Golden Gate Park, San Francisco: history, what to see, how to get there and hours

Golden Gate Park in San Francisco runs as a long strip from Stanyan Street in the east to the Great Highway on the ocean, 1,017 acres in all. It holds two major museums, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers and a botanical garden, with meadows, lakes and groves in between. More of the city is on our San Francisco sights page.

History of Golden Gate Park

Work began in 1870 on the Outside Lands, the city's western edge, then windswept sand dunes. The surveyor, designer and first superintendent was William Hammond Hall. The park started at 1,013 acres; San Francisco Recreation and Parks now gives 1,017.

The Conservatory of Flowers opened in 1879 as the first formal structure. In 1888 came a children's playground that the department believes was the nation's first public one. Bison have lived in the park since the early 1890s, brought in when the species faced extinction.

The 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition drew about 2 million visitors, and its grounds became today's Music Concourse. The Japanese Tea Garden grew out of the fair's Japanese Village exhibit. The de Young was established in 1895, and the California Academy of Sciences first opened in 1923.

The dunes needed water. The Dutch Windmill went up in 1902 and the Murphy Windmill in 1907, both pumping groundwater for irrigation, until motor pumps arrived in 1913; the mills are believed to have stopped around 1935. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, the park sheltered about 200,000 homeless residents. McLaren Lodge, built in 1896, was home to the fifth superintendent, John McLaren, until 1943 and is now the department's headquarters.

Part of JFK Drive has been car-free on Sundays and holidays since 1967. It became car-free around the clock in 2020; in April 2022 the Board of Supervisors made that permanent, and voters reaffirmed it in November 2022.

What to see in Golden Gate Park

• Conservatory of Flowers, 100 John F. Kennedy Dr. The park's oldest building and, according to Gardens of Golden Gate Park, the oldest public wood-and-glass conservatory in North America. About 1,700 species of tropical and aquatic plants, including orchids, giant water lilies and a 100-year-old philodendron.
• Japanese Tea Garden, 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. The oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America, 3.5 acres. The Tea House stands where the 1894 fair's teahouse stood. Cherry trees bloom in March and April.
• de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. The city's oldest museum, in a copper-clad building by Herzog & de Meuron that opened in 2005. Hamon Tower closes at 4:30 pm.
• California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr. An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest and natural history museum in one building.
• San Francisco Botanical Garden, 1199 9th Ave. 55 acres and over 8,000 kinds of plants, including a redwood grove and cloud forests.
• JFK Promenade, Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive. A 1.5-mile car-free road with art installations, public pianos, lawn games and live music.
• Koret Children's Quarter and Carousel, MLK Dr. and Bowling Green Dr. The 1914 Herschell-Spillman carousel has 62 hand-painted animals.
• Bison Paddock, 1237 John F. Kennedy Dr. The herd has used this meadow west of Spreckels Lake since 1899, cared for by the San Francisco Zoo.
• Windmills and Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, JFK Dr. and the Great Highway. Thousands of tulips in early spring.
• Portals of the Past, Lloyd Lake. Entrance columns from a Nob Hill mansion that survived 1906.

How to get there: Muni, shuttle and parking

Recreation and Parks lists 14 Muni lines serving the park, among them the N Judah and the 5 Fulton, 7 Haight/Noriega, 28 19th Avenue, 29 Sunset and 44 O'Shaughnessy buses. Plan a trip on sfmta.com.

• N Judah runs from the Market Street subway (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center, Van Ness) via Carl, Irving and 9th Avenue. Irving St and 8th Ave or 9th Ave and Irving St are closest to the museums and the Botanical Garden. SFMTA lists it as running 24 hours, every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 12 on weekends during the day.
• 5 Fulton runs along the park's north edge on Fulton Street, stopping at 8th and 10th Avenues. On weekdays 7 am to 7 pm it does not serve Fulton west of 6th Ave; SFMTA points riders to the 5R Fulton Rapid there.

Free shuttle: daily along the JFK Promenade from Transverse Drive to Haight and Stanyan, stopping at the Conservatory, the Academy, the de Young, the Tea Garden and the Rose Garden. Weekends and holidays 9 am to 6 pm every 15 minutes; weekdays noon to 6 pm every 25 minutes.

By car: the 800-space Music Concourse Garage has entrances at 10th Ave and Fulton and at MLK Dr and Concourse Dr, open daily 7 am to 7 pm. Gardens of Golden Gate Park lists $5.25 an hour on weekdays ($29 maximum) and $6.25 on weekends ($33 maximum). About 4,700 spaces line the park roads.

Car-free roads: Recreation and Parks describes a car-free route across the whole park, from Stanyan Street to the Great Highway: portions of the JFK Promenade and Conservatory Drive in the east, Overlook Drive, Middle Drive and portions of MLK Drive in the west.

Hours and tickets

The Japanese Tea Garden requires a timed entry reservation in advance. Check each site before you go.

Hours and prices checked November 5, 2026 on calacademy.org, famsf.org, gggp.org and sfrecpark.org.

Academy peak pricing applies during spring break, summer months, holiday weekends and the November and December holidays. The de Young is closed on Presidents' Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tips before you go

Visitors receiving SNAP get free general admission to the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, and the de Young offers free general admission with a Medi-Cal or EBT card. Special exhibitions cost extra.

Buying de Young tickets in person? Show proof of a Bay Area transit fare (Muni, BART, Caltrain) for $3 off; it does not apply online. The Academy recommends buying ahead for weekends and holidays.

For the rest of the city, see our San Francisco page.

Questions people ask

Where do you park for the museums in Golden Gate Park?

In the 800-space Music Concourse Garage, entered from Fulton Street at 10th Avenue or from MLK Drive, open daily 7 am to 7 pm, at $5.25 an hour on weekdays and $6.25 on weekends. About 4,700 more spaces line the park's roads.

Can you drive on JFK Drive?

No. The 1.5-mile JFK Promenade from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive is closed to cars around the clock. It was car-free on Sundays and holidays from 1967, became car-free full time in 2020, was made permanent by the Board of Supervisors in April 2022, and San Francisco voters reaffirmed that in November 2022. A free park shuttle runs along it.

When is the Japanese Tea Garden free?

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 to 10 am, and always for San Francisco residents and veterans. Last entry is 4:30 pm November through February, 5:30 pm March through October. Entry times are reserved in advance on the Gardens of Golden Gate Park website.

Are there really bison in Golden Gate Park?

Yes. Bison have lived in the park since the early 1890s, and since 1899 the herd has grazed a meadow west of Spreckels Lake at 1237 John F. Kennedy Drive. The San Francisco Zoo cares for the animals, and Recreation and Park gardeners maintain the enclosure.