By Misty Murray
One of the world's most photographed and certainly most picturesque cities,
San Francisco offers premier activities that do not have to cost visitors a fortune. Take free walking tours led by locals, try some world-famous Ghirardelli chocolate or take in a free Shakespeare play. Whether you visit in winter or summer, San Francisco remains one of the epicenters of West Coast culture, art and history.
City Guides
San Francisco City Guides is a volunteer organization comprised of more than 200 active guides who love the city and take pride in showing it to visitors via free walking tours. Choose from tours that will enlighten you on city topics that include Gold Coast Architecture, Art Deco Marina, 1906: Presidio and the Earthquake, Golden Gate Bridge, Stories From a Silent City: A Cemetery History Walk, Japantown, Urban Renewal and Fillmore Jazz, Haight-Ashbury and Landmark Victorians of Alamo Square, just to name a few. Tours are free but donations are encouraged.
www.sfcityguides.org
Ghirardelli Square
Stop by the former Ghirardelli's factory and store and renew your love affair with some of the world's best chocolate. Peruse the antique chocolate-making equipment while indulging in mouth-watering chocolate samples. Ghirardelli Square is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Francisco FREE Civic Theatre
This San Francisco theatre company is committed to producing performances available without charge. Most productions take place in the Randall Museum Theatre, with the season running from September to May. Past productions have included "All's Well That Ends Well," "In Search of Justice" and "The Skin of Our Teeth."
www.sffct.org
About the Author:
Misty Murray has been writing professionally since 1987. An award-winning, senior advertising copywriter, she's written for major clients in Southern California and Hawaii. As lead writer for a popular Big Island home magazine, she specializes in Hawaii homes and interior design. She has also written for national magazines. Murray holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.
