John F. Kennedy Dr. west of Stanyan St.

415-263-0991 for walking tour info. Open 24 hours. Free guided tours:  Sat. at 11 and Sun. at 11 and 2.

Muni Buses 5-Fulton and 21-Hayes; N-Judah light-rail car.

Bordered by the Great Highway on the west, Lincoln Way on the south, Stanyan Street on the east, Fulton St. on the north.

The 1, 017 acre park contains a dozen artificial lakes; a world renowned collection of trees and other plants; miles of roads, bridle paths and foot trails.  The park extends three miles from Fell and Stanyan Streets to the ocean. 

In addition to the Asian Art museum,  there is a bison paddock, a restored Dutch style windmill,  an equestrian center, a trotting track, tennis courts, archery fields, golf course, a polo field stadium,  and an outdoor music concourse which offers concerts all year. 

The Visitor Center is located in a Beach Chalet on Great Highway and features murals with scenes of the city during the Great Depression, as well as mosaics and wood carvings. (Daily:  10-dusk). 

Exploratorium (Northwest) 

Inside the Palace of Fine Arts is the city's science museum.

Baker and Beach Sts.

415-561-0364 for palace tours; 415-561-0360 for Exploratorium info.

San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art ( Southeast)

151 3rd St.

415-357-4000.

Admission charged,  but free 1st Tues. of each month and  1⁄2-price entry Thurs. 6-9. Memorial Day-Labor Day, Fri.-Tues. 10-6, Thurs. 10-9; Labor Day-Memorial Day, Fri.-Tues. 11-6, Thurs. 11-9

The architect Mario Botta designed the striking facility, completed in early 1995, which consists of a sienna brick facade and a central tower of alternating bands of black and white stone. Inside, natural light from the tower floods the central atrium and some of the museum's galleries. Works by Matisse, Picasso, O'Keeffe, Kahlo, Pollock, Warhol, and other 20th-century artists form the heart of the diverse permanent collection. Programming includes traveling exhibits and multimedia installations. 

Asian Art Museum (Southwest)

Tea Garden Dr. off John F. Kennedy Dr., near 10th Ave. and Fulton St.,

415-668-8921 or 415-379-8801.

$s off with Muni transfer, good also for same-day admission to the M. H. de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor Museum in Lincoln Park; free 1st Wed. of month. Tues.-Sun. 9:30-4:45, 1st Wed. of month until 8:45.

The museum's collection includes more than 12,000 sculptures, paintings, and ceramics from 40 countries, illustrating major periods of Asian art. On the first floor are special exhibitions as well as galleries dedicated to works from Korea and China. On the second floor are treasures from Iran, Turkey, Syria, India, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Japan, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia.

California Palace Of The Legion Of Honor (Northwest)

34th Ave. at Clement St. 

415-863-3330 for 24-hr information.

$s off with Muni transfer, good also for same-day admission to Asian Art and M. H. de Young museums.   Free 2nd Wed. of month. Tues.-Sun. 9:30-5.

Spectacularly situated on cliffs overlooking the ocean and the Marin Headlands, this landmark building is a fine repository of European art. The lower-level galleries exhibit prints and drawings, English and European porcelain, and ancient Assyrian, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art. The 20-plus galleries on the upper level are devoted to European art from the 14th century to the present. Two galleries are devoted to the  Rodin collection, and a third with works by him and other 19th-century sculptors. An original cast of Rodin's The Thinker welcomes the visitor in  the courtyard.

Bay Area Discovery Museum (Northwest)

Off US101 at 557 McReynolds Road

(In  Golden Gate National Recreation Area at the north end of Golden Gate bridge.) 

415-487-4398

Tues-Sun. 10-5  (6/15-9/15)   Tues-Thurs 9-4; Fri-Sun 110-5, (rest of the year) Call for holiday schedule.

Admission charged.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.

This museum features hands-on exhibits for children. Children can climb on a fishing boat and fish;  learn to ride a unicycle;  create clay animation movies; crawl through an underwater tunnel; decorate a doll house,  to name a few of the choices.  There is a Tot Spot storybook environment for children 1-3. 

Cable Car Barn & Museum (Downtown)

1201 Mason St. at Washington St.

415 474-1887

Daily 10-6 Apr-Sept.  10-5 rest of year

Donations.

Contains models, photographs and memorabilia chronicling  the history of San Francisco’s early transit system, including the first cable car built in 1873. 

Underground viewing room shows mechanics of the system.

2)  Natural History Museum

Includes Wild California Hall; Simson African Hall; Hall of Gems  and Minerals.  There are also Far Side of Science Gallery  and Earth and Space Hall in which  visitors can safely experience a simulated California earthquake on a “shake table.”  Life Through Time and the Age of the Dinosaurs are also popular exhibits.

 San Francisco Maritime Park (Northeast)

Hyde Street Pier

415 556-3002

America's only floating national park features the world's largest collection of historic ships from the annals of  San Francisco's history. Programs, exhibits and events focus on living history at this floating museum. For more information, call 561-6662.

Fisherman's Wharf  (Northeast)

At the end of Taylor Street

Ripley’s Believe it or Not; and the Wax Museum  are two attractions in this area. 

Millions visit this part of San Francisco each year to gaze across the piers, take in the local scene, and enjoy the numerous  fine restaurants.

Golden Gate Railroad Museum (Southwest)

Hunters Point Shipyard

 822-8728

has one of the most extensive collections of historic, operating, railroad equipment in the west. Famous trains such as the Daylights, Overland Limited, Cascade, Sunset, Lark, Del Monte, California Zephyr and City of San Francisco are on display, as well as the museum's "star," steam engine SP 2472. The GGRM now offers Rent-A-Locomotive and special events programs allowing guests to actually operate a full sized locomotive.