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de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

Photo: Peter D. Tillman from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsRainy-Day PickFamily Favorite

de Young Museum

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr · San Francisco, CA

Why you should go…

The de Young is a fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park, founded in 1895 and housed since 2005 in a building by Herzog and de Meuron. The exterior is clad in copper that is expected to oxidize to a greenish tone over time. Inside you find American art from 1670 to the present, textiles and costumes, and art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Head up the 144-foot Hamon Observation Tower for 360-degree views over the park, the Pacific Ocean and the bay.

  • #art museum
  • #golden gate park
  • #american art
  • #observation tower
  • #san francisco museum

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to de Young Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Ride California

    $50+

    Guided electric bike tours through scenic California coastal towns on premium pedal-assist e-bikes.

    1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Haight-Ashbury

    Free

    Stroll past Victorian houses, boutiques and record stores in the San Francisco neighborhood of the 1967 Summer of Love.

    1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Painted Ladies

    Free

    See the row of pastel Victorian houses on Steiner Street from the lawn of Alamo Square, with the downtown skyline behind them.

    2.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Asian Art Museum

    Under $25

    See galleries of art from across Asia, some of it 6,000 years old, inside the former main library at Civic Center.

    2.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    San Francisco Historical Society

    Under $25

    A small downtown museum and archive devoted to telling San Francisco's story, from the Gold Rush to yesterday.

    3.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Free

    Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye

    Free

    Free interactive museum in Fisherman's Wharf exploring the science of sight and the history of eye care.

    3.6 mi awayMore like this