San Francisco’s Botanical Garden is filled with unique plants and regularly draws crowds to wander through the impressive garden. Luckily, the garden offers a free admission day soon, so you can explore it for free. The Botanical Garden regularly offers free admission days, with the next one coming up on Tuesday, April 8. For San Francisco residents, the Botanical Garden is free daily with proof of residence, such as a driver’s license, utility bill, or lease. But, if you’re not an SF resident, you can visit the garden for free this Tuesday.
The garden covers an expansive 55 acres and is filled with 8,000 different plants. The manicured grounds are divided into many different gardens, including an Andean Cloud Forest, Mediterranean plants, South African Plants, and more. Planting for the garden began in 1937, although plans for the garden were first laid out by Golden Gate Park’s original designer in the 1880s. The gardens also include a section filled with plants native to California, among the many plants from around the globe. One of the main attractions of the garden is its numerous magnolia trees.
The garden hosts a popular concert series called Flower Piano, where pianos are placed throughout the many acres every September. The series allows the public to play on the hidden pianos while professional performers also take the garden stage. Dates for 2025’s Flower Piano series have yet to be announced, but you can look forward to it sometime in September.
Golden Gate Park has several other gardens, including the Japanese Tea Garden where numerous Cherry Blossom trees are blooming. Finally, the Conservatively of Flowers has a wide collection of plants and an outdoor Dahlia Dell that blooms every summer.
For more free admission days for major art museums and gardens, check out our guide here.