San Francisco's most visited museums offer FREE admission on the first Tuesday of every month. Take advantage of Free Museum Tuesdays at:

Conservatory of Flowers
Located in Golden Gate Park, the Conservatory of Flowers boasts almost 2,000 plant species in five immersive galleries. From tropical flowers to giant water lilies, the conservatory is a lush and diverse living museum for all ages.

de Young Museum
Founded in 1895 in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the de Young boasts a state-of-the-art new facility that integrates art, architecture, and the natural landscape in one multi-faceted destination. The museum showcases collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, and art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific. Admission fees to special exhibits still apply.

Museum of Craft and Folk Art
As the only folk art museum in Northern California, the museum is known for a rich offering of focused and unique exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art and craft from around the world, demonstrating how folk art, contemporary craft, and fine art are all part of the same continuum.

Palace of the Legion of Honor
Built to commemorate Californian soldiers who died in World War I, the Legion of Honor is a beautiful Beaux-arts building located in San Francisco's Lincoln Park. Displaying an impressive collection of 4,000 years worth of ancient and European art in an unforgettable setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, the Legion is also home to an early cast of Rodin's famous "Thinker" sculpture. Admission fees to special exhibits still apply.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Located in downtown San Francisco, SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art. Opened in 1935 to "explore compelling expressions of visual culture," the permanent collection comprises more than 25,000 works of modern and contemporary art, including photography, painting, sculpture, media arts, architecture, and design. Admission fees to special exhibits still apply.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
YBCA presents contemporary art from the Bay Area and around the world that reflects the profound issues and ideas of our time, expands the boundaries of artistic practice, and celebrates the diversity of human experience and expression.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco offers free admission to all visitors on the first Sunday of every month.

One of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art, the Asian Art Museum collection spans 6,000 years of history and includes 17,000 objects, from tiny jades to monumental sculptures, paintings, porcelains and ceramics, lacquers, textiles, furniture, arms and armor, puppets, and basketry.

Every third Wednesday of the month, the newly reopened California Academy of Sciences offers free admission to all guests.

Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, this groundbreaking institution has been a city landmark for more than 150 years, and is the only facility in the world to combine a museum, aquarium, planetarium, and world-class research and education programs under one roof.

This unique combination allows visitors to explore everything from the depths of a Philippine coral reef to the canopy of a Costa Rican rainforest to the outer reaches of the universe -- all within a single visit.

The new facility -- which employs sustainable materials and energy-saving technologies -- unifies the Academy's original array of 12 buildings into a single, modern monument to eco-conscious architecture. Crowning the building is the Living Roof, a 2.5-acre expanse of native California plants and wildflowers, which creates a sense of transparency and connectedness between the building and the surrounding park.

Take advantage of Free Admission Hours every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crocker Art Museum. 

Established in 1885, the Crocker Art Museum is one of Northern California's largest and best museums of regional artists. The collection spans from the 10th century to contemporary periods and includes a stunning collection of European master drawings and a notable selection of contemporary California art. Museum programs include touring exhibitions, educational programs, public tours, and concerts.

Join your guide Henry for an extensive walk through the streets (and over the hills) of San Francisco.

Enjoy the sights of the city as you wander through neighborhoods such as Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Chinatown, North Beach, and Telegraph Hill. See Lombard Street, Coit Tower, and some of the oldest homes and hidden gardens in the city.

To join in, please sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. This outing is held weekly, and is organized by Hostelling International -- everyone staying at one of our three San Francisco hostels is welcome!

The only children's museum in the U.S. to be located in a national park, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor children's museum nestled at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The first Wednesday of the month, admission is free to the museum. Bring the family down to explore the 7.5-acre, indoor-outdoor environment that harmonizes nature and nurture.

Check out permanent exhibits such as "Lookout Cove," which includes a shipwreck with clues to dig up and discover, native animal homes to build, tidal pools, and more; and the "San Francisco Bay Hall," a playful simulation of the Bay Area with an "underwater" tunnel, 300-gallon sea star tank, a fishing boat, a model of Fisherman's Wharf, and a play shipping port.

Hunted to the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century, the northern elephant seal has made a strong comeback in the past 100 years, thanks in part to both government restrictions on hunting and their own secluded, deep-sea lifestyle.

For just a few months each year, these unique creatures come ashore, returning to various spots along the California coast to compete, mate, and give birth. It’s a powerful ecological pageant that only plays out from mid-December through March/April.

Ano Nuevo State Reserve boasts the largest mainland breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal, and offers guided walks -- rain or shine -- to see the animals.

The only way to access the seals during the breeding season, these popular three-mile walks over rolling sand dunes last about 2.5 hours and are considered moderately strenuous. Visitors should prepare for an outdoor hiking adventure that may include high winds, heavy rains, and cold temperatures. Food and beverages are not sold at the reserve, but picnic tables are available for use before or after guided walks. Special access tours for guests with disabilities are available.

This walk is extremely popular, and visitors often have to book their tickets months in advance to secure a spot on a tour. However, a limited number of tickets are held exclusively for guests of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel in nearby Pescadero. These tickets are available for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Ask how you can reserve tickets to this sought-after tour when you book your hostel stay. Please note that groups of 10 or more can’t reserve tickets through the hostel and must reserve their tickets online through the State Park.

Meet your guide David at the San Francisco Downtown Hostel for a free historical tour of downtown San Francisco.

Learn about Union Square, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and other downtown landmarks. Don't forget your camera!

To join in, please sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. This outing is held weekly, and is organized by Hostelling International -- everyone staying at one of our three San Francisco hostels is welcome!

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in historic Old Sacramento is an all-ages celebration of Irish culture that's been going 14 years strong.

The parade starts at 1 p.m. and features 500 costumed marchers, Gold Rush historic re-enactors, school bands, floats, military regiments, police and fire representatives, and other cultural organizations.

Before and after the parade, the streets come alive with Irish-themed music, Celtic dancers, and the Ophir Prison Marching and Kazoo Band. During the evening, many Old Sacramento restaurants feature Irish specialities.