Guides
Visiting SF Guides
Presidio Ghosts and the Pet Cemetery: Legends and Facts
The Presidio’s ghost stories and the Pet Cemetery legends, told as stories and then checked against the Presidio Trust and National Park…
Read the guide →Chinatown Tunnels Myth: What Is Under Grant Avenue
The claim that a maze of tunnels runs under San Francisco Chinatown, traced to 1800s tour guides, and what SFGATE and KALW…
Read the guide →Is Coit Tower a Fire Hose Nozzle? The Legend and the Facts
The story that Coit Tower was shaped like a fire hose nozzle to honour firefighters, and what San Francisco Recreation and Parks…
Read the guide →Legion of Honor Built on a Cemetery: What Is True
The legend that the Legion of Honor museum sits on a graveyard that was never emptied, and the rare part of it…
Read the guide →The Ghost of Cell 14D at Alcatraz: Legend and Facts
The ghost story of cell 14D in Alcatraz D-Block, told as a story, then separated from what the National Park Service actually…
Read the guide →Dog Play Areas in San Francisco Parks
32 San Francisco parks have a dog play area. Where they are, the leash, license and vaccination rules from Recreation and Parks,…
Read the guide →San Francisco Farmers’ Markets: Days, Hours and Locations
Days, hours, locations and season for six farmers' markets inside San Francisco, with what each says about EBT, CalFresh and Market Match.
Read the guide →San Francisco Murals: Where to See Them and How to Visit
Where to see San Francisco murals in the Mission District and at Coit Tower, with tour days, hours and prices from each…
Read the guide →Lands End Trail: San Francisco’s Wild Northwest Corner
Trail length, surface, stairs, parking, the Lookout visitor center and safety notes for Lands End, from NPS and the Parks Conservancy.
Read the guide →How to Ride the San Francisco Cable Cars
The three cable car lines, what a ride costs, where you must prepay, and who can board, from SFMTA.
Read the guide →Visiting the Golden Gate Bridge: Walk, Bike, Park
Pedestrians use the east sidewalk, cyclists switch sides by time of day, and tolls are southbound only. These are the hours, rules…
Read the guide →Visiting Alcatraz: Tickets, Ferry, What to Expect
Alcatraz is scheduled to be closed from October 26 to November 18, 2026 for dock repairs. Here are the ticket prices, ferry…
Read the guide →United Nations Charter: Signed in San Francisco in 1945
How the United Nations Charter was adopted and signed in San Francisco in 1945: the dates, the venues, the 50 nations and…
Read the guide →Presidio History: 1776 Fort to National Park
Presidio of San Francisco history with dates: Ohlone homeland, the 1776 Spanish fort, Mexican and US Army years, the 1994 park transfer…
Read the guide →Panama-Pacific Exposition: San Francisco’s 1915 World’s Fair
The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco: what it celebrated, how big it was, and what is still standing from it,…
Read the guide →Mission Dolores History: Founded 1776, Still Standing
Mission Dolores history with dates: the 1776 founding, the 1906 earthquake, the new church built from 1913 to 1918, the 1926 towers…
Read the guide →Golden Gate Bridge History: 1921 Sketch to 1937 Opening
How the Golden Gate Bridge went from a 1921 sketch to opening day on 28 May 1937: the bond vote, the building…
Read the guide →History Events in San Francisco: Parades, Commemorations and Tours
History events in San Francisco from November 2026 to mid-2027: parades, commemorations, tours and talks, with the organizers' own dates.
Read the guide →Historic Tours in San Francisco: Walking Tours, Trails and Ranger Programs
46 historic tours in San Francisco: free SF City Guides walks, Alcatraz and Fort Point, cable cars and trails, with prices and…
Read the guide →San Francisco National Historic Landmarks: 15 Confirmed, by Neighborhood
15 National Historic Landmarks in San Francisco confirmed on National Park Service pages, by neighborhood, with dates and visiting status.
