Golden Sunday

Stroll Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse for Hidden Art and the "Three Gems" sky watching installation

Everyone sings the praises of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and Sundays are a perfect day to tune in on its hidden art and free music scene. Go on a mile-long meander around the park’s Music Concourse, starting in the Monarch Bear Grove. Here you’ll find Druid’s Circle, a simple formation of stones meant as a spiritual oasis for nature worshipers. Spend a moment channeling the metaphysical then head a few hundred yards west to the Shakespeare Garden for a touch of the classical.

Bright green iron gates mark the entrance to this romantic corner. The grove is a great spot to curl up with a book (okay, iPhone) or snuggle with a beau. After your fill of literary allusions (panels with floral quotations from Shakespeare accompany the various plants), take the trail past the California Academy of Sciences and enter the Music Concourse. Free concerts are held in the plaza on Sundays at 1 p.m. Listen to the melodies echo around the band shell while you walk among the pollarded elm trees and toss pennies into the fountains. Across from the entrance to the de Young Museum, you’ll find the Cider Press, a bronze statue rumored to have once been a fountain running with apple cider.

Finally, set your eyes on the striking facade of the de Young before wandering through the main lobby and into the Osher Sculpture Garden (no entrance fee). A giant blue and silver paperclip installation is one of the first pieces to grab your attention. Follow the path to the Turrell Skyspace in the northeast corner of the garden. The installation, known as “Three Gems,” is a sky watcher’s paradise. Follow a cylindrical tunnel to its center. Sit on the curved bench under the spherical dome and gaze through the skylight. Light shining through the oculus reflects on the dome’s white concrete, making its way across the dome like the sun across the horizon—an ideal place to contemplate the sky and the passing of time.

Enter the Monarch Bear Grove from Nancy Pelosi Dr. Concerts are held in the Music Concourse every Sunday at 1 p.m., through October 8. The Osher Sculpture Garden closes at 4:30 p.m. Dog-friendly except for the Osher Sculpture Garden.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View
  2. Waterfalls and Wine Pours

    Cooler temps, green hills, and the return of our magnificent waterfalls! This family-friendly 2-mile hike at Uvas Canyon County Park in Morgan Hill is a great way to get the most out of a short hike post-rain.

    View
  3. Woman hiker is climbing up the ladder in the Steep Ravine section of the Dipsea Loop Trail on Mount Tam

    Misty on Mount Tam

    Mount Tam’s 3.9-mile round-trip Steep Ravine and Dipsea Trail Loop weathers the wets and wilds with some confidence, sheltered in parts by redwoods, and wowing with a waterfall.

    View
  4. Mile-Long Cataract Club

    In winter after heavy rains, the north flank of Mount Tam glows with flows. The nearly mile-long series of waterfalls—Cataract Falls—transforms into a supercharged spectacle. Starting at Alpine Dam, a 1.6 mile (one-way) narrow trails threads through redwoods and ferns along Cataract Creek.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Peace Labyrinth

    Hidden in LA’s historic West Adams district, the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens is a welcome respite from the norms of urban noise.

    View
  2. Weekend Sherpa Podcast: Take It Outside

    Adventure for your earbuds. What's new in the world of the outdoors? Listen to Weekend Sherpa co-founders discuss local hikes, beaches, bike rides, camping spots and all kinds of travel and adventure in California and beyond!

    View
  3. Hikers sitting on a large rock slab next to Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest Southern California near Julian

    Three Sisters

    Good things come in threes at this hike to a lovely trio-tiered waterfall in Cleveland National Forest. The 4.25-mile out-and-back hike rambles among rolling hills, with rocky mountain views as switchbacks take you down to a lush canyon and the falls.

    View
  4. People gathered around a tree at an LA Park as part of the Tree Tour led by Stephanie Carrie

    LA's Tree Tour

    Los Angeles is famous for its iconic palm trees but did you know that LA is home to one of the most diverse urban forests in the world? With over 1,000 different tree species lining its streets, LA offers a unique urban canopy waiting to be explored. One of the best ways to discover it is by joining a Tree Tour

    View