Centrally located, this hotel is a short cable car trip from Downtown, Financial District, Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf. In fact, Fairmont San Francisco hotel is the only spot in San Francisco where each of the City's cable car lines meet.
San Francisco Activities
Alcatraz: Offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US built fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public which was immortalized in the film “The Rock”. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock—gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views which are beyond comparison.
Museums: San Francisco’s family-oriented museums are free at least one day each month and in many cases, are complimentary for children 12 and under. The Asian Art Museum has created special Sunday family programming. The free admission on the first Sunday of each month features storytelling and family oriented yoga sessions. In addition the museum often presents films and performances related to the cultural background of the artworks on view.
California Academy of Sciences: Come explore one of the largest natural history museums in the world. Inside its newly renovated 400,000 sq. feet building is the world’s largest completely digital planetarium. Next to the albino alligator “Claude” is a 90-foot glass dome rainforest exhibit which houses many rare and elusive fish. The Academy of Sciences is the perfect place for the young explorer in your life.
San Francisco Zoo: Located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco and is boarding the Pacific Ocean is the 100-acre SF Zoo. Home to 693 individual animals representing 197 species and known as the birthplace of Koko the Gorilla. The San Francisco Zoo houses some of the rarest animals in the world. The San Francisco Zoo is easily accessible by the “L” line street cars on Market Street.
Bicycle Rental: With San Francisco’s 44 hills you wouldn’t expect it to be one of the most bike friendly cities in America. There are numerous bicycle rental agencies conveniently available, offering single and multi-day rentals allowing families to explore. Some of the more popular rides include from Fisherman’s Wharf and across the Golden Gate Bridge and riding through the 1,000 acre Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach on the Pacific Ocean.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: Is San Francisco’s home to weird family fun that is located in the world famous Fisherman’s Wharf near Pier 39. With two floors and over 10,000 square feet filled with the strange, the unusual, and the unbelievable, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is the weirdest thing on the Wharf!
Giants Baseball: Watch one of the oldest teams in professional baseball at the beautiful AT&T Park located in the SOMA district in San Francisco. With almost 80 games a year played in this historic stadium it is truly an experience not to be missed. Children’s activities include a t-ball field and slide complex located in the outer field seats.
Golden Gate Park: Within Golden Gate Park’s 1,017 acres you’ll discover gardens, playgrounds, lakes, waterfalls, picnic groves, trails, and monuments, plus an array of cultural venues, events, and family friendly activities. Bicycle and Surrey rentals are available in multiple locations and are perfect for exploring all the park has to offer. Some of the highlights include: The Japanese Tea Garden, Conservancy of Flowers, an award winning botanical garden, the de Young museum, a small herd of bison, as well as a public 9-hole golf course.
Cable Car: Although they may not be San Francisco's most practical means of transportation, cable cars are certainly the best loved and are a must-have experience when visiting the city. Designated official moving historic landmarks by the National Park Service in 1964, they clank up and down the city's steep hills like mobile museum pieces.
Coit Tower: Perched high atop Telegraph Hill like a medieval tower and blessed with marvelous views. The construction of the tower was funded by a bequest from Lillie Hitchcock Coit who left one third of her fortune to the City and County of San Francisco "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved." Murals on its ground floor walls were painted in 1933 by 30 local artists; each piece depicting a different aspect of the Great Depression.
Fisherman’s Wharf: As San Francisco’s #1 tourist destination, Fisherman’s Wharf offers something for everyone. From fresh seafood, an amazing aquarium, sea lions lounging as well as the world famous Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf is a an entire day’s worth of activities.
Union Square: One of San Francisco's main retail and cultural centers, Union Square also refers to the actual park bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton streets. Today the area is one of the largest collections of retail and department stores, boutiques, tourist shops, art galleries, and salons in the Western United States, making it one of the world's premier shopping districts in the city.
Chinatown: With the Fairmont’s central location, only 2 blocks from the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America. The San Francisco Chinatown is a great jumping point for your explorations and offers the chance to experience why it is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco. The perfect place to walk with children, watch and taste how fortune cookies are made at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.
Lombard Street: Visit “The Crooked-ist Street in the World!” A quick Cable-Car ride from The Fairmont San Francisco visit one of the best photo opportunities in San Francisco.
Exploratorium: The Exploratorium is a twenty-first-century learning laboratory, an eye-opening, always-changing, playful place to explore and tinker. For more than forty years, they’ve built creative, thought-provoking exhibits, tools, programs, and experiences that ignite curiosity, encourage exploration, and lead to profound learning. Located at the southern end of Fisherman’s Wharf it is a perfect location to end your day before catching the Cable-Car back up the hill.
Golden Gate Bridge: Visiting the world famous Golden Gate Bridge is a unique experience for everyone. Whether you hike, walk, bike, shop, take a guided tour, or just sit back and take it all in, there is something for everyone
