San Francisco: Best Hidden Gems

Description:

This is a living museum in Golden Gate Park that is home to a wide array of rare and exotic plant life from around the world. Visit the 70-acre garden and explore seemingly endless trails with duck ponds, an arbor, herbs, flowers, blooming trees and redwoods, and smaller, specialized gardens with names like the Garden of Fragrance. Also on hand is an education center that provides different gardening, horticulture, botany, and environmental classes for adults and children, plus a horticulture library and bookstore. The public is allowed to stroll through the garden anytime, although they are asked to keep on the paths.

Description:

The colorful mural that covers this building, Maestrapeace, portrays famous women of the last century. Images include Georgia O'Keefe and Audre Lord. Ten San Francisco artists and 80 female volunteers, some of them local schoolchildren, painted this mural in 1994. Not only is this most colorful mural in The City, it is also the largest. It is also, and this almost goes without saying here in the progressive Bay Area, a masterpiece of political correctness done in a disarmingly naive style.

Description:

San Francisco's Mission District is known for more than just great Mexican food and offbeat dive bars. It is also home to one of the most impressive collections of public murals anywhere. While many are decades old, new murals are constantly being added to the scene by a flourishing group of professional muralists working out of the Precita Eyes muralist collective. This great resource also helps art lovers by preserving and interpreting these fantastic works of public art. Tours given by muralist members of the collective present 75 murals in just 6 blocks. It's a great way to get to know one of San Francisco's richest neighborhoods.

Our Local Expert Says:

There's no better view of the Bay than from the top of Mt. Tam

Description:

From its exposed 2,751-foot peak boasting panoramic views of the Bay Area to the redwood-, fir-, and oak- sheltered hiking and mountain biking trails meandering down to its base, Mount Tamalpais State Park is a paragon of Northern California natural beauty. Home to over 73 native plant species and a host of wildlife, Mount Tam is the ideal place to bask in the great outdoors. After all, visitors can not only hike or bike, but also go horseback riding or camping; overnight cabins are onsite and two quaint inns are nearby to provide more comfort to those who aren't crazy about tents. Although nature is the main attraction at Mount Tamalpais State Park, locals also hike in with a picnic to attend the annual springtime open-air Broadway revival performance at the Mountain Theater, which has natural-stone amphitheatre seating.

Description:

What Ellis Island was to European immigrants, this island was to Asian immigrants. Volunteer guides lead informative tours of the islands historical sites, including the Immigration Station and Fort McDowell. Graffiti left by immigrants awaiting admission or deportation can be seen on the walls of the holding areas. Hiking and biking trails circle the 740-acre island and offer spectacular views of the Bay Area and glimpses of the indigenous deer population. Camping is allowed with proper permits. Ferry service varies according to the season.

Description:

San Francisco's Asian Art Museum can be best described in one word: staggering. As in, the western world's largest museum solely dedicated to Asian art. As in, a grand building with three floors of displays constituting only a fraction of the museum's full permanent collection. We did say 'staggering.' The Asian Art Museum's second and third floors take visitors on a tour of all regions of the continent dating back thousands of years, with excellent attention to history and culture in the text descriptions accompanying objects. The first-floor special exhibits exclusively feature contemporary Asian art. Located directly across from City Hall, the Asian Art Museum is also a quick walk away from the hip neighborhood of Hayes Valley, chockablock with unique boutiques, great restaurants, and local fave Blue Bottle Coffee.

Description:

Possibly the most beautiful views of any public golf course in the United States. This par 68 course, hard by the Golden Gate, is on the short and hilly side. A bit of Scotland, perhaps with fresh ocean breezes and sometimes challenging greens. There is a short range at which you must shag your own balls. Tee times can be made up to a week in advance, a necessity on weekends.

Description:

This 100-acre park blends into the surrounding urban landscape. It features a 20-acre tidal marsh, huge meadow, sand beaches and thousands of restored native plants. Bikers can cruise down a designated path, launching from a board-sailing site, or quietly muse about while peering into the depths of the tidal pond.