10 Best Indoor Activities in San Francisco

San Francisco has a long history with Japan and is even the sister city of Osaka. It has a large population of Japanese-Americans who have extended their culture to the city for decades. There are plenty of spaces in the city where you can experience Japanese culture without having to actually fly out. One of the best things to do in San Francisco when it rains is to head to a traditional onsen. Onsens are public bathhouses where you can enjoy a hot pool, a cold pool, a sauna, and a steam room. The onsen is essentially a relaxing space where visitors spend their time in silence soaking up the goodness of therapy. Traditionally, the Japanese would leave the city and head to the many hot springs in order to rejuvenate. Today, the same experience is recreated for those who want to revitalise their body and mind. San Francisco offers a few of these Japanese bathhouse experiences. Be sure to check on which days the bathhouses are segregated by gender. Some onsen give you the option of wearing a swimsuit.

A great option for those who love to be scared or are travelling with children is the San Francisco Dungeon. An entertaining thing to do in San Francisco, it is a tourist attraction that recreates historical events that were scary. The Dungeon uses 360-degree sets, live actors, and other special effects to give you a truly hair raising experience of past events. The Dungeon also has a boat ride in which visitors float in the dark and are met with more horrors. The attraction is not for the faint hearted and it is not recommended for especially young children. You enter the Dungeon through a mine shaft elevator where you meet your host. A recreation of the Gold Rush enacting the clash between new settlers and the native population is a stunning sight. You can also ‘search’ for gold in a maze of mines. Other recreations include the period when the city was in the grips of gangs, a historical saloon, the effects of the Black Plague, and the history of the Alcatraz prison.

The cornerstone of San Francisco is the artistic community. A great example of this is the beautiful and very culturally relevant museum of modern art. While the museum itself can take an entire day to enjoy, there are guided tours and self-tours with audio links for those who want to go at their own pace. There are events held at the museum regularly and there are also yearly rotations for some exhibits. This ensures you get a different and unique experience every time you go. The museum hosts art in all mediums including media, film, paint, architecture and more. The museum is great for the whole family with child friendly exhibits and more advance artworks on display for the parents. The museum has collections from contemporary and modern art ranging from sculptures to photography. The second floor of the museum houses paintings by famous artists like Salvador Dali, Matisse, Picasso, and more. Do remember to visit the gift shop before leaving and pick up some interesting curios that will work as wonderful gifts. If you love art, then this is one of the most interesting things to do in San Francisco.

Nothing quite says indoor fun in San Francisco like a day at the Aquarium at the Bay. While outdoor attractions at the Aquarium like the sea lions at Pier39 are weather dependant, the underwater world at the Aquarium is an experience that offers over 1,000 different marine life forms. While the programs at the Aquarium are focused on helping educate visitors on marine life that exists in the bay area, just stepping into the aquarium and watching the wondrous and colourful life forms swim around can be a soothing experience. The aquarium is a recreation of the ecosystem of the Bay and has seven different ecosystems that house the marine life. You can enjoy the sights of schools of fishes, jellyfish, sharks, sting rays and more. The attraction also offers visitors a chance to get up close to some of the marine life where you can actually touch some of the larger fish. Remember to book tickets for the Aquarium and the shows at the aquarium well ahead of time because this is one of the most sought-after attractions in the city. If you are lucky, the Sea Lion show at pier39 will be on offer giving you one of the most fun things to do in San Francisco for the whole family.

One of the most unique museums in the world, the Exploratorium functions as a laboratory to explore the world of human perceptions, science, and art. The active ingredient of the museum is exploration, and the attraction is set up with tools to do just that. With more than a hundred self-exploratory exhibits, film screenings, art and science events, you can enjoy an entire day at the Exploratorium. You should check their website for their opening hours and any holidays before you visit. You can also buy tickets for one of the most stimulating things to do in San Francisco online. The Exploratorium is located near Pier 15 which is well connected by the public transport system. The museum has great dining options which range from restaurants to cafes and you can also visit their store which sells interesting gadgets and books based on their exhibits. If you have children, this San Francisco attraction is a must-do.

