The Outside Lands — Golden Gate Park Ties the City to the Sea
Golden Gate Park is a place of magic and mystery. One of the most visited parks in all of America, it’s an acreage rife with adventure and plenty to do.
But it wasn’t always this way. Once known as Outside Lands (a name since co-opted by the annual rock music festival that happens here each August), Golden Gate Park and the surrounding neighborhoods were once a lonely swath at the edge of the city, inhabited mainly by sand dunes and largely ignored by citizens. In the late 1800s, as part of an urban initiative to improve the city’s parks, 22,000 trees were planted. In the centuries since, Golden Gate Park has matured into a 1,000+-acre emerald expanse of wonder, some danger, and a lot of eucalyptus-tinged sea air.
From the Panhandle, snugly situated in Haight Ashbury, where the counterculture is still strong, to the Beach Chalet and Dutch Windmill marking access to the Pacific, there are countless paths, lakes, museums, gardens, and playgrounds.
And here are some of the unique hidden gems you may not know about…
THE LAST DAYS OF ROLLER DISCO
On Sundays, JFK Drive is closed to car traffic, The 6th Avenue Skate Park becomes a throwback to roller skating’s heyday, when thousands of people took to the park for a freestyle al fresco skate. Today, the numbers are much smaller, but the enthusiasm and showmanship are still strong — and plenty of people come just to watch. Skate vendors are now prohibited by law from offering rentals in the park, so B.Y.O.S.
MORE INFORMATION:goldengatepark. com/6th-avenue-skate-park.html
THE WILD, TAMED BISON
In the late 1800s, as the park was conceived and laid out, bison were in danger of extinction. Park Superintendent John McLaren purchased a few. The bison shared space with elk, deer, bears, and sheep in the park. Today, although over 500 bison have been born in Golden Gate Park over the years, only a handful remain. You can see them in the Bison Paddock along JFK Drive, west of Spreckels Lake.
MORE INFORMATION: sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/the-bison-paddock
THE JAPANESE TEA GARDEN
In the shadows of the De Young Museum and California Academy of Sciences sits a lush, beautiful Japanese garden. Originally designed for the California Midwinter International Exposition in 1894, landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara enhanced it into the lovely oasis it is today. The Tea Garden is the oldest public Japanese garden in the U.S. The paths, ponds, and pagodas have been dutifully maintained to give visitors an authentic experience.
MORE INFORMATION: japaneseteagardensf.com
ECCENTRIC AVOCATIONS
San Francisco has a spirit of inclusion, and the free activities one can pursue in the park are abundant and eccentric. The city’s only archery range is gratis for those who bring their own bows and arrows (or there’s a rental shop nearby). Free lawn bowling lessons occur every Wednesday at noon at the Lawn Bowling Club, the oldest such in the U.S. And if you’ve always wanted to learn the Lindy Hop, Lindy in the Park gives free lessons every Sunday.
MORE INFORMATION: bysel.com/sfarch / sflbc.org
/ lindyinthepark.com
FLY FISHING PRACTICE
Founded during the Great Depression in 1933, the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club (GGACC) now boasts
more than 900 members. The Angler’s Lodge & Casting Pools are located on the western end of the park. The organization’s Learn to Fly Fish Program teaches fly-fishing skills to beginners. The curriculum includes: three years of mentorship and plenty of field trips (known as “fish-outs”) to nearby rivers and lakes.
MORE INFORMATION: ggacc.org