Read the guide →Historic Sites in San Francisco: Hours, Admission and What to See
39 historic sites in San Francisco with hours, admission and what to see, from Alcatraz to Mission Dolores, read from each operator's…
Read the guide →San Francisco History Timeline: 58 Dated Events With Sources
San Francisco history in 58 dated events, from 1775-1776 to July 4, 2026, each linked to its National Park Service, archive or…
Read the guide →San Francisco History: Historic Sites, Landmarks, Tours and Timeline
San Francisco history in one place: 39 historic sites, 15 National Historic Landmarks, 46 tours and trails and a dated timeline, all…
Read the guide →San Francisco Cable Car History: 1873 to Today
San Francisco cable car history with dates and sources: Hallidie's first run in 1873, the 1947 vote that saved them, the 1964…
Read the guide →San Francisco Chinatown History: From the Gold Rush to 1906 and After
San Francisco Chinatown history with dates and sources: the Gold Rush, the 1882 Exclusion Act, the 1906 fire and the failed plan…
Read the guide →1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire: What Happened
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire in numbers, from the USGS, National Archives and NPS: 5:12 a.m., three days of fire,…
Read the guide →Alcatraz History: Lighthouse, Fort, Prison and the 1969 Occupation
Alcatraz history in order, from the 1854 lighthouse to the 1934-1963 federal penitentiary and the 1969-1971 Native American occupation, with the source…
Read the guide →Day Trips from San Francisco Without a Car: Sausalito, Muir Woods, Napa
Car-free day trips from San Francisco: the ferry to Sausalito, Muir Woods reservations and fees, Angel Island, Alcatraz booking and getting to…
Read the guide →Chase Center with Kids: Warriors and Valkyries Games, Bags, Transit and Tips
Mission Bay’s Chase Center is home to the Warriors and the Valkyries, and it is one of the easier big venues in…
Read the guide →San Francisco Local Legends: Ghost Stories, Myths and What’s Actually True
Thirty San Francisco legends, ghost stories and origin myths, from the White Lady of Stow Lake to who invented the Mission burrito.…
Read the guide →San Francisco Art Galleries in 2026: First Thursday, Where to Go, and What Has Closed
The San Francisco gallery map changed in 2025 and 2026. Where First Thursday still happens, which galleries are open, current shows and…
Read the guide →San Francisco Pride 2027: Dates, Parade Route and the Civic Center Celebration
San Francisco Pride 2027 is 26–27 June. The parade along Market Street, the free Civic Center celebration, the bag and alcohol rules,…
Read the guide →Bay to Breakers 2027: Date, Course, Prices and Rules
Bay to Breakers 2027 is Sunday 16 May. The 12K and 15K courses from downtown to Ocean Beach, current registration prices, the…
Read the guide →San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade 2027: Date, Route, Tickets and the Street Fair
The 2027 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is Saturday 20 February at 5:15pm. The route, when bleacher tickets go on sale,…
Read the guide →Best of San Francisco: Quick Answers to the Questions People Ask
Best bridge view, best sunset, best free thing, best rainy day, best with a toddler, most overrated. Short answers to the San…
Read the guide →Best Coffee in San Francisco: Where the Third Wave Started
Sightglass for the roastery, Andytown for the Snowy Plover, Ritual and Four Barrel for the Mission. Six San Francisco coffee roasters compared,…
Read the guide →Best Bakery and Croissant in San Francisco
Arsicault for the almond croissant, b. Patisserie for the kouign amann, Liguria for focaccia before it sells out. Seven San Francisco bakeries…
Read the guide →Best Ice Cream in San Francisco: Institutions and Newcomers
Bi-Rite for the famous scoop, Mitchell’s for ube since 1953, Swensen’s for the 1948 corner shop. Six San Francisco ice cream shops…
Read the guide →Best Pizza in San Francisco: Every Style, Compared
Tony’s for the world-champion Neapolitan, Golden Boy for the square slice, Little Star for deep dish. San Francisco pizza sorted by style,…
Read the guide →Best Dim Sum in San Francisco: Cheap Counters to Cart Service
Good Mong Kok for the two-dollar bun, Yank Sing for the grand room, the Richmond for everything in between. Seven dim sum…
Read the guide →Best Burrito in San Francisco: La Taqueria vs El Farolito
The Mission burrito was invented here and the argument about the best one has two sides. La Taqueria, El Farolito and five…
Read the guide →Best Dungeness Crab and Cioppino in San Francisco
Where to eat cioppino and Dungeness crab in San Francisco, from Sotto Mare to off-the-boat sales at Pier 47, plus why crab…
Read the guide →Best Sourdough Bread in San Francisco: Where to Buy a Loaf
Boudin for the history, Tartine for the famous loaf, Acme for the bread locals actually buy. A plain-spoken guide to San Francisco…
Read the guide →Where to Get the Best Clam Chowder in San Francisco
The honest answer on San Francisco clam chowder: where the bread bowl is worth it, where the soup is actually better, and…
Read the guide →Where to Stay in San Francisco: Neighborhoods Compared
Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Marina, SoMa or the Mission: an honest comparison of where to base yourself in San Francisco, and…
Read the guide →Muni vs BART vs Cable Car: How to Get Around San Francisco
Which San Francisco transit to use, what each costs, and the rule that saves families the most money: everyone 18 and under…
Read the guide →Is CityPASS Worth It in San Francisco?
CityPASS, Go City, the Muni Visitor Passport or nothing at all: the maths on San Francisco sightseeing passes, for a family of…
Read the guide →Exploratorium vs California Academy of Sciences: Which Is Better With Kids?
Two big San Francisco science museums, two very different days out. Which one suits your children, your weather and your budget.
Read the guide →Three Days in San Francisco: A First-Timer’s Guide
A three-day plan for a first visit to San Francisco: what to book ahead, what the passes are really worth, how to…
Read the guide →