Self-Guided Tour of Golden Gate Park

Use the map to locate some of Golden Gate Park's most famous spots. Start your tour on Great Highway, just south of the Cliff House.

• Beach Chalet: Facing Ocean Beach on Great Highway, this is a good place to "go," or to stop for a bite to eat in the upstairs microbrewery and restaurant, which has a nice view of the beach. The Golden Gate Park visitor center is downstairs.

• Windmills: Turn right east (away from the ocean) onto John F. Kennedy Drive to see one of the two honest-to-goodness Dutch windmills stand near the west end of Golden Gate Park. In spring, bright red tulips bloom at its base.

• Buffalo Paddock: Continuing east, you'll come to the home of Golden Gate Park's small herd of American bison.

• Spreckels Lake is a fun weekend stop, when radio-controlled boat owners take their small-scale craft out for a spin.

• Continue east across Park Presidio Drive.

• Conservatory of Flowers: The white, jewel-box-looking conservatory boasts a tropical area, a water lily garden and a rotating collection of potted plants. Admission charge.

• AIDS Memorial Grove: You can walk from the Conservatory to the grove, created as a place to honor the memory of all who have shared in the struggle against AIDS, and a quiet place to walk and reflect, or follow the signs to drive there.

• Cross the park going south to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and turn right. Park along the road or in the paid lots to explore the park's museums.

• California Academy of Science: Its new building is under construction, and the academy is located at 875 Howard Street until 2008.

• DeYoung Museum: San Francisco's main art museum occupies a building that locals either love or hate. Admission charge.

• Japanese Tea Garden: A rustic-style Japanese garden built to complement its surroundings, this is a good place for a quiet stroll and a cup of tea. Admission charge.

• Strybing Arboretum: San Francisco's botanical gardens cover 55 acres and are home to over 7000 varieties of plants. Free admission, guided walks are given daily.

• Follow Martin Luther King Drive west and follow the signs to Stow Lake. The road will take you in a loop drive around it.

• Shakespeare Garden: William Shakespeare's works and characters inspire this small garden.

• Stow Lake: The largest Golden Gate Park lake is popular with fly fishermen and amateur boaters. Rent paddleboats and rowboats on the northwest side.

Continue west and you will reach Great Highway. Stop at Cliff House or Beach Chalet for refreshment. Both are good places to watch the sunset.