Parks & Beaches
San Francisco Botanical Garden will transform into a glowing after-dark wonderland this winter with Lightscape, an immersive holiday light and music trail that has wowed crowds in London, Chicago, Melbourne, and New York. From November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026, visitors can wander a one-mile path with more than one more...
Families in San Francisco’s Sunset District have a brand new playground to check out with the reopening of Stern Grove Playground. Set among the grove’s tall trees just off Sloat Boulevard, the renovated play space has been redesigned with a woodland theme. The new features include tree-like towers, climbing nets, log more...
One of Big Sur’s most beloved hikes is finally back. California State Parks just reopened the Pfeiffer Falls Trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park after more than a year-long closure caused by storm damage. The short but scenic .75-mile trail winds through a shady redwood canyon and ends at a more...
San Francisco is about to get a brand new waterfront park with jaw-dropping views you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Cityside Park, planned as a sprawling 24-acre green space, officially opens on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with an Opening Celebration featuring food trucks, live music, and more. For now, more...
San Francisco’s newest park, Sunset Dunes, has only been open since April but is already getting a safety and family-friendly upgrade after a string of bike and scooter accidents, including one involving a 4-year-old. The two-mile park will be split into two zones: Park Zone (west side): Calm, family-friendly space for walking, more...
Due to an extra cool summer, peak dahlia season is finally here for 2025 as of August 5th. And there’s no better place in San Francisco to view these gorgeous bulbs than at the “Dahlia Dell” in Golden Gate Park located right next to the Conservatory of Flowers. This “dell” a tribute more...
A small forest of redwoods in downtown San Francisco just got a lot weirder—in the best way. A new outdoor exhibition at the Transamerica Pyramid’s Redwood Park brings twelve fantastical bronze sculptures by legendary Surrealist Max Ernst into public view, many for the first time. Tucked between skyscrapers, the sculptures more...
Hold onto your banjos! Hardly Strictly Bluegrass just dropped the first part of its 2025 lineup. The beloved (and completely free) San Francisco festival returns to Golden Gate Park, October 3-5, 2025, and they’ve got some real headliners to kick off the excitement. And in true Hardly Strictly fashion, this is more...
Say goodbye to one of the last free parking spots in San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors just voted to let the SFMTA begin charging for parking in Golden Gate Park starting January 1, 2027. This means popular destinations like the de Young, Cal Academy, and the Conservatory of Flowers more...
Starting Thursday, July 17, the Presidio is opening Outpost Meadow, a new 1.5-acre picnic area at Presidio Tunnel Tops. Designed as an extension of the Outpost nature playground and Field Station, this space was created in response to families’ requests for more room to gather, rest, and enjoy meals outdoors. Outpost more...
A giant, glowing sea serpent named Naga is surfacing in Golden Gate Park – and he’s here to stay a while. Originally created for Burning Man 2024, Naga & The Captainess is a 100-foot-long, 25-foot-tall serpent made of over 5,000 shimmering scales and lit from within. Installed in the weirdly green more...
San Francisco’s new Sunset Dunes park on the city’s west side is now home to a fresh set of skate features designed for riders of all levels. The new additions include a bank, quarter pipe, island feature, and several creatively crafted elements made from upcycled granite. The skate features, part more...
A brand new stretch of coastal wilderness is opening up this summer just 15 minutes north of Santa Cruz. On August 15, 2025 the 5,800-acre Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument will officially welcome the public for the first time since being designated by President Barack Obama in 2017 as part of more...
Golden Gate Park has a new peaceful spot to reflect and find comfort with the recent opening of the Bay Area Young Survivors Breast Cancer Memorial Garden. This marks the first permanent memorial in the U.S. dedicated specifically to those affected by breast cancer, and the first new memorial in more...