Will definitely be coming back for candles, oils and some more Santa Muerte statues. Just a note: they mentioned that their business hours changes so better to call them first before coming to the store.

Gable's Stationery

4.2

(99 reviews)

Phenomenal one of the kind store with cute helpful staff willing to go out of their way for you…read more Akin to going into a secret treasure chest with lots of different reasonably priced stuff for gifts or essential office supplies. Stores like this rarely exist- but this one still does- Let's celebrate!

This store is a blast from the past kind of place that is a pleasure to shop for cards, gift…read morewrapping, office supplies, etc. I've been shopping here for the past 25 years, but the owner is most unfriendly. She just can't be bothered with any bit of kindness when checking out. I always leave there thinking I inconvenienced her. I loathe to give my business to Walgreens, but I've kind of had it with this lady.

Shangri-La Gifts

4.6

(10 reviews)