6 Things To Do for Free in San Francisco, CA

When visiting big cities like San Francisco, most tourists already assume they will spend a good amount of money on hotels, food, and famous attractions.

They make a list of places to see and things to do based on their budget, often forgetting that every city has several entertaining activities they can do, spending a little to no money while still having a great and fun holiday.

1. Cable Car Museum

The Cable Car Museum, located at 1201 Mason Street in the Nob Hill neighborhood, offers a great deal of education and excitement for the entire family.

It was established in 1974 and run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum as a nonprofit with educational purposes.

The museum holds several old cable cars, including a Sutter Street Railway and Clay Street Hill Railroad, the only remaining example from the first cable car company.

The museum is just part of the complex that also hosts the cable car powerhouse and the car depot, which is not open to the public.

2. Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the first famous symbol of the city everyone has in mind when hearing about San Francisco.

The bridge gives the city a unique landmark that makes it easily recognizable worldwide.

The best way to learn about the bridge's history is to take a guided walking tour with someone able to provide valuable background information about the bridge and ensure that visitors don't get lost along the way. Many walking tours are usually free, but a tip to the guide is always very appreciated.

3. Fort Point National Historic Site

Fort Point is a masonry seacoast fortification situated on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the gateway to San Francisco Bay.

The fort was completed by the United States Army just before the American Civil War to defend San Francisco Bay against enemies' warships.

By the end of the Civil War, the massive cannons were obsolete, and the last one of the 126 placed initially at the fort was removed around 1900. During the 1930s, the fort was used as a headquarters for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This fort has played a vital role in San Francisco's history; today, it is a popular tourist viewing point of the Golden Gate Bridge. A historic location definitely worth a visit, especially considering that it's free!

4. San Francisco Fire Department Museum

The San Francisco Fire Department Museum is located at 655 Presidio Avenue, provides excellent historical references and artifacts, and works as an educational center for teaching fire safety.

Since volunteers staff the museum, it is better to call before visiting and see if someone is available to open it.

Among the antique firefighting equipment collected, there are various restored hand engine pumps from the early 1800s, a collection of hose carts, buggies, and horse-pulled fire engines, fire trucks from the 1920s through the 1950s and 60s.

5. Stern Grove Festival

The Stern Grove Festival started in 1938, remains today a free event for locals and tourists to enjoy concerts and educational programs.

The festival takes place in Sigmund Stern Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a 33-acre site about two miles south of Golden Gate Park. On Sunday afternoons from July to August, there are free concerts to educate the masses and likely inspire future musicians.

The festival attracts many people, so make sure to arrive early and get a nice spot before the show begins.

6. Wells Fargo History Museum

Located at 420 Montgomery Street, the site where Wells Fargo first opened for business in 1852, the Wells Fargo History Museum not only tells the history of the company as it pertains to San Francisco, but it also tells of nearly two centuries of history from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley nowadays.

Visitors can admire hundreds of genuine relics the company collected since the Gold Rush days, Authentic Concord Stagecoach used by Wells Fargo in the 1860s, pistols, photographs, mining equipment. They can also send a telegram to another Wells Fargo museum, admire artworks by famous Western artists, see real gold from California and play with many other interacting activities.

Visitors can also learn how Wells Fargo and the city of San Francisco city managed to recover after the great earthquake of 1906 and the company's role in the recovery process.