Explore San Francisco's coastline for a wide variety of activities such as boating, surfing, fishing and beaches. Frommer's warns that the weather is rarely warm enough for beach-going in San Francisco, but on those rare hot days, visit Baker Beach (parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/baker-beach.html) for views of the Golden Gate Bridge, or Ocean Beach (parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/ocean-beach.html) near Golden Gate Park, to watch sea lions in the wild. Boating enthusiasts can check out Cass Marina (cassmarina.com) for sailboat rentals and lessons. Stow Lake Boat House in Golden Gate Park (sfrecpark.org/StowLake.aspx) rents row boats, paddle boats and bikes to explore the park.
Disney fans will love The Walt Disney Family Museum (disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum), where the life and legacy of Walt Disney comes to life through exhibits and memorabilia such as original models of his theme parks. The Exploratorium (exploratorium.edu) features interactive, educational exhibits and play spaces about science, art, math, weather and more. If you're looking for culture, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (sfmoma.org) showcases fine modern art from around the world and also offers family art programs.
Head on a high seas adventure by signing up for a day-long or half-day whale watching tour. Tour companies Fodor's recommends include The Oceanic Society (oceanicsociety.org) and California Whale Adventures (californiawhaleadventures.com). For a different kind of adventure, head to Alcatraz Island (nps.gov/alca) and explore the former prison that housed notorious criminals such as Al Capone. Tickets to the island are available through Alcatraz Cruises (alcatrazcruises.com). Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets up to a week in advance.
Check the schedules of the major sports teams to see if you can catch a game while you're in town. The local Major League Baseball franchise is the San Francisco Giants (sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com) and the National Football League team is the San Francisco 49ers (49ers.com). If you'd rather play than watch, Golden Gate Park (sfrecpark.org/ggp.aspx) features tennis courts and lawn bowling in addition to its many other amenities such as picnic areas, gardens, a carousel and playgrounds.
