More Free Things to Do in the Bay Area (If You’re Feeling the January Strain)

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A few free things to do in San Francisco this winter

Explore Fort Point

There’s no entrance fee required to tour this San Francisco national park structure that dates from 1853, most famous today as a filming location for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller Vertigo. The parking lot is free, too.

Fort Point, a signature landmark located beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, on April 16, 2025. (EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock via Getty Images)

Make the most of a museum free day 

Many local museums have regular monthly free days, for example, the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor both offer free admission for Bay Area residents every Saturday. You can also get free access to many museums with your EBT card or to certain local locations every first full weekend of the month with a Bank of America or Merrill bank card. For more, check out our full list of Bay Area museums’ free days.

Sketch in a gallery 

Speaking of the de Young Museum, you’ll find free art materials – and a stool – provided on certain Saturdays as part of their Sketching in the Galleries program.

Take a tour of the Coit Tower Murals 

Start your Saturday or Wednesday morning with an in-depth guided tour, courtesy of SF City Guides, to Coit Tower’s stunning murals honoring the working people of 1930s California. Learn more about the 26 contributing artists, Lillie Coit herself and the folks who’ve taken care of the art over the years (sign-up in advance is required).

Visit Golden Gate Park’s Bison Paddock 

Head to the western end of John F. Kennedy Drive and marvel at the majestic ladies of the Bison Paddock. (The herd has been all-female since the 1990s, after multiple escapes led by males.) A mainstay of Golden Gate Park since 1891, these San Francisco icons offer a glimpse into America’s wild history.

A bison at Golden Gate Park. (Erasmo Martinez/KQED)

Tour the Mission District’s free art galleries …

The Mission is peppered with fantastic independent small galleries that highlight the work of local artists and are free for all to visit. This very walkable list includes: The Drawing Room, City Art Cooperative Gallery, Rossi Mission SF, Incline Gallery, Voss Gallery, Artist’s Television Access, MRKT Gallery and Luna Rienne.

… and then go for a stroll through the Mission’s alley murals

For decades, muralists, graffiti artists and other community members have collectively covered the walls of many of the neighborhood’s alleyways — with different alleys developing specific themes. You can learn about the migration history of the Mission’s various diasporas at Balmy Alley (accessible on 24th Street between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street), get a walkthrough of the many social justice movements present in the Bay Area at Clarion Alley (accessible on Mission Street between 17th and 18th streets) and see how different generations of the city’s graffiti artists have covered large parts of both Lilac and Cypress Streets, along 24th Street.

Louie Gutierrez (foreground), director of Danza Azteca Coyolxauhqui, and other Aztec dancers commemorate the Day of the Virgin Guadalupe by dancing in front of murals depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe around the Mission District during Paseo Artistico on Dec. 9, 2017. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Watch the sunset from Bernal Hill 

Watch as the setting sun lights up each corner of San Francisco from above at Bernal Hill, with vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Bruno Mountain and across the bay on clear days. The park is free, small and easy to navigate, but never feels overly crowded with visitors, plus it’s dog-friendly.

Take a free dance class 

San Francisco’s UN Plaza hosts free dance classes soundtracked to all different types of genres, from salsa to K-pop, but be aware that RSVPs are usually required. ODC in the Mission District also has free dance classes, taught through Zoom.

Visit the San Francisco Cable Car Museum 

See historic cable cars and learn how they operate at this small-but-worth-a-visit free museum on Nob Hill’s Mason Street. After your visit, you can stroll into neighboring Chinatown.

Go to Musee Mecanique

This pick counts as almost-free, since the Musee’s array of old-timey arcade games, attractions and photo booths admittedly require varying levels of quarters (available from the change machines) — but entry is no-cost, and even just wandering this sprawling Fisherman’s Wharf warehouse is a vibe.

A few free things to do in the East Bay this winter

When the costs of a gym membership or class feel prohibitive, it’s good to remember that the Bay Area is blessed with many steep trails that offer a semi-punishing workout with a glorious view at the end as your reward. The Stonewall-Panoramic Trail in Berkeley’s Claremont Canyon is, rightly, a classic example.

The Golden Gate, as seen from Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. (David M. Barreda/KQED)

Explore Mountain View Cemetery

Not only is this historic Oakland cemetery full of picturesque views and elaborate crypts, it offers the chance to pay your respects to a plethora of Bay Area legends, including Black Panther Bobby Hutton, poet Ina Coolbrith, architect Julia Morgan, rapper Mac Dre and actor Angus Cloud. It’s also the final resting place of Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia.

Pay a visit to Rosie the Riveter 

This museum on the Richmond waterfront — the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, to acknowledge its full name — explores the lives of local people on the WWII home front, and has no entry fee.

A few free things to do in the South Bay and the Peninsula this winter

Winter is one of the best times to get into birdwatching, and Palo Alto’s Baylands Nature Preserve boasts hundreds of bird species that call its nearly 2,000 acres of marshland home. The preserve is entirely free to enter.

Sixth graders from Jane Lathrop Middle School in Palo Alto line the banks of San Francisquito Creek to help plant 500 native wetland seedlings as part of a “Save The Bay” restoration project at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve. (Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Bring a picnic to the Pulgas Water Temple 

Don’t want to spring for a visit to Filoli? The Pulgas Water Temple is a small slice of garden heaven that’s completely free, with a serene tree-lined pool and Instagram-worthy Corinthian design that pays tribute to the extensive network that brings fresh mountain water all the way from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Bay Area. Monday through Friday, the parking lot is open and free to enter — but on weekends, you’ll have to walk or bike around half a mile to the grounds via Cañada Road from Highway 92 or Edgewood Road.

A few free things to do in the North Bay this winter

… or anywhere you feel like dropping a cheap neodymium magnet attached to a long rope (note: check for any local prohibitions in that area first) and seeing what ancient metal objects you can pull out of the water. It’s that simple — but sure, you can read a long explainer if you’d like.