5. Golden Gate Park

The Golden Gate Park is an ideal way to spend an afternoon. The park is large enough that if desired, you could hike all afternoon and cover a lot of territory. In doing this, you will not only discover different elements of the park, but also the different elements of San Francisco lifestyle. In one area, you will go through a series of tunnels. If lucky, each tunnel will have a singer or instrumentalist inside giving you a free concert. We heard a solo opera, a violinist, and a Celtic flute on our last trip. Just outside the tunnel is the museum. The exterior garden, fountains, and architecture of the buildings were impressive enough that we chose not to spend our time inside. Other areas include a rhododendron garden, an area for roller-bladers to show off their stuff, and softball fields. Our last leg of the walk took us to a beautiful children's playground with an old fashioned carousel. Then, we discovered a nook for lawn bowlers. Exhausted, we found a spot on a hill and watched people play Frisbee, hackey sac, and strum their guitar. So much entertainment, costing us nothing but sore muscles the next morning.