San Francisco Locals Think This Scenic Venue Is Worth Visiting, Even Without Seeing A Show

There's always some event on the schedule at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, as the multi-purpose venue hosts an array of high-profile concerts, comedy shows, book tours, and ballet performances. The image most readily identified with the Palace of Fine Arts, however, is probably that of its majestic, Greco-Roman-style rotunda and lagoon, which are part of a public park outside the performing arts theater. Colonnades curve around the lagoon, separating the park from the theater — itself housed inside an exhibition center that's open to weddings, trade shows, corporate events, and art installations. Still, unless your San Francisco trip happens to coincide with one of these scheduled events, you might be left wondering whether the park alone justifies a visit.

The answer is a resounding yes, according to locals. In a thread on the Ask San Francisco subreddit (r/AskSF), a traveler in town for two days put it to Bay Area residents as an open question: "Is Palace of Fine Arts worth visiting even if I'm not going to a concert or show there?" The response was overwhelmingly positive, with one Redditor chiming in, "25-year local here. It is absolutely worth it, especially at night." Another called the Palace of Fine Arts "a wildly unique section of architecture" in the City by the Bay.

Fish around on Tripadvisor, and you'll see similar reviews going years back, with another resident saying, "This is one of my favorite places to take folks who are visiting from out of town." So, what exactly is it — aside from the picturesque backdrop, seen in movies like "Vertigo" and "The Rock" — that makes the Palace of Fine Arts such a popular destination? The answer to that may have something to do with its place in local history, beginning with its origin as a world's fair site.

The Palace of Fine Arts is the only major structure left standing from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Celebrating the Panama Canal's completion (and with it, a new shortcut for ships inbound from New York), this was also the first world's fair to exhibit a transcontinental phone call. San Francisco had spent nine years rebuilding after the deadliest earthquake in U.S. history, which set off devastating fires across the city and claimed over 3,000 lives. The Exposition doubled as a chance for the city to showcase its recovery, though architect Bernard Maybeck actually designed the Palace of Fine Arts with an ancient ruin in mind.

In line with Maybeck's inspiration, the original Palace — built with plaster over a wooden frame — eventually fell into a state of crumbling disrepair. Yet it remained a permanent fixture of San Francisco's Marina District long after the Exposition had ended and other temporary structures had been demolished. From 1964 to 1974, the Palace was fully rebuilt using concrete, and in 2005, it joined the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, it has served as everything from a telephone book distribution center to the home of the popular science museum, the Exploratorium (now located at Pier 15).

Today, you can stroll around the lagoon at the Palace of Fine Arts or just sit down on a park bench and admire the stunning view. As one local put it on Reddit, "It's a beautiful and grand part of the city's history. The event venue aspect of the Palace is kind of the least interesting reason to go there." Muni bus 28 will also take you straight from the Palace's stop (at Richardson Avenue and Francisco Street) to the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot.

In their Reddit responses, some locals suggested combining the Palace of Fine Arts with other nearby attractions, such as Crissy Field, where you can enjoy a view of the Golden Gate Bridge while picnicking. One commenter recommended renting a bike and cycling across the bridge, which you could do through shops like Sports Basement in the neighboring Presidio park. Alternatively, you could walk along the water from Crissy Field to Fort Point National Historic Site, another San Francisco location featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo."

Fort Point will put you right under the Golden Gate Bridge, and when it's not busy hosting Civil War reenactments, it has free exhibits where you'll learn about its history guarding San Francisco Bay. On the other side of the bridge, you can hit up the scenic Golden Gate Overlook before hiking the Batteries to Bluffs Trail down to Marshall's Beach. This tucked away beach boasts incredible Golden Gate Bridge views, but don't be surprised if you see some stray nudists, too.

For something a bit more kid-friendly, check out the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. "Star Wars" fans might also want to make a pilgrimage to Lucasfilm, which is only a half-mile walk from the Palace of Fine Arts. While you can't tour the company's headquarters, you can admire the lobby memorabilia and see a fountain topped with a bronze Yoda statue outside. Given its proximity, the Palace of Fine Arts is thought to have inspired some of the planet Naboo's architecture in the "Star Wars" prequels, especially the funeral setting in "Revenge of the Sith." Hop on US-101, going north over the Golden Gate Bridge, and the massive "Star Wars" museum, Rancho Obi-Wan, is doable as a day trip from San Francisco.