There is no way really to experience San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood from a car or a tour bus. The birthplace of the city's peace-loving hippie movement must be walked for full effect. Although still the home of tie-dyes and head-shops, the counter-culture neighborhood is also filled with independent record stores, restaurants, book stores, used-clothing shops, and streams of inhabitants--from young punks to the children of the 60s--trying to live life on their own terms.
The Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour offers "insight into the cosmic draw" of the neighborhood, where both the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin once lived. The 12-block walking tour is mostly about Haight Ashbury's psychedelic "hippie history" but also offers information about the general neighborhood and its architecture. The tours take place every Tuesday and Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. as well as Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and Fridays at 11:00 a.m. The cost is $20 per person, except children nine and younger, who are free. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended although the group does take walk-ups. The tour begins at Waller and Stanyon streets, opposite the Stanyon Park Hotel.
Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour
Stanyan St. & Waller St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-863-1621
www.haightashburytour.com/
This tour of Haight-Ashbury, offered by the nonprofit City Guides and given by trained volunteers, offers a broader historical perspective of the neighborhood, starting with its beginnings as a "Victorian-era resort site." Described as a "somewhat strenuous" 1 ½- to 2-hour walk, the tour explores the neighborhood's streets, parks, and vistas. It take place on Sundays, starting at 11 a.m. City Guides tours are free, but donations won't be refused. No reservations are required. The tour begins at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street.
San Francisco City Guides
c/o the San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-557-4266
www.sfcityguides.org/
The San Francisco Comedy Walking Tour of the Haight-Ashbury district offers a "mind-blowing trip" that looks at the neighborhood through the lens of the 60s while pointing out the locations of major events during the Summer of Love and the homes of such famous former inhabitants as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. The tour guide, a moonlighting actor/comic, uses "games, Q & A, fun facts, and re-enactments to make history--the most boring class in high school--fun, informative, and interesting." The two-hour tour covers about 16 blocks and a whole lot of talk about sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, which means its not recommended for kids 12 years old and younger. The tours take place on Saturdays and Sundays, starting at 1 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, with advance purchase required. The tour begins near the intersection of Haight and Cole streets (exact meeting location provided with purchase of tickets).
Foot! Tours
Haight St. & Cole St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-793-5378
www.foottours.com/
