Top Rated Attractions in San Francisco

Spearheaded by Building REsources, the Reclaimed Room is an exhibition space with a difference. In keeping with Building REsources' dedication to the use of environmentally-conscious building materials, the art gallery showcases environmental media, arts and crafts, as well as educational projects and other programming. The Reclaimed Room is located just off the Islais Creek Channel, where few would expect to find art of any kind, bringing to life this oft neglected corner of the San Francisco Bay. For a preview of all that the gallery has to offer, visit the Reclaimed Room blog for photographs, videos and details regarding the fabulous artwork on display.

Located in Golden Gate Park, this garden is a marvel of landscape architect's art. This traditional Japanese garden covers five acres (2.02 hectares). Several paths take you by an authentic pagoda, a monumental Buddha, and a miniature waterfall over an acutely arched bridge that no kid can resist. Overlooking the gardens, a koi-filled pond rests beside a Japanese-style tea house, which in spring is covered with a cascade of wisteria. The gift shop sells souvenirs with a Japanese flair.

In the late 1800s, California's first state engineer, William Hammond Hall, and his assistant, a Scotsman named John McLaren, transformed more than 1000 acres (405 hectares) of sand dunes into a wondrous haven in the midst of the city, christened Golden Gate Park after the eponymous strait nearby. Stretching over 50 blocks from Stanyan Street to the Pacific Ocean, the lush landscape is etched with numerous trails for walking, jogging, biking and horseback riding, alongside a golf course, bowling greens, a lake with paddle boats, soccer fields and a baseball diamond. From the Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers to the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young Museum, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park encompasses a wealth of scenic beauty and cultural intrigue within is expansive embrace. There are also several playgrounds, a quaint carousel, an aquarium, a buffalo reserve and an outdoor bandshell where open-air concerts are hosted each summer.

Get close and personal with nature at India Basin Shoreline Park located by San Francisco Bay on the east end of the city. A prominent value to the wetlands and eco-system, India Basin is home to around 70 different species of birds. The area is under preservation to guard what is left of the wetlands in the city. Also featuring recreational areas, the park is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the scenic vistas of the bay.

Beginning at the south of Golden Gate Point, this half mile long beach was part of the Presidio, a military base of the Spanish from 1776 until 1997. Since the military base was decommissioned, the beach is now administered by the National Park Service. This scenic beach provides a panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge and has a nude beach towards its northern end.

Situated along John F. Kennedy Drive and a part of the magnificent Golden Gate Park, the Bison Paddock is just like it's name suggests; it's a large enclosure of a herd of bison where visitors can come to admire these large animals. Buffalo have been in the park since 1892, since the city kept unique animals in Golden Gate Park before the city's zoo opened.