One of America’s most magnificent urban parks, Golden Gate Park is 20% larger than New York’s Central Park. Even more astounding is that it was created in a place that once consisted only of windswept dunes.
In the last decade of the 19th century, the park hosted the Midwinter Fair of 1894, the first of the City’s World’s Fairs and the largest such event West of the Mississippi. It drew two million people and transformed the neighborhoods on either side of the park. The de Young Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the Music Concourse all trace their origins to the 1894 Fair.
Today’s Park is a recreational hub with beautiful gardens, walking and biking paths, sports fields, concert venues, and museums. City Guides offers several tours to explore this jewel of the city. Try them all!
Golden Gate Park: American History Memories in Trees, Stone & Bronze
Join us on a fascinating stroll in one of America’s most magnificent urban parks, where you will hear the incredible tale of the Park’s improbable creation from a sea of desolate dunes.
Learn how this city of immigrants to a new state from across the country and the world chose to celebrate and connect to the history of the US.
For more information about the tour and to reserve a spot, visit the tour page here.
Golden Gate Park: East End Flowers & Tunnels & Bears, Oh My!
It was the 1860s, and everyone had heard about New York City’s Central Park — a spacious plot of green that contrasted sharply with the metallic landscape beyond. To recreate such a space in San Francisco, city officials looked west, and by the turn of the century, Golden Gate Park had developed into an enormous playground for a recreation-starved city. Breathe deep and enjoy a natural oasis on the Pacific.
For more information about the tour and to reserve a spot, visit the tour page here.
Golden Gate Park: Mid Park Ramble Hidden Gems, Rarely Visited
Discover fascinating but seldom-visited features in the park by hiking from the Music Concourse around Stow Lake to the observatory ruins atop the second-highest dune in San Francisco. Tour the Prayer Book Cross commemorating a little-known 16th-century event and Lloyd Lake’s Portals of the Past, a haunting reminder of the tragedy of 1906.
For more information about the tour and to reserve a spot, visit the tour page here.
Golden Gate Park: West End Breakers, Old Trains & Windmills!
At the western edge of Golden Gate Park, the towering Dutch Windmill welcomes walkers within sight of the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by the year-round beauty of the Queen Wilhelmina Garden, the mill bears witness to the struggles of Park Superintendents William Hammond Hall and John McLaren to transform the shifting sands of the Outside Lands into a verdant landscape.
For more information about the tour and to reserve a spot, visit the tour page here.
Japanese Tea Garden
After the successful 1894 Mid-Winter Exposition, San Francisco decided to keep the Japanese Village exhibit. Makoto Hagiwara was hired as the new garden manager and immediately expanded it three-fold to its current size. An impressive variety of flora greets you as you enter a Japanese-inspired wonderland of small scenes created throughout the Garden. The peace and quiet of the Garden encourage one to slow down and be mindful of the surroundings – A perfect walk for those seeking a peaceful afternoon…
For more information about the tour and to reserve a spot, visit the tour page here.
