Arts & Culture
San Francisco’s Italian-American Community celebrates the Italian Heritage Parade, featuring Italian and Italian-American dignitaries, music, performances, floats, and representatives of Italian and Italian-American organizations and businesses.
Experience the best of San Francisco with the convenience of the Sightseeing Pass. With the pass, you can visit your choice of 19 San Francisco attractions, including hop-on, hop-off bus, bike rentals, walking tours, the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, the majestic Legion of Honor, experience the thrill ride that is San Francisco Dungeon and many more! The possibilities are endless with the Sightseeing Pass. Choose a Flex Pass and enjoy 3, 4, 5 or 6 attractions or visit an unlimited number of attractions with our 1, 2, 3 or 5 day pass. You can use your pass instantly after purchase on your mobile phone, or pick up a card at our visitor center.
Remember those crazy ideas you dreamed up as a kid? The Museum of Ice Cream is the place where whimsical ideas and products are transformed into real life experiences. Its mission is to design environments that bring people together and provoke imagination. After the immense success in Los Angeles and New York City, Museum of Ice Cream is opens September 2017 at 1 Grant Ave in San Francisco. The nearly 108 year old historic landmark situated in the heart of the city is one of the most iconic buildings in Union Square. The building style is that of a "banking temple" which famed SF architects Bliss and Faville hailed as a tribute to the surge of the financial industry at the turn of the last century. This Museum of Ice Cream in SF is entirely new featuring immersive installations, smells and flavors never seen before. Follow along on Instagram @museumoficecream.com and subscribe to Museum of Ice Cream newsletter for updates!
The Go San Francisco Card allows you to save up to 60% on admission to over 25 top attractions and tours for one low price vs. paying at the gate. Attractions include the Golden Gate Bridge Cruise, Hop-on Hop-off Trolley, California Academy of Sciences, Aquarium of the Bay, Exploratorium, Wine Country Tour & Tastings, and more. Enjoy the flexibility to choose attractions as you go and do as much as you want each day. Passes can be purchased online and are sent instantly via email. Plus, we now have an app! Simply download the app for FREE and use the pass straight from your phone. Each attraction will scan the QR code- it's as simple as that!
From November 7–11, the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) lights up Wine Country during the most colorful time of the year. NVFF features 100 new films, daily culinary demonstrations and afternoon wine tastings in gorgeous winery venues and theaters across the Valley. Other festival highlights include the Celebrity Tributes, Opening and Closing Night parties, and the Festival Gala. Don’t miss out on this ultimate celebration of Film, Food and Wine. Passes are on sale now! Visit www.nvff.org/passes for details.
Founded in 1935, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was the first museum on the West Coast dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Now, after a major three-year building expansion designed by Sno'hetta, SFMOMA returns as one of San Francisco's must-see destinations. Nearly tripling its gallery space, the museum features more of its outstanding collection of more than 33,000 works, along with new art, including the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, one of the greatest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. With art-filled public spaces, free entry for visitors 18 and under, numerous outdoor areas, two museum stores, and multiple dining options, the museum is open to San Francisco and visitors as never before. Save time and reserve tickets online at sfmoma.org.
Home to an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rainforest- all under one living roof, the California Academy of Sciences is one of San Francisco's must-see destinations. Imagine hors d'oeuvres inside Steinhart Aquarium, dinner in African Hall, or a product launch in Morrison Planetarium. The Academy also has daytime venues to host board meetings, lectures and luncheons.
With 14 stunning settings, the Academy can produce anything from an intimate social event, to a successful non-profit fundraiser, to a corporate extravaganza. And it all comes with behind-the-scenes event expertise that ensures the highest standards of excellence.
The 1,500-acre Presidio is San Francisco's unique national park at the Golden Gate. Once the Nation's premier Army post, today the park offers the spectacular vistas, nature, and history you would expect, plus many surprising experiences. In today's Presidio, visitors can walk on a 24-mile network of trails; discover art exhibitions indoors and out; soak in incredible Golden Gate views; visit San Francisco's oldest building reborn as a museum and cultural center; jump on a trampoline in a former airplane hangar; bird watch at restored wetlands; and relax at San Francisco's largest picnic, which draws 5,000 people each spring/summer weekend. Even better, most events and activities are free, making the Presidio an affordable and accessible escape that's welcoming to all. Begin your day in the park in the new Presidio Visitor Center, located at 210 Lincoln Boulevard, in the heart of the park. A free shuttle runs to the park from downtown San Francisco.
Host a one-of-a-kind event under the Bay, where your guests include sharks, bat rays, and river otters. Immerse your guests in the rich and diverse aquatic life of San Francisco Bay when you host your next event at Aquarium of the Bay. This stunning venue is located along San Francisco's renowned Embarcadero, where the beautiful San Francisco Bay and glistening city lights offer an exquisite view from our second-level deck. Inside, illuminating jellies and swirling schools of anchovies act as a unique backdrop, ensuring your next event is one for the books. Aquarium of the Bay provides a unique and unforgettable venue for cocktail receptions, mixers, product launches, meetings, and more. Whether it's a fun-filled team-building event, a board meeting, or a product launch, we can help you plan the event of your dreams. For more information go to https://bayecotarium.org/events/
Our newly renovated, sustainably designed facility, located at Pier 15 in the vibrant heart of the historic Embarcadero, is an unforgettable venue for everything from intimate gatherings to large events. With spectacular views of both city and Bay, plus access to our lively landscape of 650+ hands-on exhibits, the Exploratorium's waterfront home offers an exciting, imaginative setting for just about anything you can dream! See for yourself why we are rated the #1 museum in San Francisco on TripAdvisor.
Find animation, innovation, and inspiration and immerse yourself in the remarkable life story of Walt Disney'”the man who raised animation to an art, tirelessly pursued innovation, and created a distinctly American legacy, transforming the entertainment world! Located in the Presidio of San Francisco, The Walt Disney Family Museum is one of the Bay Area's most inspirational venues, welcoming visitors to an historic building that reveals 40,000 square feet of imagination. Contemporary interactive galleries and state-of-the-art exhibits are narrated in Walt's own voice, and feature early drawings, cartoons, movies, music, listening stations, more than 200 video screens, and a spectacular model of Disneyland. While you're there, enjoy daily screenings of Disney classics.
No California coastal itinerary is complete without a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! Considered one of the world’s great aquariums and a global leader in ocean research and conservation, this is the place that inspired the setting for Pixar’s Finding Dory and the BBC’s “Big Blue Live” – and was featured in HBO’s “Big Little Lies”. The Aquarium’s 322,000 square feet showcase Pacific Ocean habitats with acclaimed marine exhibits such as the three-story living Kelp Forest, million-gallon Open Sea exhibit, and a two-story home for its cutest inhabitants, charismatic sea otters that are the unofficial mascot of the central coast. Dramatic ocean-front decks offer views of passing whales, dolphins, sea lions and sea otters. Visitors who want to dive deeper can choose among a host of behind-the-scenes tours, family sleepovers among the aquarium’s exhibits, and a summer scuba program for kids ages 8 to 13. The aquarium also offers ocean-view dining in both a casual cafe and a full-service restaurant. Both emphasize regional and sustainably delicious cuisine that showcase a commitment to Seafood Watch standards for ocean-friendly seafood selections. Discover the wonders of Monterey Bay and how protecting our living ocean benefits us all.