San Francisco Botanical Garden
add photosThe San Francisco Botanical Garden is open all year round for visitors. There's a free Story Time in the Garden Library, especially suitable for ages 4-8, usually on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 10:30 am.
10 Reviews for San Francisco Botanical Garden
26
120 families found this helpful
"garden"
I loved this place and would encourage all mommies to take a relaxing visit. My kids did not appreciate this place at all, they are just too dang young! my husband was practically bored to tears but i enjoyed every minute. this isnt a place for kids but definitely for mommies and maybe daddies! What was hard was that my children were young, if my children were school aged I think we could have had more discussions about what goes on in the garden, how to make all the plants grow, etc. Ages 6 and up I would say might enjoy it, definitely more of a mommy and me trip.
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0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful in the spring"
This is a beautiful garden that stretches far and wide. What I love about this garden is that there are informational stands near most plants describing what they are and where they originated. This is a great place to allow the kids to run wild and burn off some energy. The Japanese tea garden is also a neat place to check out in the area.
0 families found this helpful
"Botanical Granden"
Very beautiful. Spent little for all we saw. would go again without kids next time. The kids were board. there was little food to be found and long distance to a bathroom. All in all good place to see. we got some beautiful pictures here of the kids. Once was enough to see it all.
1 family found this helpful
"Beautiful botanical garden"
The botanical garden in the Golden Gate park is simply beautiful. There are several theme sections throughout the garden (mostly, themed by the continents) with the types of plants that I never knew existed.
My daughter also loves the squirrels that run around. We always take some peanuts with to throw some them for the squirrels.
And most importantly, the gardens are free for everyone to enjoy!! Make sure that the day is sunny (not foggy, which usually happens in the first half of the day) and you'll have a great time with your family in that beautiful part of the park!
'10, '11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"Lovely stop in the Golden Gate Park"
Our family really enjoys stopping at the Botanical Gardens when we are in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park. The place is SO green, it is lovely. They are squirels everywhere, for the pure joy of the children. It is a oasis of peace in the middle of the city.
1 family found this helpful
"Educational and Relaxing"
This past Spring, we went through the SF Botanical Garden when our kids were 3 and 6 years old. Even though our kids enjoy being outdoors, we weren't sure how interested they would be in the experience. Our kids really enjoyed it! All the plants and flowers were clearly labeled and organized by region. The colors and textures of all the plant life was amazing. Our kids enjoyed following trails and walking through different garden paths. Our six year old was actually able to notice when the plants from a more arid region changed to a more lush, tropical region. Very educational!
1 family found this helpful
"Trees, lake and ducks"
Lots of trees and large grassy areas for kids to roam in, or sit by the lake and watch the ducks and geese. I would be mindful of when they close the main gate, as you would have to drag your kids on a long hike over to the one open gate after closing time.
2 families found this helpful
"Flowers and Plants Galore!"
my family loves to come here for a nice stroll through the park or to have a picnic. We can enjoy all the beautiful nature the park has to offer and share it with our little girl and we always bring bubbles or ball to play with and she has fun seeing the fountain in the middle and making a wish. There are fairly clean bathrooms and there are always squirrels around to watch and enjoy, my daughter gets a kick out of them.
1 family found this helpful
"Great place for a relaxing stroll"
After an exhausting couple hours of dealing with the crowds at the Academy of Sciences, the Botanical Garden across the way was an ideal escape. I took my 20 month old son there midday on a Wednesday and it was a welcome relief from the masses and chaos of the packed museums nearby. At times, we seemed to have sections of the park all to ourselves, and my son loved running up and down the nicely maintained boardwalks which meandered through large varieties of well cared for, exotic looking plants (if I knew more about plants I'd be happy to list them here, but I especially liked a section where they all looked prehistoric - straight out of those dinosaur movies).
I'd highly recommend this garden for a quiet stroll and I'd also suggest walking along the 9th and Irving area before or after the park to stock up on some refreshments or snacks. A favorite thing to do for us is to drop by Arizmendi - a local bakery to grab some tasty scones or breads for a light picnic in the park.
1 family found this helpful
"Beautiful, free park in San Francisco"
The SF Botanical Gardens are really quite beautiful and make you feel worlds away from city life. There are several sections of plants from different regions in the world and country. There are several turtles the live around the pond and love to soak up the sun on the rocks. It's a great place to let the kids run free. It's always great to pack a picnic lunch!
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