San Francisco Off The Beaten Path: 21 Quirky and Unusual Things to Do

San Francisco hosts dozens of farmers’ markets that support local businesses and organic, sustainable farming. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market has a reputation for the quality and diversity of its farm-fresh products and tasty food. On Saturday mornings, this place is lively with over 100 vendors, guest chefs and farmers popping up to feed and water you with views over The Bay. We recommend lavender shortbread from the Miette Patisserie, followed by coffee from Blue Bottle.

Forget taking snaps of this iconic landmark from inside a stuffy tour coach. Make like a local and take an electric bike tour right across the 1.7mi (2.7km) Golden Gate Bridge and bypass SF’s best parks, neighborhoods and Victorian architecture along the way. The tour includes a picnic in Golden Gate National Park with epic panoramic views.

San Francisco boasts what might just be the finest American museum entirely devoted to Asian art. Housed in a beaux-arts building, the museum features thousands of artifacts from countries as diverse as India and Tibet to Japan and China. Take a peek at the Chinese bronze sculptures, the best collection outside of Asia, as well as the centuries-old Hindu deity statues. Short on time? Join the Great Works tour which runs for 45-minutes and zips through the main highlights. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month and the gift shop is well worth browsing afterward.

This intimate karaoke bar is tucked away in the Kinokuniya Mall in Japantown. There are more than 150,000 songs in multiple languages to choose from at $2 each. For over a decade, this bar has been serving up delicious cocktails (try the Saketini) to oil an authentic Tokyo experience in this welcoming but largely under-the-radar neighborhood. You’re more likely to see a rowdy work night out here than hordes of fellow tourists.

Hiking up Twin Peaks (not to be confused with the David Lynch crime drama) is not only great exercise but a good way to see pre-industrial San Francisco. At 922ft (281m) above sea level, it is one of the largest hills in the city, offering incredible views of the Bay Area. Start the 3km (2mi) circular hike from Clarendon Avenue, just south of Col Valley. It’s quite the leg burner, so make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes and bring a layer in case it’s gusty up top.

Located on Moraga Street in Golden Gate Heights, the 16th Avenue Tiled Step Project is a beautiful work of urban art. For two years, from 2003-2005, the steel steps were mosaicked with the pure intention of making them more beautiful; this is certainly the most photogenic staircase you are going to find in the city. Climb the 163 step stairway as it flows through themes, from an oceanic aesthetic to a night sky-inspired design.

District Six SF, formerly known as Soma StrEat Food Park, is a lifestyle space with outdoor gyms and a barbershop alongside food trucks and pop-ups serving global cuisine. Highlights include The Steamin Burger, where patties are stuffed with jalapeños and steamed so they are less greasy, as well as Moonraker, a seafood-loving outfit that serves outrageously tasty lobster rolls and coconut shrimp.

This 4mi (3km) hike is an absolute must whilst visiting San Francisco. It takes you along the craggy coastal path past Sutro Baths – keep your eyes peeled for the Mile Rock Lighthouse out to sea. At Lands End itself, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and East Bay, all from one incredible vantage point. Hikers, bikers, exercise groups and dog-walkers frequent this path, which begins right off the Great Highway at Point Lobos Avenue.

Most tourists flock to Alcatraz Island during daylight hours for good reason. Operating as a high-security federal prison between 1934 and 1963, it housed some of America’s most notorious criminals including Al Capone. Go at night, you say? Well, if you’re brave enough, you will get special treatment with tours and activities not offered during the day, plus the atmospheric impact of the dark night sky and moonlit cells.

Watching the Giants play at Oracle Park in South Beach, one of the most picturesque baseball parks in the country, offers sumptuous views over the Bay. Grab a famous crab sandwich, probably the best snack in baseball, before sinking into the carnival-like ambiance of the game. Tickets aren’t overly expensive if you’re not too picky about your seats, whilst the park itself is accessible by public transport.

Frequently cited as one of San Francisco’s best ‘hidden gems,’ the Nob Hill Audium is the only theater in existence that was designed for sound movement, incorporating every aspect of the building into the theater’s compositional and acoustical possibilities. Audium is a theater filled with 176 speakers to help acoustics wash over listeners, surrounding audiences with the best sound quality and the most immersive listening experience possible. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

Head over to the Marina to listen to the Wave Organ, an art installation overlooking the water designed by Peter Richards. This sculpture is set up to capture the movement of the waves, using the natural phenomenon to create music. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

Paxton Gate’s shelves are crowded with a mysterious selection of taxidermied animals, skulls and bones, strange plants, and other unusual home goods. Explore the shop to find something completely unique to gift to your quirkiest friends, or decorate your home like something out of the first season of True Detective. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

Legend has it that over 200 colorful, feral birds have set up camp among the urban streets of San Francisco. Originally found in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood, these parrots have sparked much curiosity among locals, even inspiring a book called The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

Next to Interstate 280 and beneath a looming overpass of BART tracks sits one of San Francisco’s best kept secrets: Cayuga Park. It may be isolated in the Outer Mission, one of the city’s most industrial neighborhoods, but this park’s unique aesthetic is well worth the trip over. Thanks to Demetrio Braceros, there are over 375 folk sculptures that now decorate every nook of the park. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

The Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers is a garden in Golden Gate Park filled with plants and flowers that are mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. The garden contains over 200 of these plants, accompanied by bronze plaques engraved with the quotations associated with the plants. Weddings are often held in this romantic setting, filled with serene greenery and colorful flowers. The garden features a cobblestone pathway lined with trees, leading to a sundial in the middle of the garden. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

Every day, San Franciscans walk by the city’s smallest art gallery without knowing it. Savernack Street, a gallery that can only be seen through a peephole, is hidden in plain sight on 24th Street in the Mission district. Stop by to spice up your day with a little local tourism. Recommended by Courtney Holcomb

This tour takes visitors to the real-life locations of Hollywood blockbusters. Destinations cover virtually the entire city, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Alamo Square and Haight-Ashbury. The best part is that a TV screen plays scenes filmed at whatever location you’re driving by – with commentary from the tour guide, a professional actor/comedian. San Francisco’s cinematic history includes classics such as Dirty Harry (1971), Mrs Doubtfire (1993) and Full House (1987-1995). Recommend by Clayton Mory Schuster

The California Academy of Sciences is one of the most entertaining (and family-friendly) venues in San Francisco. Visitors rave about spending time with Claude the albino alligator, as well as ambling around the world-class aquarium and gazing across the city from the rooftop garden. This tour, however, allows guests to see what’s going on behind closed doors, far away from the general public’s gaze, with the institution’s scientists on hand to answer any questions you may have about their work. After the tour, guests are given free rein to roam the Academy and take in everything the exhibits have to offer. Recommend by Clayton Mory Schuster

Venture through San Francisco’s weirdest house after-hours and go on an exploration via the senses. Wander through each room, which are all living works of art, and engage in conversations about a range of fascinating topics. Follow your experienced guide, who is also an impressive magician, and see where this night of curiosity takes you… Recommend by Clayton Mory Schuster

Listen to classic rock while rolling around the city in a far-out VW van painted with groovy iconography that celebrates San Francisco counterculture. The van is decked out with technicolor seats and a shag carpet. The stereo blasts anthems by Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead while the tour guide points out where these legends of rock’n’roll lived and honed their craft during the Summer of Love and beyond. Only six people fit in the bus, so the atmosphere is intimate and the interactions with the entertaining guide can be perfectly personalized. Recommend by Clayton Mory Schuster