Neighborhood
SoMa
Tech offices, galleries, nightlife and work-friendly cafes south of Market.
About SoMa
SoMa, short for South of Market, is downtown's engine room: the convention center, the ballpark, the big museums, and the headquarters of several companies you have heard of, all on wide blocks that were industrial a century ago and are half construction site now.
It was called South of the Slot for the cable-car slot that ran down Market Street, and it has been a working-class district, the center of the city's leather community since the 1960s, and a tech address, often on the same block. It is not the prettiest part of San Francisco, and the stretch toward Civic Center has serious open drug use that families should route around.
What it does have is the densest cluster of indoor things to do in the city, which makes it the right call on a cold or rainy day.
Our neighborhood lines are based on DataSF's Analysis Neighborhoods, adjusted where visitors use a smaller area or a different name: Dogpatch and Fisherman's Wharf stand on their own, and the Richmond and the Sunset are each kept whole.
How Far Is It?
- Union Square0.5 mi · a 10 minute walk
- Fisherman's Wharf2 mi · 20 min on the F-line
- Golden Gate Park4.5 mi · 30 min by Muni
- Golden Gate Bridge4.5 mi · 15–20 min drive
- SFO airport13.5 mi · 20–25 min direct on BART
Getting here: Powell, Montgomery and Civic Center BART and Muni Metro stations sit along the northern edge, the N and T lines run through, and the F-line historic streetcar runs up Market. Garages are plentiful and expensive; the Fifth and Mission garage validates at several museums.
What to See
SFMOMA
Seven floors of modern art plus a free-to-enter ground floor and a sculpture terrace. Closed Wednesdays.
Yerba Buena Gardens
A rooftop park on top of Moscone Center, with lawns, a waterfall memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., a playground and a 1906 carousel.
Salesforce Park
A 5.4-acre park four storeys above the street, on the roof of the transit center, with a gondola up from the sidewalk.
Oracle Park
The Giants ballpark on the bay. You can watch splash hits from the free waterfront walkway along the right-field arcade without a ticket.
Contemporary Jewish Museum
A converted 1907 power substation with a blue steel cube bolted onto it, by Daniel Libeskind.
South Park
A quiet oval green from the 1850s, the oldest park in the city, tucked behind the loading docks.
Things to Do
Children’s Creativity Museum
Stop-motion animation, a music studio, clay and a lot of making, best for ages two to ten. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling
A year-round indoor rink and a bowling alley in the same building, in the middle of downtown.
The Carousel at Yerba Buena Gardens
A restored 1906 Looff carousel, right next to the playground.
Ride the Salesforce Park Gondola
Thirty seconds up, and then a rooftop park almost no visitor finds.
A Giants Game
One of the best ballparks in the country, and the walkway behind right field is free.
Where to Eat
Tú Lan
A fifty-year-old Vietnamese counter with imperial rolls that Julia Child praised. Go at lunch; the block is rough.
Ferry Building Lunch
If nothing here appeals, the Ferry Building counters are close and better.
Upcoming in SoMa
Joe Bataan at Yerba Buena Gardens
Family Studio: Spiders at SFMOMA
In Their Name: Día de Los Muertos Opening at SOMArts
Afro-Filipino Jazz Project at Yerba Buena Gardens
SFMOMA Free Family Day
K&L Champagne Tent Event
Halloween Hoopla
San Francisco Diwali Festival
Bhangra & Beats Diwali Night Market
MoAD Free Second Saturday
Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet
Places We Rate in SoMa
Asian Art Museum
Berggruen Gallery
Children’s Creativity Museum
SFMOMA
Sightglass Coffee
SOMArts Cultural Center
South Park
Yerba Buena Gardens
Guides
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Read the guide →Questions People Ask About SoMa
Is SoMa worth visiting?
On a weekday and for specific things, yes: SFMOMA, the Yerba Buena Gardens complex, the Children’s Creativity Museum, the ballpark and the Salesforce Park rooftop are all here. It is not a neighborhood for wandering, and the stretch of Market toward Civic Center is best avoided on foot.
Is SoMa safe for families?
The Yerba Buena, Moscone and Embarcadero-facing blocks are fine in the day and busy with visitors. The blocks along Market between about Fifth and Eighth have serious open drug use; take Muni or a rideshare across that corridor rather than walking it, especially after dark.
What is there to do in SoMa with kids?
The Children’s Creativity Museum and the 1906 carousel at Yerba Buena Gardens, the ice rink and bowling alley on Folsom Street, SFMOMA where under-18s are free, and the free rooftop park above the Salesforce Transit Center with its gondola ride.
Where do you park in SoMa?
This is one of the few parts of the city where garages are the sensible answer. The Fifth and Mission garage sits under the museum district and validates at several venues.
Recently Closed or Moved
3 places in SoMa have closed, moved or changed name. Each one keeps a page saying what happened, when, and where that was checked.