Japanese Tea Garden
Golden Gate Park is big. So big (it’s 20 percent larger than New York’s Central Park) that you can’t take it all in with just one visit. Two of the more interesting areas of the park are the Conservatory of Flowers and the Botanical Garden. A writer for the Mercury News recently visited these two sites and recorded her account.
Visitors to the Conservatory of Flowers will be wowed by the wood-and-glass structure, that has the feel of Victorial San Francisco. It’s also the park’s oldest building, dating back to 1878. Note: The building was filmed in Harold and Maude. Expect beautifully manicured lawns, notable flower beds and array of benches to relax and soak in the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the Botanical Garden houses more than 8,000 plants from around the world. We hear The Garden of Fragrance has plants, including lavender, pineapple sage and a nutmeg scented pelargonium.
If you go:
CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS: 1000 John F. Kennedy Dr., 415-831-2090, www.conservatoryofflowers.org. Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Admission $7 general, $5 ages 12-17 and 65 and older, $2 ages 5-11.
SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN: 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way, 415-661-1316, www.sfbg.org. Admission $7 general, $5 ages 12-17 and 65 and older, $2 ages 5-11. Docent-led tours are given at 1:30 p.m. daily and 10:30 a.m. weekends.
WHERE TO EAT: De Young Museum Caf, 50 Tea Garden Dr., 415-750-2613.
