Stern Grove   

2750 19th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-753-7048
www.cisf.ca.us/recpark

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Lying on 63 acres in San Francisco's Sunset District, bucolic Sigmund Stern Grove was originally nothing but sand dunes. The George Greene family homesteaded the land in 1847, and by 1892 had prospered enough to build the Trocadero Hotel, which became a favorite watering hole for San Francisco's new royalty. Today, the Trocadero Clubhouse remains, has been restored to its former glory and is the centerpiece of Sigmund Stern Grove (named for the husband of the woman who bought the property in 1931 and gave it to the city). Stern Grove hosts a yearly free music festival which attracts listeners by the tens of thousands. There are picnic tables, horseshoe courts, walking trails, and above all a sense of being off the grid: surrounded by fir, redwood and eucalyptus (some of these planted by Greene himself more than 100 years ago). Bounded by Sloat Boulevard on the south, Wawona Street on the north, 19th Avenue on the east and 34th Avenue on the west, Stern Grove is one of the most peaceful getaways in the city. -- Doug Konecky