What’s New at the Presidio – Winter, 2024-25

San Francisco, CA (Oct. 23, 2024) – The Presidio of San Francisco offers visitors a wonderful fall and winter landscape for outdoor activities, or indoor fun in cozy spaces. Local and international visitors alike can enjoy multi-generational picnics, walks along 25 miles of hiking and biking trails by the Golden Gate Bridge, museums, or a night of bowling, theatre, and dining. Both of Presidio Lodging’s award-winning historic boutique hotels are decked out for the holidays come late November, with several fireplaces to warm the heart. Here’s what’s new this winter.

Presidio Visitor Center

The Presidio Visitor Center provides orientation to the entire park, with special interactive exhibits, maps, and multi-lingual staff to make any day in the Presidio successful. Park merchandise can ward off the winter chill or provide excellent holiday gifts. NEW this season—Presidio fans can show their pride and support the park by sporting the latest line of Presidio branded park gear, sweatshirts and hats. Holiday discounts on all merchandise are offered to members of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy starting December 6. All proceeds support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The Field Station and Outpost at Presidio Tunnel Tops

Visitors of all ages can discover the ecology of the Presidio at the Field Station through sensory activities curated by staff ecologists – with a focus on fall and winter. This fall, there’s a new self-guided Presidio Adventure Passport! Each passport kit includes a field journal for keeping notes, a deck of 18 illustrated GeoQuesting cards, a mini-pencil and an Adventures in the Presidio map. This new park experience is like a treasure hunt to find hidden boxes in unique locations throughout the Presidio, with messages that reveal interesting stories about each spot.

The adjacent two-acre Outpost nature playground is the largest of its kind in the Bay Area, with play elements made of all natural materials. Discover the new Trek Trail Time Travel—a series of 11 illustrations depicting what our planet was like over the last 4.6 billion years, which begins near the east entrance to the Outpost at Presidio Tunnel Tops. Winter Opening Hours –
Presidio Field Station: Wednesday-Friday 11am-4pm and Saturdays-Sundays 10am to 5pm.
Outpost Playground: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm every day. Admission is FREE.

Outdoor Experiences

Free access to the great outdoors for relaxation or for a good workout is nothing new in the Presidio. Pick up a map at the Presidio Visitor Center or visit our website for a suggested itinerary. Look for a birdwatching spot at El Polin Spring or the Tennessee Hollow Watershed. Take a run along the coast of the Pacific Ocean or Crissy Field. Rent a quad tandem bike at Sports Basement for the whole family, or just an e-bike for yourself. Go on an art hike to see Andy Goldsworthy outdoor nature sculptures, or the Ancestral Futurism Art work – SUPERBLOOMS by Tosha Stimage at the Transit Center. The sky is the limit.

Volunteering

Winter is planting season at the Presidio and our partner sites in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Thousands of volunteers have fun and meet people, while helping to restore native habitat and reforest the park. Annual Planting Day is December 7, a group project to restore native dune habitat near Baker Beach. See the website for information and to register for volunteer opportunities.

Culture and Holiday Shows

The Presidio Theatre presents its special holiday show, Panto in the Presidio during the month of December. Don’t miss this new take on the family classic, Peter Pan with shows almost daily. Panto is a popular style of theater from the UK that presents a highly interactive and comedic musical re-telling of a well-known children’s story or fairytale. The adventure of Peter Pan begins in San Francisco before soaring away to the magical world of Neverland, featuring familiar characters such as Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and the Lost Boys. Audiences can join in the Panto traditions of booing the villains, cheering the heroes, singing along to popular songs played by a live band.

The Presidio is home to several museums and cultural institutions. See what’s on offer at the Walt Disney Family Museum, a nonprofit organization that features contemporary, interactive galleries with state-of-the-art exhibits narrated in Walt’s own voice alongside early drawings, cartoons, films, music, a spectacular model of Disneyland, and more. The Military Intelligence Service (MIS) Historic Learning Center shows the history of the soldiers that trained in the Presidio as linguists during WWII—the majority of whom were Japanese Americans. Heritage galleries in the Presidio Officers’ Club and the special Exclusion Exhibition are open Friday-Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm, with free admission.

