Nature exhibits, a model train display, and sweeping views of San Francisco
Located in the geographic center of San Francisco, with sweeping downtown views, the Randall Museum is fun for families and picnics. See an eclectic mix of exhibits including live raccoons and chickens, geology cores of San Francisco, an active beehive, and one of the largest working model trains in the area. Plus it's free!
Steep hill keeps many cyclists away, but with ebikes it's easy!
If you are coming from the south you can approach the Randall Museum from 17th Street.
If you are coming from the north side then Buena Vista Ave is your best bet. I've done both, and if you have the time, it's a more relaxing ride with less traffic from Buena Vista.
My family was coming from the West so my wife and I rode side by side up the car free roads of Golden Gate Park. The ride was so relaxing our tiniest human decided to take a nap on the way.
After Golden Gate Park we transferred onto Page Slow Street.
Then after Page we were thankful for our ebike motors as we cranked assist to Turbo and conquered the final hills, up Baker St to Buena Vista and Park Hill.
Bike parking is available near the front entrance. Our bikes are pretty big so rather than lock to the bike stand with our bikes dangling half-on the curb -- we instead angled up to a sign pole and used our Abus 15/15 security level locks.
The museum hosts a cafe for hungry kids and parents who need another cup of coffee. It also has SF Parks & Rec classes and rotating special exhibits in addition to their permanent nature exhibits. Our pre-schooler enjoyed watching the bees make honey and crawl around their clear, glass encased hive without fear of being stung.
In the basement is a working 1960's electric model train set that continues to be maintained and developed to this day. It runs on a fixed timer most days, but on the third Saturday of the month, members of the model train club might be in residence to run special trains.
Adjacent to the trains, they have a children’s Brio train set. Just make sure to pack a few trains for your kids and new friends; they removed the shared ones during the pandemic.
Next to the Randall Museum is Corona Heights Park. Peftect for kids (and adults) who want some rock climbing, puddle jumping or stick collection time. The views here are equally amazing and it's worth the short walk as part of your visit.
