Normally, the Murphy Windmill (the largest in the world when it was built in 1908) sits majestically, but silently watching over the southwest corner of Golden Gate Park which no longer needs it to pump the 40,000 gallons of water a day it used to before electric pumps took all the glory. But on April 25, 2026, the brakes come off, and the windmill will turn once again in honor of "King's Day," an annual festival celebrating Dutch culture and traditions.
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. One of the most beautiful spots is the Japanese-design inspired " Moon Viewing Garden," (pictured above) located in the Mild-Temperate Climate section in the Northwest portion of the gardens. [ view map]
This Sunday, celebrate the life of Claude, the albino alligator, who died in December at age of 30, at Golden Gate Park. If you voted in the Mission Local poll to choose the street to rename as "Claude the Albino Alligator Way," this is the time to see it happen. A new street sign at Music Concourse Drive between JFK Promenade and MLK Drive, will be unveiled. Fittingly, it will be right in front of Claude's home for 17 years.
The eyes of the world were welled with tears all weekend over the news that Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir had died. Weir was a central driving force behind the Grateful Dead and their style of music that further cemented San Francisco as a counterculture haven, and Weir helped invent the notion of a band so great that people would simply follow them around on tour in complete perpetuity. He was 78.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir," his family announced in a statement. "He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues." "Bobby's final months reflected the same spirit that defined his life. Diagnosed in July, he began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park.
When Cjay Roughgarden was crafting what would become the largest public art installation in Golden Gate Park's history, she sought inspiration from her favorite children's book. The Richmond-based artist and fabricator has long been captivated by the story of "Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent," a 1975 tale of an enormous maritime monster who is urged by a shark to sink a boat of civilians, but overcomes the peer pressure to save them from the dangers at sea.
