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Golden Gate Park
Come breathe in the scenic
and gorgeously green environs of San Francisco . Who has
not wished to go far away from the madding crowd and
slip, even though for a short while, into a world where
nature rules supreme! Golden Gate Park which is nestled
right in the heart of the urban city is just the answer
to all your prayers. Green, as far as eyes can take you,
Golden Gate Park is a nature haven. To take a quick trip
down history lane, the park came about in around 1871
through the efforts of William Hammond Hall. From then
on started a period of great renewal and beautification;
the barren land saw lush green plants and other such
flora from all parts of the natural world!
Golden Gate Park is an
icon in its own right. With wonders like
Conservatory of Flowers,
The Music Concourse Area, De Young Museum, Academy of
Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Botanical
Garden at Strybing Arboretum, Stow Lake, Spreckels Lake,
Bison Paddock and Beach Chalet up its sleeve, the Park
ceases to remain just any other ordinary park and
somehow gets anointed into the highest of realms in Park
world!
Golden Gate Park is a
sheer pleasure ride the minute you step into it! It’s a
place to engage in recreation, to fool around, to look
around in awe at the mesmerizing beauty of nature around
you; all in all a place to forget all your worries and
let nature weave its magic around you! The park, as it
stands today, has modern world juxtaposed with natural
world. de Young museum and California Academy of
Sciences, belonging to the former, bring with them an
element of refreshing newness. The architecture is
bold, the thought green and the entire concept just too
amazing! The academy has a ‘living roof’ which has over
1.7 million native flora growing over the two and half
acre area!!! If that’s not enough then you can feast
your eyes on the Morrison Planetarium, the Kimball
Natural History Museum , a four-story rainforest dome or
the Steinhart Aquarium.
Yet another feature that
deserves special mention is the Conservatory Of Flowers.
Arguably the oldest Victorian conservatory in this part
of the world, it houses close to 2000 species of
orchids, carnivorous plants, herbal plants etc. Don’t be
amazed if you find philodendron plants here, they
present a remarkably spectacular sight! Besides this you
have the Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers which pays
homage to all the flowers and plants that were lucky
enough to grace the great Bard’s literary compositions
and poems!
The garden is a much
favored spot for lovers and there are many who can vouch
for it as the best place to get married in SF. Then
there is the Japanese Tea Garden which lives true to its
name and presents an interesting maze of ways for you to
meander through. There is a tea house which caters to
your appetite with delicious cookies and teas!
If you have had enough of
strolling in the gardens then you can indulge in some
recreation sports like Archery, Biking, Skating,
Fly-Fishing, Golf or lawn bowling. All in all, the Park
is a wonderful place to be and as Kahlil Gibran said,
‘Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare
feet and the winds long to play with your hair’. So the
next time you come to SF, come to the Golden Gate to
have a ‘naturally’ wonderful time
Related websites and additional information:
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
GGP informational website
Places to see in Golden
Gate Park:
Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park
De Yong Museum
California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park
Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant
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