Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [136]
Today the park consists of hundreds of gardens and attractions connected by wooded paths and paved roads. While many worthy sites are clearly visible, there are infinite treasures that are harder to find, so pick up information at McLaren Lodge and Park Headquarters (at Stanyan and Fell sts.; 415/831-2700) if you want to find the more hidden spots. It’s open daily and offers park maps for $3. Of the dozens of special gardens in the park, most recognized are McLaren Memorial Rhododendron Dell, the Rose Garden, Botanical Gardens, and, at the western edge of the park, a springtime array of thousands of tulips and daffodils around the Dutch windmill.
In addition to the highlights described in this section, the park contains lots of recreational facilities: tennis courts; baseball, soccer, and polo fields; a golf course; riding stables; and fly-casting pools. The Strawberry Hill boathouse handles boat rentals. The park is also the home of the de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. ( 415/750-3600 or 863-3330). For more information.
For further information, call the San Francisco Visitor Information Center at 415/283-0177. Enter the park at Kezar Drive, an extension of Fell Street; bus riders can take no. 5, 6, 7, 16AX, 16BX, 66, or 71.
Park Highlights
Conservatory of Flowers ★★ Opened to the public in 1879, this glorious Victorian glass structure is the oldest existing public conservatory in the Western Hemisphere. After a bad storm in 1995, delayed renovations kept the museum closed and visitors were only able to imagine what wondrous displays existed within the striking glass assemblage. Thankfully, a $25-million renovation, including a $4-million exhibit upgrade, was completed a few years ago, and now the Conservatory is a cutting-edge horticultural destination with over 1,700 species of plants. Here you can check out the rare tropical flora of the Congo, Philippines, and beyond within the stunning structure. As one of only four public institutions in the U.S. to house a highland tropics exhibit, its five galleries also include the lowland tropics, aquatic plants, the largest Dracula orchid collection in the world, and special exhibits. It doesn’t take long to visit, but make a point of staying awhile; outside there are good sunny spots for people-watching as well as paths leading to impressive gardens begging to be explored. If you’re around during summer and fall, don’t miss the Dahlia Garden to the right of the entrance in the center of what was once a carriage roundabout—it’s an explosion of colorful Dr. Seuss–like blooms. The conservatory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm, closed Mondays. Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for youth 12 to 17 years of age, seniors, and students with ID; $2 for children 5 to 11; and free for children 4 and under and for all visitors the first Tuesday of the month. For more information, visit www.conservatoryofflowers.org or call 415/831-2090.
Japanese Tea Garden John McLaren, the man who began landscaping Golden Gate Park, hired Makoto Hagiwara, a wealthy Japanese landscape designer, to further develop this garden originally created for the 1894 Midwinter Exposition. It’s a quiet place with cherry trees, shrubs, and bonsai crisscrossed by winding paths and high-arched bridges over pools of water. Focal points and places for contemplation include the massive bronze Buddha (cast in Japan in 1790 and donated by the Gump family), the Buddhist wooden pagoda, and the Drum Bridge, which, reflected in the water, looks as though it completes a circle. The garden is open daily November