20 Free Things To Do In The Bay Area That Aren’t Hiking
Here's how to enjoy San Francisco no matter the state of your bank account.
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Here's how to enjoy San Francisco no matter the state of your bank account.
San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the United States, and sometimes we need a refresher on how to have some good ol’ free fun! If you’re looking for a way to leave house without pulling out your wallet, read on for some inspiration.
Did you know that Salesforce Park hosts a ton of free activities every week? Free events include yoga classes, bootcamps, live music, bird walks, garden tours, drum circles, and much more. If you have yet to visit this fascinating rooftop escape, consider participating in their events for a one-of-a-kind experience in a beautiful environment.
San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral is one of the city’s most iconic churches, famous for its gorgeous stained glass windows, mosaics, floor labyrinths, and overall French Gothic design. Each month they host both free and paid events open to all, including art installations and concerts. Keep a close eye on their event calendar for some great events, or just stop by for a peek inside the gorgeous building.
When’s the last time you paid a visit to San Francisco’s amazing Fort Mason Center? The popular art center hosts numerous exhibitions, displays, musical performances, improv shows, and more throughout the year. Some of them are paid, but many are free.
San Francisco is full of amazing activities and resources for just about any hobby you can think of – and SF Rec & Parks knows it! If you’re looking to try a new sport or learn a new skill, they have excellent programming every season. Most of the activities require a course fee, but there are always some free ones sprinkled in for group dance classes, drop-in workouts, and more for all ages.
Make sure to put Oakland’s Chabot Space & Science Center on your radar, as they’ve just brought back their free telescope viewings! Every weekend, visitors may explore the stars through Chabot’s historic telescopes, free of charge. Weather permitting, the viewings happen from 7:30-10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Musée Mécanique is one of the world’s largest private collections of coin-operated mechanical instruments, and one of the most unique museums in San Francisco! The collection was started by SF native Edward Galland Zelinskey, who bought his first coin-operated game when he was just 11 years old in 1933. Since then, it’s grown to include over 300 antique arcade artifacts, coin-operated pianos, slot machines, animations, and more. Zelinskey passed away in 2004, but his magnificent collection is still free for the public to enjoy at Pier 45 in San Francisco. Admission is completely free, but machines cost usually a quarter or fifty cents to use.
A Dr. Rahilly model-the blue Ellis St. line, which ran from Market St. out to Stanyan at GG Park. Omnibus was 2nd largest cable co. in the City, but the least successful. Its cars cost up to $2,000 a piece: unheard of at the time. MSRY bought & abandoned this line in 1893. pic.twitter.com/KgzTpIvU3y
— San Francisco Cable Car Museum (@SFCCM) February 16, 2022
San Francisco’s iconic cable cars are national landmarks, so it’s only fitting that there’s a museum dedicated to them! See 19th-century cable cars, mechanical displays, photographs and more at this nonprofit museum that works to preserve SF’s long and storied cable car history.
If you’re looking for more background on the cable cars, consider visiting Woods Division Carpentry Shop in the Dogpatch, where you can see master carpenters restoring the cable cars before your eyes!
Have you seen this bizarre blue home in Russian Hill? The McElroy Octagon House is a famous reminder of the octagon craze of the 19th century, and it continues to turn heads even 160 years after it was built.
Not much was known about it until the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in California saved it from destruction in 1952. More details came to light in 1963, when an electrician discovered a time capsule left by the house’s original owners, William Carroll McElroy and his wife Harriet Shober McElroy. They left behind newspaper clippings, photos, and a letter written by Mr. McElroy on July 14, 1861, who explained that the home had been constructed as their “privet Residence.”
The house is now a free museum available for the public to visit on certain days of the year.
The Society of California Pioneers was established back in 1850, when California was recognized as the 31st state. Since then, the society has worked to collect and preserve the memory of California history. Today, the society continues to be under the leadership of descendants of those early pioneers. They display rotating exhibits at the Pioneer Hall museum, and maintain the Alice Phelan Sullivan Library, both of which are open and free to the public.
Coit Tower has embellished San Francisco’s iconic skyline since its construction in 1933. In addition to the gorgeous views, it contains 26 beautiful murals, which are painted inside the base. Local artists painted the frescoes, which depict the Great Depression, in 1934. Visitors may view the artworks for free and join guided tours limited to 6 people. If you want to go to the top of the tower, it costs $7.
This list shows museums and gardens currently offering free admission days. It’s a good idea to take a look at upcoming days at the beginning of each month. Here’s a summary:
San Francisco is a cornucopia of iconic public art pieces, from glowing light art installations to the beautiful murals of Balmy Alley. But have you seen these lesser-known works around the city? Take a look at our list of hidden gems including sculptures, statues, paintings, murals, staircases, and more.
San Francisco is absolutely stunning day and night, but some truly incredible art lights up as soon as the sun goes down. SF Travel put together a great map marking 11 of the best light art installations in the city, reaching from the Bay Bridge to the Castro. It will take a few hours to get through the whole thing on foot, but it’s not a bad bike or car ride if you want to hit all 11 stops in one night.
San Francisco is home to some of the best parks and gardens in the world, so there’s no shortage of awesome picnic spots for you to enjoy a socially distanced meal with friends. Whether you want to support a local cafe and get some amazing food to go, or you prefer to pack your own delicious recipe to enjoy out in the sunshine, you’ll love all of these great options. Some are SF staples, and some are a little less well-known.
If you’re a California native lucky enough to live on the coast, then you know that tide pooling is an awesome way to enjoy the beach! We’ve put together a list of great tide pools to visit around the Bay Area, so put on your best waterproof shoes and get ready to explore. Tidepooling is a fun activity for kids and adults alike, but remember: you’re a guest in these critters’ habitat, so try not to disturb whatever you find and always watch your step! Be sure to visit at low tide, and watch out for sneaker waves.
When thinking about bikeable cities, San Francisco isn’t necessarily the first place that comes to mind… but it turns out that there are some very beautiful spots to take your bike for a spin, and the City has some stellar infrastructure for cyclists! Especially if you’re a first-time cyclist in the City, consider planning your next outing on these beautiful routes.
There’s truly no shortage of excellent places to see a sunset in the Bay, but we wanted to get to the bottom of where locals love to watch the sky light up. We asked our Instagram followers, and they didn’t disappoint!
Northern elephant seals inhabit the waters from Baja California, Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. They generally breed from December to March at Point Reyes, Año Nuevo, the Channel Islands and Piedras Blancas.
California’s coastline is the perfect spot to catch several whale migration seasons – gray whales from January through April, orcas between February and May, and humpbacks between April and December. Even from land, you’re likely to see them spouting, slapping their tails (known as “lobtailing”) or even breaching. If you want to see them up close, a whale watching tour will do the trick.
30 years ago, you never would’ve seen so many harbor porpoises in the Bay. But now, you can spot up to 30 an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge.
If you’re a history lover living in the Bay Area, you’ll know that it’s full of amazing stories that have fallen through the cracks over time. Although many historic sites have been built over or otherwise erased from the city’s landscape, some of these gems are still around, and you can visit them today! All of these spots are outdoors and free to visit.
The Presidio’s Crissy Field Beach is a lovely place to visit under normal circumstances, but did you know that they host epic kite surfing competitions in the summer and fall months? That’s right, the St. Francis Yacht Club organizes these fun races on the waves, which can bring out dozens of competitors for an exciting spectacle.
Featured image: Chabot Space and Science Center Tales of the Maya Skies gala – Oakland, CA, USA. Courtesy of Chabot Space & Science Center