San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, known as SFMOMA, stands at 151 3rd St in the SoMa district of San Francisco, California, and is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States. The building combines a 1995 brick structure with a large expansion that opened in 2016, and the light-filled atrium, staircases and bridges are part of the visit. The collection includes painting, sculpture, photography, design, architecture and media arts, with works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Alexander Calder. Several floors of galleries rotate selections from the permanent collection and host temporary exhibitions, and free-to-enter public spaces on the ground floor display large-scale works. Outdoor sculpture terraces on upper levels offer a break and views over the surrounding neighborhood. A visit usually takes two to three hours; art enthusiasts often need longer to cover all floors. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with Thursday hours of 12:00 to 8:00 PM, and is closed on Wednesday. Admission is $30 (USD) for adults, $25 (USD) for seniors 65 and over and $23 (USD) for students with ID, and visitors aged 18 and younger enter free. Weekday mornings are generally the quietest, while weekends and the late afternoon bring larger crowds; Thursday evening hours can be a pleasant, less rushed time to see the galleries. The museum sits near Yerba Buena Gardens and the Museum of the African Diaspora, so many visitors combine stops in one day. BART and Muni Metro riders can get off at Montgomery St station for about a seven-minute walk, or use Powell St station.