The Ferry Building marketplace is one of the most popular things to do in San Francisco and is the best place to shop for produce and other items for both locals and tourists. A large indoor market, you will find some of the best produce here. San Francisco is the epicenter of organic farming with low carbon footprint and the market reflects these ideals. Their mission is to provide a vibrant gathering of local artisan food producers that are fueled by the appetite of the gourmand customer. The Ferry Building itself has historical significance. It was built in 1898 when one of the main ways to travel to the city was by train and ferry boat. By the 1950s however, the building was barely used and it was re-purposed as an office building. Luckily, it was reopened in 2003 after a four year renovation period where it was restored to its former glory. The marketplace is open on all days of the week though there are different timings on the weekends. It is also well connected by public transport.

San Francisco is home to numerous exciting things to do in San Francisco but nothing quite compares to the Walt Disney family museum. This museum pays homage to the iconic cartoonist and his legacy. The museum main building is home to a 40,000 square foot space that features historic materials, artifacts and technology that bring to life Disney’s achievement. This museum features interactive galleries that house early cartoon drawings, different forms of animation, listening stations, music, movies and a 12-foot diameter model of his vision for Disneyland.

The museum lobby has on display over 248 awards Walt Disney won in his life time. These include academy awards and the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom. The museum also has a unique theater with a fantasia like design which screens various Disney films on a daily basis. There are also permanent galleries that recount Walt Disney’s ancestral history all the way to his demise on Dec, 15th 1966. This museum is a great educational experience for children who aspire to be in the animation industry as well as those looking to recollect the nostalgia of their youth making it part of the delightful list of things to do in San Francisco when it rains. The museum has two more retrofitted, historic buildings apart from the main one.

San Francisco prides itself on being a progressive and forward thinking community and one of the best things to do in San Francisco indoor is visiting the California academy of sciences. This attraction is located in the Golden Gate Park and offers visitors a fun and educational experience. The mega museum is the only one in the world to combine an aquarium, a planetarium, and a natural history museum in one spot and is one of the most unique things to do in San Francisco. It features exhibits that are exciting and educational like the living penguins in the African Hall to the different forms of wildlife living on the roof.

This huge museum even houses a living rainforest and coral reef. The museum isn’t all exhibits either, visitors can enjoy educational lectures held daily as well as unique educational experiences and a 4D movie located at the Morrison Planetarium. There are exhibits that allow visitors to explore evolution of all forms of life through various periods of time to the modern day. The California Academy of Sciences can give you an insight into all that the natural world has to offer and can be one of the most interesting and fun things to do in San Francisco when it rains.

An experience of a lifetime awaits art lovers at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in the bay area. When you consider the city of San Francisco, art appreciation is a cornerstone of the community there and this museum, simply called de Young museum by locals is the go-to destination for artistic culture and art education. The museum has a history dating back to 1895 and is considered by many as one of the most fun things to do in San Francisco.

The museum’s extensive American art collection has over 3,000 decorative art objects, over 1,000 paintings and an astounding 800 sculptures. Some of the paintings in the museum are world famous and include Prometheus Bound by Thomas Cole, The Blue Veil by Edmund C. Tarbell and works by artists like John Singleton Copley and George Hitchcock. The museum also has international contemporary art exhibits on display. The de Young museum is one of the finest institutes for art education in the world and the museum tour is detailed and offers visitors an insight into the development of art throughout the Americas. The museum houses, as part of their international collections, pieces of art from the African continent ranging from nations like Sudan to the Guinea Coast. It also has works from central, west and east Africa on display.

The Golden Gate Park is one of the most visited sites in all of San Francisco. Here, you can enjoy great views of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. However, with the ever changing weather, you might be left wondering about things to do in San Francisco when it rains. Head to the Conservatory of Flowers which is a botanical garden and enjoy the beautiful flowers in the greenhouse. The conservatory is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States and is certainly the oldest structure in the park. The greenhouse is one of the best things to do in San Francisco when you want to relax and enjoy some of nature’s most beautiful gifts. It has beautiful places where you can sit and watch the water ripple on the indoor lotus pond. It is also a great place to enjoy several tropical plants that you wouldn’t otherwise get to see in your travel of the city. The conservatory has five different ecosystems that range from cloud forests on top of mountains to tropical rainforests. You can also experience the ‘weather’ of these different ecosystems with thunder and mists created for your enjoyment.

If you are wondering about things to do in San Francisco this weekend, then head over to any place listed above. It will give you a unique opportunity to enjoy and understand the cultural dynamics of a city that has marched to its own beat. The sheer amount of things to do in San Francisco is astounding whether you are looking for things to do in San Francisco indoors or outdoors.