San Francisco Guide to Sightseeing
Name: Palace of Fine Arts
Address: 3301 Lyon St. , 94123 (map it)

There are few landmarks in San Francisco that are as visually appealing as they are culturally fulfilling. The Palace of Fine Arts is one of those select few San Francisco sites, and while the roman and Greek architecture stand out in the San Francisco skyline, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many tourists visiting this landmark. Coupled with a theater and museum both located adjacent to the Palace, a simple visit to this historic site can turn into a fun-filled day or night for all ages.

Originally constructed for the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts was to showcase the creativity of architect Bernard Maybeck, who drew from Roman and Greek architecture to build the Palace. The end product dazzled the public so much that the building stayed erect—one of only two buildings that were built for the 1915 exposition that stayed up (the Japanese Tea House being the other one). To this day it is still one of San Francisco’s most picturesque buildings, situated right next to a lagoon that reflects the building’s architecture.

The Palace of Fine Arts also serves as home to two other buildings, the Exploratorium and the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. The Exploratorium, which is one of the City’s most popular museums, draws over 500,000 people each year and offers fun-filled exhibits for children and parents alike. Meanwhile, the Palace Theatre has been the site for many concerts for both world-famous and local artists, including Tori Amos, Celine Dion, and Robin Williams. The Late Show with David Letterman even did a taping of their show at the Palace Theatre. On the surface, the Palace of Fine Arts is simply a wonderful work of architecture. But if you look a little deeper you will realize that within the walls of the Palace and the surrounding buildings lies fun, learning, and San Francisco culture no other SF landmark can give.