Whether you are a true nature lover or simply enjoy the thrill of an educational field trip, you will find both the wonders of nature and a deep sense of history while visiting Angel Island. In fact, I would suggest making Angel Island a must see destination while visiting San Francisco.
In the great city of San Francisco, which has so much to offer visitors, it's almost impossible to find that one thing that will be truly special and unique about your trip. Angel Island is just that thing. Wherever your interests lie, there is something that will attract the attention of people of all ages, economic situations, and other walks of life. If you can't find something that will interest you here, you really should rethink your interests.
For the nature lovers there is plenty of interest in way of plant life, bird life, and other animal life that should be of interests. There are even specialized tours available that will highlight and focus on the wide variety of life on this great island. Not only are there a great variety of land animals but a good representation of sea animals can be observed here as well. If you love nature, this is a great place to get a good dose of it while in the big city of San Francisco. Not only can you enjoy the sea animals on the ferry ride over (if you choose a ferry for your transportation) but you get to enjoy the plant and animal life on the island as well. Don't forget the air animals either though. There are many varieties of birds that are well represented here as well.
For those that prefer more active pursuits, there is plenty on Angel Island to keep you entertained and happy. First of all, there is plenty to offer by way of hikes. There are even guided hiking tours that offer the safety of numbers (very good for beginning hikers) and information about the island and its rich history. If hiking isn't really your thing, there are also bike rentals available on the island as well. With several trails to choose from with varying degrees of difficulty, even the beginner can enjoy a nice ride around the island.
My personal favorite physical activity here would be the kayak tours. For the right price you can book a guided kayak tour around the island. The tour includes equipment rental, your guide for the day, and a picnic lunch this would be for the all day tour, which will take you around the entire island. There is a 2 and a half hour tour if you aren't too sure about the whole kayaking thing or want to have time to enjoy other aspects of the island on your trip as well. The beauty of a trip to Angel Island is that there really is no right or wrong way to go about enjoying your day.
For sun lovers, there are several beaches where you can bring a blanket and lie down with a good book in order to catch some rays. I do not recommend swimming from Angel Island as the water isn't the cleanest nor is it the calmest. The tides are dangerous and can turn amazingly quickly. But if you love books and find that you could use a ray or two, let the kids and the rest of the family go biking, hiking, touring, and all that other good stuff while you catch up on the latest best seller at the beach.
All of this and I haven't even really hinted at the rich history of Angel Island. There are many activities planned throughout the year that introduce visitors to the rich history of this island. From Civil War Days to the Potomac Tours to the Victorian Christmas there are brief snapshots into the history of this great island. Beyond these events there are tram tours that are offered almost daily during the regular season on the island that provide brief overviews into the islands history. This would be a great way to spend a day while visiting San Francisco.
Art Museums still manage to move the Masses
With around 65 museums, it's no wonder that it is quite difficult to narrow down the choices and select the San Francisco museum that you absolutely must visit while vacationing here. The good news is that it is quite possible to narrow down the choices according to your personal preferences. Museums are a great way to discover the history, the art, and the future of a city. If that city gives a great amount of effort into building great places of learning about the art, music, history, and future of said city, then that city has a bright future ahead of it.
Art is something that is becoming more and more often overlooked as budget cuts hit school curriculums and great emphasis is placed on learning specific facts and details rather than the learning process, but art is a vitally important component of societal development. Think about it, the one thing that survives the generations of old and appears in museum today is most often art of some sort. Art is a way of expressing who we are, what we dream, and where we hope we are going. If we take the art from our lives, we are stifling our societies and risking our progeny.
In case you haven't guessed, I'm a little passionate about art and feel that art museums are an integral component not only of preserving our pasts but also of insuring our futures. The first art museum I would like to mention is of particular interest here because not only does it showcases artists that are local to the San Francisco area but it also deals with visual arts, performing arts, and film and video. The name of this museum is: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and I seriously recommend that you take a moment or two out of your busy vacation time be devoted to taking a look around this great center for visual and performing arts.
Art comes in many shapes and sizes and few places showcase it as well as the de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. From painting to sculptures to quilts this museum offers some fantastic collections of art as well as offering excellent exhibitions that rotate throughout the year. Give your senses a feast of color, light, and texture by visiting the de Young.
If you have the time, you really should check out The Diego Rivera Mural Project. This project is about the necessity of blending all of the cultures and histories that make Americans American into one unified work of art. By using the historical artistic styles of the Indian, the Eskimo, and the Mexican and blending them a style will emerge that is Pan American Unity. While some may find the ideals behind it a bit lofty (I find them applaudable), it is impossible to deny that the mural itself is an impressive work of art. While this is not a museum, I really feel that this is an important work of art that is definitely worth mentioning.
Whether you have a deep and abiding passion for art or not, it's hard to deny the power that art has to move and inspire people. For that reason alone I think it is important that we try to cultivate a love of art or at the very least an education about art within our children, museum exhibits are an excellent method of achieving that goal.
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