Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 335 Martin Luther King Drive, between Nancy Pelosi Drive and Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
Starting Point: The entry gate marked “Shakespeare Garden” is midway along a path connecting between the California Academy of Sciences Café and the path on Martin Luther King Drive centered between Nancy Pelosi Drive and Music Concourse Dr.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Shakespeare Garden info link (San Francisco Recreation and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/913/Golden-Gate-Park---Shakespeare-Garden
Also suggested:
Shakespeare Garden info link (Atlas Obscura):
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shakespeare-garden
Golden Gate Park info link (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/770/Golden-Gate-Park
Golden Gate Park Points of Interest (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1116/Golden-Gate-Park-Points-of-Interest
Golden Gate Park by car (scroll down for maps) (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1619/Public-Transportation-to-Golden-Gate-Par
Golden Gate Park public transportation (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1618/Getting-to-Golden-Gate-Park-by-Car
Golden Gate Park free shuttle (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1617/Golden-Gate-Park-Free-Shuttle
Golden Gate Park visitors map (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/DocumentCenter/View/7301/Golden-Gate-Park-Visitors-Map
Distance:
The Shakespeare Garden itself covers a limited space, nice for an easy stroll, but those wishing for a longer walk have miles of options available within Golden Gate Park. (Find other options under the San Francisco section of Hike Search by Area or see the list below.)
Considerations:
• Toilet facilities are available behind the bandstand in the music concourse.
• Some roads are closed to traffic in Golden Gate Park. See the Golden Gate Park by car link above for updates on road restrictions and parking.
• See the public transportation and free park shuttle links above for transportation options.
• Heed health and safety as well as wildlife (e.g. coyote) information signs.
The trail:
Our recent visit to the Shakespeare Garden was after first stopping at the Conservatory of Flowers and stopping for photos at the Rhododendron Dell. We found ourselves walking along a lovely path that connected from the Rhododendron Dell to the California Academy of Sciences. We turned on another side trail leading to the Shakespeare Garden once past the Academy of Sciences toward the Bandstand along the Music Concourse. The Shakespeare Garden can also be reached via trails from Nancy Pelosi Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The shady path from the Music Concourse area made for a pleasant walk, and we saw the distinctive iron gate ahead of us welcoming visitors to the Shakespeare Garden. The flower gardens—planted with flowers that appear in the works of Shakespeare—weren’t in their full glory during our visit, but the crabapple trees, which we mistook for cherry trees due to their lovely pink petals, were in bloom.
People sat on blankets having picnics, squirrels scooted across the grass, and children played. The garden itself is a fairly small space so doesn’t make for a walk in and of itself, but is a pleasant place to visit as part of longer walks in Golden Gate Park. The metal plaque near the bronze bust of Shakespeare says it was cast in 1814 from a stone bust of Shakespeare created shortly after his death. Also look for the sundial in the center of the circular paved area.
There are miles of trails and roads to walk in Golden Gate Park, and visitors can just pick a direction and go, checking a map for guidance. For suggestions on specific walks in the eastern half of Golden Gate Park, see the HikingAutism links Conservatory of Flowers, Lily Pond, AIDS Memorial Grove, Oak Woodlands Trail, Fuchsia Dell, Rose Garden, Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake Pagoda, Stow Lake Outer Loop, Botanical Garden, and Rhododendron Dell-Golden Gate Park Stroll.
A stop at the Shakespeare Garden could be combined with nearby stops such as the Japanese Tea Garden, the Botanical Garden, the de Young Museum, or the California Academy of Sciences. Stop by and see what’s blooming!
Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Someone to Walk With” Insights post.
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 335 Martin Luther King Drive, between Nancy Pelosi Drive and Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
Starting Point: The entry gate marked “Shakespeare Garden” is midway along a path connecting between the California Academy of Sciences Café and the path on Martin Luther King Drive centered between Nancy Pelosi Drive and Music Concourse Dr.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Shakespeare Garden info link (San Francisco Recreation and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/913/Golden-Gate-Park---Shakespeare-Garden
Also suggested:
Shakespeare Garden info link (Atlas Obscura):
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shakespeare-garden
Golden Gate Park info link (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/770/Golden-Gate-Park
Golden Gate Park Points of Interest (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1116/Golden-Gate-Park-Points-of-Interest
Golden Gate Park by car (scroll down for maps) (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1619/Public-Transportation-to-Golden-Gate-Par
Golden Gate Park public transportation (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1618/Getting-to-Golden-Gate-Park-by-Car
Golden Gate Park free shuttle (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/1617/Golden-Gate-Park-Free-Shuttle
Golden Gate Park visitors map (SF Rec and Parks):
https://sfrecpark.org/DocumentCenter/View/7301/Golden-Gate-Park-Visitors-Map
Distance:
The Shakespeare Garden itself covers a limited space, nice for an easy stroll, but those wishing for a longer walk have miles of options available within Golden Gate Park. (Find other options under the San Francisco section of Hike Search by Area or see the list below.)
Considerations:
• Toilet facilities are available behind the bandstand in the music concourse.
• Some roads are closed to traffic in Golden Gate Park. See the Golden Gate Park by car link above for updates on road restrictions and parking.
• See the public transportation and free park shuttle links above for transportation options.
• Heed health and safety as well as wildlife (e.g. coyote) information signs.
The trail:
Our recent visit to the Shakespeare Garden was after first stopping at the Conservatory of Flowers and stopping for photos at the Rhododendron Dell. We found ourselves walking along a lovely path that connected from the Rhododendron Dell to the California Academy of Sciences. We turned on another side trail leading to the Shakespeare Garden once past the Academy of Sciences toward the Bandstand along the Music Concourse. The Shakespeare Garden can also be reached via trails from Nancy Pelosi Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The shady path from the Music Concourse area made for a pleasant walk, and we saw the distinctive iron gate ahead of us welcoming visitors to the Shakespeare Garden. The flower gardens—planted with flowers that appear in the works of Shakespeare—weren’t in their full glory during our visit, but the crabapple trees, which we mistook for cherry trees due to their lovely pink petals, were in bloom.
People sat on blankets having picnics, squirrels scooted across the grass, and children played. The garden itself is a fairly small space so doesn’t make for a walk in and of itself, but is a pleasant place to visit as part of longer walks in Golden Gate Park. The metal plaque near the bronze bust of Shakespeare says it was cast in 1814 from a stone bust of Shakespeare created shortly after his death. Also look for the sundial in the center of the circular paved area.
There are miles of trails and roads to walk in Golden Gate Park, and visitors can just pick a direction and go, checking a map for guidance. For suggestions on specific walks in the eastern half of Golden Gate Park, see the HikingAutism links Conservatory of Flowers, Lily Pond, AIDS Memorial Grove, Oak Woodlands Trail, Fuchsia Dell, Rose Garden, Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake Pagoda, Stow Lake Outer Loop, Botanical Garden, and Rhododendron Dell-Golden Gate Park Stroll.
A stop at the Shakespeare Garden could be combined with nearby stops such as the Japanese Tea Garden, the Botanical Garden, the de Young Museum, or the California Academy of Sciences. Stop by and see what’s blooming!
Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Someone to Walk With” Insights post.
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
