Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, California

Address:San Francisco, California

Even larger than New York's Central Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park welcomes 13 million visitors every year to a land that brims with over a million trees and boasts outdoor activities, galore. From finding your inner Zen at the oldest Japanese style garden in the country to frolicking amongst the tulips under a 1900's-style windmill, it's easy to set your spirit free at the glorious Golden Gate Park.

Officially the third most visited park in the United States, Golden Gate Park spans 1017 acres off the Pacific coast and first began to flourish back in the 1880s. This famous park was the site of the Hippie-Beat generation's Human Be-In in 1967, an event which some might say set the tone for the many outdoor events and activities held in the park today. Visitors can enjoy many large, free public gatherings in the park such as festivals like the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, held each October. Nature lovers have their choice of indulgences here, from the Japanese Tea Garden, a must see with its peaceful streams and bridges and yummy tea and cookies to the Conservatory of Flowers, filled with exotic orchids. There's even a historic "flower museum," one of only 4 public institutions in the U.S. to house a highland tropics exhibit. Kids will love the Dracula orchid collection here, the largest in the world, as well as the Dahlia Garden, a magical world of flowers in summer and fall. The de Young Museum of Art is also located in the Park for those who want to explore some man-made artistic beauty and the Spreckels Temple of Music offers free concerts on Sundays, April-October, at 1 pm, right nearby. Golden Gate Park is also one of the best places for biking and rollerblading, since cars are banned every Sunday from 5 am to 5 pm. Rent a paddle boat, rowboat, or electric boat or hit the Children's Playground and take an unforgettable ride on the 1912 carousel. Along with a nine-hole golf course, an archery field, and miles of trails, it's easy to see why so many millions flock to Golden Gate Park for rejuvenation year after year.