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    San Francisco Essentials

    1.3 (3 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    3 months ago

    This place isn't opened anymore and it's like a vending machine? Hotel staff wasn't really nice about it.

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    Japanese Tea Garden - Cherry Blossom

    Japanese Tea Garden

    4.1(1.9k reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    5 starsJapanese Tea Garden - peaceful escape inside Golden Gate Park…read more Finally stopped by the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and it lived up to the peaceful reputation. This is the oldest public Japanese garden in North America and it shows -- well maintained winding paths, koi ponds, the iconic Drum Bridge, pagoda, stone lanterns, and that big bronze Buddha all create a nice calm vibe right in the middle of the city. The garden feels authentic with graceful maples, pines, azaleas, and cherry trees (depending on the season). Strolling the paths and crossing the bridges is relaxing, and the zen garden area is a nice quiet spot to pause. I snapped plenty of photos because the scenery is very photogenic. The tea house is worth a quick stop for matcha or snacks if you want to sit and soak it in. Overall it's a solid little oasis -- not huge so you can see most of it in 45-60 minutes, but still worth lingering if it's not too crowded. A couple small notes: it can get busy with tourists (especially midday), so early morning or weekdays feel more zen. Entrance fee is there but they have free hours some mornings. Parking in Golden Gate Park is the usual hunt -- Music Concourse garage or street spots nearby work if you time it right. Reliable spot for a tranquil walk and some Japan-inspired beauty without leaving SF. Good addition to a Golden Gate Park day. 5 stars. Nice peaceful garden that delivers what it promises.

    I've been to so many different Japanese gardens over the years, one in Saratoga, as well as one in…read moreSan Jose and Fremont, and I believe one in Hayward or in the hillside? This by far had the most monuments, but in such a small area!! On the map, it looked a lot bigger, but my boyfriend and I were happy to walk around. I suggest you book your tickets in advance and get a time slot because we got there at 4:45 on a Saturday and the 5 PM tickets were sold out. The lady at the gate said we could buy the three day pass which was $25 then we could attend the other two parks the following two days. Lol. It was kind of confusing, but I was glad to be able to go to this Japanese tea garden and experience it for myself. The tea garden itself was packed! We didn't want to waste our time in the Teagarden itself just getting tea or snack snacks, as well as experiencing the gift shop, but I wanted to check out the actual garden and monuments within the garden area. There are maybe 10 different pathways you can go to get to each area, but we circled the park maybe three times to make sure we got enough pictures of everything! Lol. A lot of the pathways loop around each other or have multiple entry points, which is rather nice considering there were so many people. I also liked the steppingstone over the water. Kind of cute and interactive. There were these huge steep steps at one of the monuments that were really hard to step down because it felt like you were stepping at least a foot down with each step in a crazy maybe 45° angle! I'm glad we were going down those steps instead of up! There's also a archway friendship bridge that people were climbing. I wanted to take a picture, but there were too many people waiting in line and taking their own personal pictures on. So I didn't want to be weird and take pictures of random people. Lol this is also why I do not have a picture of the Teagarden Cafe portion as well. Overall, I think of taking personal family pictures here or wedding. Pictures would be gorgeous with the beautiful backgrounds if they are allowed. I saw a handful of people taking personal pictures, but with their own cameras. I'm guessing you have to have a license or something to come in the park with a tripod, but I could be wrong. I really love the relaxation of the garden itself but honestly on a Saturday there were so many people here you could hear people talking everywhere. I think coming on a weekday would be a lot more tranquil.

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

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

    Japanese Tea Garden - Zen meal

    Zen meal

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

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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 - Washington DC car

    San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop

    4.0(65 reviews)
    1.0 miFinancial District, SoMa
    $

    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.

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    San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop - Los Angeles car

    Los Angeles car

    San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop - San Francisco car

    San Francisco car

    San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop - Cincinnati car

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    Cincinnati car

    Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís - relic of St Junipero Serra

    Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís

    4.3(126 reviews)
    1.8 miCastro

    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.

    Photos
    Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís
    Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís
    Mission Dolores Basilica/San Francisco de Asís

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    Exploratorium - After Dark Thursday Nights - dog friendly and full bar!

    Exploratorium

    4.4(1.3k reviews)
    1.2 miEmbarcadero, North Beach/Telegraph Hill

    5/28 It's been quite…read moresome time since my last visit to the Exploratorium. Ironically, I felt like a child when there were no children to be found. I went to experience After Dark and felt like a kid in a candy store. The museum and exhibits seem and feel bigger than ever before with both new and pre-existing experiences. I kept walking, walking, and walking into what seemed like an endless amusement park. My mind was both overwhelmed and exhilarated while I touched, felt, grabbed, banged, spun, tapped, listened and saw with my eyes. There is still much more grounds to explore and it's also a fun group outing to do.

    I have been here multiple times throughout the years, and have only had good experiences. However,…read moremy last visit stood out to me the most. A few weeks ago was my senior prom, which was at the Exploratorium. The exhibits and environment were very fun and made for a super engaging night! As a trans person, I have a lot of anxiety in public bathrooms. Although they were unable to open up the general neutral bathroom (I mean, it's high schoolers, you can't trust them). However, the staff was extremely accommodating and kind, and escorted me to a separate bathroom. They made sure I got to pick the bathroom I was most comfortable in, as well as apologized for the inconvenience. Not only is this place fun, entertaining, and family friendly, they are welcoming, kind, and caring. I will never forget the kindness that I was shown.

    Photos
    Exploratorium - Pitcher plant

    Pitcher plant

    Exploratorium - Fun with optics!

    Fun with optics!

    Exploratorium - Wooden replica of San Francisco

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    Wooden replica of San Francisco

    California Academy of Sciences - Macaws

    California Academy of Sciences

    3.9(3.6k reviews)
    3.3 mi

    San Francisco Science Museum was actually amazing! From feeling like we were walking through an…read moreaquarium to having butterflies land on us, both the kids and us adults genuinely enjoyed every moment. There's so much hands-on activity throughout the museum, and the space is so huge that it never really feels crowded. Plenty of seating everywhere and elevators to easily access the different levels too. We'll definitely be coming back. I will say the pricing is pretty high felt like we were buying Universal Studios tickets lol but honestly, it was worth the experience. There's also so much to do in the surrounding area, and they have an indoor food spot with decent pricing, around $20-$50 depending on what you get.

    Neat spot! Never been here but my sister has a membership and they come here all the time. It has…read moreeverything, dinosaurs, sea creatures, butterflies in the rainforest, observation deck, aquarium, planetarium and the plus is 2 really big outdoor play area for the kiddos! We spent hours here. They have a decent size cafeteria as well. They also have a food spot outside for rice bowls. Food was ok, your typical cafeteria food and such. Overall, a huge big space to explore and eve outside of it too. Pretty busy. Paid parking underneath was busy too. People everywhere if you don't mind the crowd.

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    California Academy of Sciences - African Hall

    African Hall

    California Academy of Sciences - Aquarium section is aesthetically pleasing

    Aquarium section is aesthetically pleasing

    California Academy of Sciences - Butterflies in flight

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    Butterflies in flight

    San Francisco Essentials - giftshops - Updated June 2026

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