San Francisco Zoo
The birthplace of Koko the gorilla sits at the edge of San Francisco — 100 acres between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean.
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Over 250 species on 100 acres at the city's western fringe, ranked 6th best zoo in the US in April 2025. The 1930s ha-haed grottos — Monkey Island, Lion House, bear enclosures — were among the first bar-less exhibits in the country. The site also served as home to Elly, North America's oldest black rhinoceros, for more than four decades.
What to look for
- The 1930s bar-less grottos (Monkey Island, Lion House, bear enclosures) — pioneering enclosure design built for $3.5 million
- A circa 1921 Michael Dentzel/Marcus Illions carousel, original to the site
- The black rhino area, where Elly lived as North America's oldest black rhino from 1974 to 2016
Take the Muni Metro L Taraval; the main entrance on Sloat Boulevard is one block south of the stop, on the ocean side.
San Francisco Zoo is one of 31 sights worth the detour in San Francisco, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the San Francisco pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in San Francisco
- Golden Gate BridgeOpened May 27, 1937 as simultaneously the world's longest and tallest suspension bridge — you can walk the 4,200-foot main span yourself.
- Alcatraz IslandFor 29 years, cold Bay tidal currents did what bars alone could not — make escape nearly impossible.
- Transamerica PyramidAn 853-foot pyramid that ruled San Francisco's skyline for 45 years — still on the Transamerica logo even though the company quietly moved its HQ to Baltimore.
- Golden Gate ParkSan Francisco turned three miles of bare shifting sand dunes into the country's third-busiest urban park — starting from scratch in 1870.
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)The West Coast's first museum devoted solely to 20th-century art, now stretched across 170,000 square feet after a 2016 expansion that nearly sextupled public space.
- Alcatraz Federal PenitentiaryA 9-by-5-foot cell surrounded by cold bay currents — the federal government once staked its reputation on the claim that no one could leave.