Eat and Recreate in the Presidio

Restaurants in the park will offer unique holiday menus, including Dia de Los Muertos specials at Colibri Mexican Bistro on November 2 and 3. Lunch or dinner at Dalida Mediterranean restaurant is a special treat any time of the year, and their private dining room or open kitchen can be reserved for a holiday gathering. The wildly popular Presidio Pop Up food trucks will be moving to winter hours for the season starting November first (11am – 3pm daily) by the Main Parade Lawn across from the Visitor Center. Check the website for vendors, hours and reservations.

Several fitness operations are based in the Presidio, along with the relaxation and wellness spa SenSpa. Enjoy a variety of classes and practices at Presidio Community YMCA, Baptiste Power Yoga, A Body of Work, Movement climbing gym, and the House of Air trampoline center. Presidio Golf Course is a public, 18-hole course that is one of the most historic courses in the west. Presidio Bowl has also been a family favorite for decades. See our website for visitor-facing businesses in the park.

Coziest Hotels

A stay at Presidio Lodging, the Lodge at the Presidio or the Inn at the Presidio may be part of a special event, a trip to San Francisco, or a staycation, especially during the winter with their festive holiday decor. The two historic boutique hotels are a lovely escape – both feature cozy indoor and outdoor fireplaces, complementary wine and cheese hour, and breakfast buffet. They are pet-friendly and situated within the Presidio’s idyllic park surroundings. Both hotels were recognized in Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards, Top 10 Hotels in San Francisco in 2024. Look for information on their new Loyalty Program coming soon.

Book Space for a Holiday Gathering

There are many locations in the Presidio perfect for a wedding, holiday party, or corporate meeting – both indoors and outdoors. Special event venues, like the Golden Gate Club, Presidio Officers’ Club, the Log Cabin or Presidio Golf Café are reservable for the perfect holiday party.

Events

• Dia De Los Muertos & Diwali Art Fiesta Saturday, November 2, 11am to 3pm, Presidio Visitor Center, 210 Lincoln Blvd, SF 94129. Explore the traditions and cultural connections between two ancestral celebrations, Dia de los Muertos and Diwali.
• Veterans Day Interfaith Observance Monday, November 11, 11am – 12noon, Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, SF 94129.
• Star Parties by the SF Amateur Astronomers, Saturday, November 9 and Saturday, December 7, 6pm – 9pm, Presidio Tunnel Tops, 210 Lincoln Blvd, SF 94129 (subject to weather, please check site for cancelations).
• Campfire talks with National Park Service rangers, daily, 4pm – 4:30pm at the Campfire Circle at Presidio Tunnel Tops, and walking tours of the Presidio’s Historic Main Post on Sundays. Candlelight tours of Fort Point start later in November on Friday and Saturday evenings. Please call the Presidio Visitor Center for information: (415) 561-4323.

Getting to the Park

There are many ways to get to the Presidio, car-free. Check our website for San Francisco MUNI routes coming into the park. The free shuttle service Presidio GO runs routes from the Salesforce Transit Center and the Embarcadero BART to the Presidio (and back), and a South Hills Route accesses various locations around the park. The Presidio’s Main Post or East Beach parking lots offer ample paid parking. Visitors can take advantage of a new rideshare drop-off zone and the Bay Wheels bike share stations as well. For details on transportation please visit https://www.presidio.gov/transportation

About the Presidio + Presidio Trust  

The Presidio is one of America’s most visited national park sites, located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Spanning 1,500 acres next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio is among the most biologically diverse parks in America. Historically a home to native peoples and a military post under three flags, its facilities have been reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, homes, and offices. The Presidio Trust is the federal agency that stewards the Presidio, in partnership with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The Trust sustains the Presidio by leasing homes and workplaces and offering visitor amenities. Learn more at presidio.gov.