Crissy Field Center

This is one of the perfect place to exercise, take a stroll, hang out with ur friends, have picnic and BBQ too. And you have the super awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The BBQ pits here are limited though so you will need to come early to reserve your place. It gets chilly too so need to have warm clothes.

Bbq with a view. That’s what I love about Crissy Field. If you want a gorgeous backdrop while cooking up a meal, Crissy Field is the place to be.
View of bay:
View of Golden gate bridge:
View of city:
The bbq tables and grills fill up fast, so make sure to get there early to grab a spot. Parking can fill up fast as well.
One of my favorite places to have a bbq.

As a tourist for the day to San Francisco, one of the more obvious objectives was to see the Golden Gate Bridge, and Crissy Field Center fit the viewing bill.
The area provides a great outlook of the bridge, along with a very nice park/​walkway along the water. Also, unlike the actual visitors center for the Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field offers ample parking, and was only a quick drive away.
Beyond being a great vantage point, the area was a perfect for people and dog watching. It was a nice sweater weather day, and it seemed like everyone was out walking and playing with their four legged friends. Being a dog person, I loved it, and from the cleanliness of the park it seems everyone is super diligent about picking up puppy mess.
I highly recommend a visit if you want a relaxed area to snap some pictures of the bridge and like places that are not necessarily tourist hot spots.

I think this is the best spot for a picnic and total picturesque view. We love to take the whole family here when we visit SF. Lots of room to run around a play. The only problem is it is impossible to park on weekends.

From the point of view of a tourist, this place is so great. It has a beautiful view of the golden gate but it feels a bit removed from the super touristy parts of SF.
We walked along the beach for about a mile and it was amazing. There’s kids, dogs, people having barbecues – it’s such a relaxed atmosphere but it’s still extremely close to all the big spots you may want to hit (Ghirardelli, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard, etc.).
It was so easy to find (free) parking and they have free public bathrooms – nothing special, but they’re clean and it’s nice since it can be a pain finding free-​use bathrooms in the city.
Overall, a great place for a tourist or a local. Either way you’ll enjoy the view :)

I am constantly impressed by the continued metamorphosis taking place inside the former Army based known as the Presidio. The most recent reason is housed at the Crissy Field Center. The hub of Golden Gate National Park Conservancy’s environmental programs, I took my kids here for the Earth Day Stroll. My daughter had a fantastic time learning how to use archeology to determine what early settlers ate, what not to put in a storm drain, how to mush corn and make tortillas — and the highlight, hold a brightly colored small snake. Park Service staff running the event held onto their enthusiasm as they stood out in the wind to deliver environmental lesson to attendees following maps through the stroll of activities.
The center itself is very nice, housing a kids program called Tiny Treks, a gift shop and a café serving organic food. The café didn’t particularly impress me. I waited in line for 20 minutes to purchase what I think was rather overpriced food. All-​in-​all it was a terrific outing though. I do hope the good work keeps up at the Presidio. I really appreciate the effort I saw at the Crissy Field Center.
Check ‘em out at:

On a weekday, during the weekend, on your average day and holidays, the Crissy Field Center is the place to be! Most Bay Area-​goers know that the Crissy Field Marsh is a wonderful place to go for a peaceful stroll, whether it’s with your significant other or with your favorite companion named Fido (or some other generic furry pal name). After that walk under the sun, it’s most likely you’re going to want to find a nice place to sit and relax, maybe grab a light snack. And the place to do that is at CFC.
With convenient fountains right outside the building, you can drop by for a few or walk in and explore the historical building that has been transformed into an awesome community center. The center is always teeming with energy; from the warm greetings you get from the staff to other visitors eager to learn more about their city and the environment.
There are handfuls of interactive activities located all around the center for parents and kids to try out (for free!) including an awesome map of the marsh that lights up in certain areas when you push different buttons (and it never gets old, trust me). All of the little activities that –will– amuse you will also teach you important facts and issues about the environment that your average every-​day person wouldn’t know about. It’s a win-​win situation, really.
Aside from all the little knick-​knacks, there is also an organic caf with a selection of food more on the healthy side. Though a little bit pricey, the food is pretty tasty and the proceeds go towards the center’s programs and events. (A little tip is that you can get a small discount on drinks if you bring in your own coffee mug/​cup! Save money –and– the environment!).
Youth programs, senior programs, art programs, computer programs, cooking programs, almost any type of program you can think is offered at the CFC (for a nominal fee for the type of stuff they teach you). In addition to that, there are community events held year-​round at the center, even on holidays that most of the time are free events.
There is so much more to the Crissy Field Center that it’d be impossible to put it all down on paper (pixels rather?). So go on and experience it for yourself. It’s awesome; you’ll save money, learn a few things and go home feeling good at the end of the day.

The architecture, exhibits, etc., are like the childrens’ science museum from your father’s generation, if your father grew up in a medium sized town in the great plains. There are holes to reach in and touch things, buttons to push that light up displays on a map, murals with far too much politics behind them for children or tourists to understand, various series of lectures and field trips, and a largish, under-​maintained, mostly empty high-​ceileinged institutional stone building from the early part of the century. All they need is a small dinosaur skeleton and a stuffed penguin and it’s deal done!
The café is something of an afterthought, with a small microwave-​and-​toaster selection and some down-​in-​the-​mouth but sincere youngsters telling people we’re out of hot dog buns but we’re happy to make that on wheat toast. Some of the condiments and juices are suspiciously identical to those in the supposedly Alice Waters-​conceived Warming Hut, whichmakes me wonder what’s going on here.
It’s hard to dislike the place, because as thin as it is, it’s sincere. Here’s a snippet from their mission statement: «The mission of the Crissy Field Center is to build a sustainable and environmentally just society.. . » Who can argue with that? Godspeed. Plus, it’s free.