de Young Museum

The de Young Museum, at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in Golden Gate Park, is one of the two Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, together with the Legion of Honor. The museum's copper-clad building, designed by Herzog and de Meuron and opened in 2005, is as much a draw as the collection. Its perforated and textured facade is meant to evoke light filtering through the park's trees, and it gradually oxidizes toward a green patina that blends with the surroundings in California's largest city park.

The permanent collection focuses on American art from the 17th century to the present, with paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, as well as contemporary works and a significant textile collection. The museum also has strong holdings of art from Africa, Oceania and the ancient Americas, including Teotihuacan murals, and presents special exhibitions that often carry a higher admission price. The sculpture garden and outdoor courtyard offer places to rest between galleries, and the museum cafe overlooks the garden.

The best-known free feature is the Hamon Observation Tower on the ninth floor. A free elevator climbs about 144 feet to a glass-walled room with 360-degree views over Golden Gate Park, the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific, and a clear late afternoon is considered the best time to go. The tower is free to enter even for visitors who do not buy museum tickets, though lines can form on busy days.

A typical visit to the galleries takes two to three hours. The museum is closed on Mondays and is open Tuesday through Sunday. It is free on the first Tuesday of the month, which brings much larger crowds, and same-day entry to the Legion of Honor is included with general admission. Weekday mornings are quietest, while weekend afternoons and special exhibition opening weeks are busiest.