Phoebe A Hearst Museum of Anthropology
Berkeley
South of the Campanile in Kroeber Hall, this small museum includes exhibits from indigenous cultures around the world, including ancient Peruvian,…
Must-see attractions in The Bay Area
San Francisco
Flower power is alive and well at San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers. This gloriously restored 1878 Victorian greenhouse is home to freaky outer…
Marin County
Just over a mile northwest of Pelican Inn along Hwy 1, this overlook offers superb coastal views. During WWII scouts kept watch from the surrounding…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Explore a restored WWII submarine that survived six tours of duty while you listen to submariners' tales of stealth mode and sudden attacks in a riveting…
Oakland
Nestled along the Oakland hills, Redwood Regional Park covers 1830 acres of land and is home to the last grove of Coast Redwoods in the East Bay. Explore…
Marin County
With wild terrain and ferocious winds, this spot feels like the end of the earth and offers the best whale-watching along the coast. The lighthouse sits…
Marin County
It's a beautiful 1.5-mile hike between two lagoons and over sand dunes to this beachy bird haven. Make sure your visit is especially gentle during the…
The Peninsula
Stretch your legs in the redwoods in this park, 2 miles south of La Honda. It has several forested hiking trails and a secluded hike-to cabin available…
Pescadero State Beach & Marsh Natural Preserve
The Peninsula
Fifteen miles south of Half Moon Bay, the beach and marshland preserve attract beachcombers and birders. Pull over and get out of the car to explore the…
Oakland Public Library, Asian Branch
Oakland
This library is packed with books in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, plus locals playing Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and Mahjong. It's a nice spot…
Marin County
Drakes Beach feels wild and remote even on its busiest days. Backed by white sandstone cliffs and slightly sheltered, it can be sunny here even when it's…
Marin County
A tiny sheltered beach overlooking Tomales Bay. The water is warmer here and the waters more calm, making it perfect for families with small children.
Marin County
Heading north out of town, stop at this roadside farm for pours of sparkling mead, made from aromatic small-batch honey in the style of French champagne.
The Peninsula
Getting a suntan or catching a wave are the main attractions at popular Pacifica State Beach, as well as at Rockaway Beach just north.
Berkeley
The Bancroft houses, among other gems, the papers of Mark Twain, a copy of Shakespeare’s folios and a diary from the Donner Party. Its small public…
San Francisco
Art nouveau stained-glass windows and a dome skylight illuminate more than 8000 niches honoring dearly departed San Franciscans and their beloved pets…
Oakland
At the northern end of Piedmont Ave, this is perhaps the most serene and lovely artificial landscape in the East Bay. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead …
San Francisco
The only Nob Hill mansion to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire is this neoclassical brownstone. Today it's a private men's-only club with an exclusive…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
If there was a time that Salesforce employees could have a night on the town without thinking about work, that time is over. The top nine stories of the…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
The plaza across from the Ferry Building isn't much to look at – the Vaillancourt Fountain has run dry, the walkways sag and the pavers are cracked. But…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Today upscale Jackson Sq is framed by Washington, Columbus, Pacific and Sansome Sts – but before the gold rush filled in the area with abandoned ships,…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
San Francisco's infamous, secretive men's club was originally founded by bonafide bohemians – but they couldn't afford the upkeep and allowed the ultra…
Berkeley
Near Grizzly Peak Blvd, this science hall is named after Ernest Lawrence, who won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron particle accelerator…
North Beach & Chinatown
Back when the red lights of Commercial St could be seen from the waterfront, this strip provided many provocative answers to the age-old question: what do…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Shrink the Guggenheim, plop it inside a yellow-brick box with a round Romanesque entryway and put it where you'd least expect it: on a shady SF alley that…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
This brick-paved triangle with an often-dry fountain awkwardly commemorates the signing of the UN charter in San Francisco. Most days, UN Plaza offers…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Lotta Crabtree made fortunes as San Francisco's diminutive opera diva, and she never forgot the city that paid for her trademark cigars. In 1875 she…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Take a ride on dazzling mosaic serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, who raises his fierce head from the rubberized ground of this pioneering pocket park…
San Francisco
Surfers aiming for Ocean Beach keep in sight these twin landmarks on Golden Gate Park's extreme western edge. The 1902 Dutch windmill at the northwestern…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Meandering the Marina, you'll pass Mexican-inspired art deco buildings, Victorian mansions, generic bay-windowed boxes – and, hello, what's this? A…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
The groundbreaking green design of this government-office building by 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Thom Mayne means major savings in energy –…
Excelsior
See that hill with the sci-fi forked radio tower at its summit? That's Twin Peaks, with a 925ft summit that's the highest point in SF. A giant pink…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Crafty architects are always trying to cut corners on clients, and architect William C McElroy has done so splendidly with this house. This is among the…
San Francisco
This tiny cottage on a quiet alley was the source of major drama from 1951 to 1952, when Jack Kerouac shacked up with Neal and Carolyn Cassady and their…
Oakland
Reconstructed in part using the logs from London's original cabin in the Yukon Territory of Canada, this historic wooden cabin allows visitors a peek…
Berkeley
At the west end of University Ave is the marina, frequented by squawking seagulls, silent types fishing from the pier and, especially on windy weekends,…
Bonnie Doon Vineyard Tasting Room
The Peninsula
In the sleepy village of Davenport, round out your palate with a wine flight in the friendly roadside tasting room of Randall Grahm's acclaimed winery,…
Fillmore Center Waterfall & Plaza
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
This patch of green flanked by apartment towers is open to the public and a welcome break from Fillmore sidewalks. Walk past the fountain at O'Farrell…
San Francisco
The prize for SF's steepest street is shared by this street and Filbert St (between Hyde and Leavenworth). Both have 31.5% grades (17-degree slopes), but…
San Francisco
Off the beaten path on the western side of Twin Peaks, these 163 mosaic-tiled steps depicting local wildlife were a community effort involving 300…
