Larger than New York City's Central Park, the 1,017-acre Golden Gate Park is full of recreational activities, natural beauty and botanical displays – and even a bison paddock. Visitors can take part in such activities as tennis, archery and basketball; play the nine-hole public golf course; or enjoy a picnic on the park's grounds.
Drawing more than 13 million annual visitors, Golden Gate Park is home to numerous attractions. Located at the eastern end of the park, the Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest glass-and-wood Victorian greenhouse in the Western Hemisphere, showcases 10,000 plants from around the world. The conservatory, fresh off a $25 million renovation, features five exhibit spaces of tropical flowers, aquatic plants, seasonal flowering plants and even 800 live butterflies.
The popular on-site Japanese Tea Garden is a five-acre complex of paths, ponds, native Japanese and Chinese plants, bridges, sculpture and even an authentic tea house. Meanwhile, the park's Stow Lake offers paddleboat and rowboat rentals. Stow Lake's natural island, termed Strawberry Hill, makes for a great day hike. Situated 428 feet high, the island affords great views of the park and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Additionally, families flock to the park's playground, complete with a 1912 carousel. Rhododendron Island, home to 400 plants along a one-acre sunken bowl next to Spreckels Lake, is a great picnic spot as well.
The conservatory offers evening private rentals for up to 500 guests in its exhibit galleries and on its sprawling front lawn. The Conservatory of Flowers is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Admission is $1.50 for children ages 5-11, $3 for youths ages 12-17 and $5 for adults. Admission for children under 5 is free. Schedules and fees for additional attractions may vary. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. For more information: 415-701-2311
