It is possible to enjoy many of the Bay Area's finest cultural and civic attractions for
little or no money. Following are 17 low-cost ideas:
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Admission is free the first Tuesday of each month.
Other days, admission for people aged 62 and older is $7. For information, see www.sfmoma.org
or call (415) 357-4000.
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Admission is free the first Tuesday of each
month. Other days, admission for people aged 65 and older is $6. For information, see www.asianart.org
or call (415) 581-3500.
Palace of the Legion of Honor: Admission is free every Tuesday. Other days, admission
for people aged 65 and older is $6. This San Francisco museum offers free organ concerts (with admission fee)
on Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. For information, see www.thinker.org/legion
or call (415) 863-3330.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: Admission to the center's art galleries is free the
first Tuesday of each.month. Other days, admission for people aged 65 and older is $3. For
information, see www.ybca.org/b_ybca.html or call (415) 978-2700.
Berkeley Art Museum: Admission is free the first Thursday of each month.
Other days, admission for people aged 65 and older is $5. For information, see www.bampfa.berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-0808.
Oakland Museum of California: Admission is free the second Sunday of each month.
Other days, admission for people aged 65 and older is $5. For information, see www.museumca.org or call (510) 238-2200.
San Jose Museum of Art: Admission is always free. For information, see www.sjmusart.org or call (408) 271-6840.
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University: Admission is always free. For information,
see http://ccva.stanford.edu or call (650) 723-4177.
Stern Grove Festival: Stern Grove's admission-free summer performing arts festival presents
world-class performances at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater under towering eucalyptus and redwood trees in
San Francisco's Sunset District. For information, see www.sterngrove.org. www.sterngrove.org.
The outdoor ampitheater at Sigmund Stern Grove, built by the Works Progress Administration
in the 1930s, reopened in time for the 2005 festival after a $15 million renovation. The most
visible highlight of the new design, drawn up by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, is multiple levels of
stone-banked terraces, with broad aisles and several feet of level grass on each terrace. The stage has also
been expanded. The 2005 festival runs from June 19 to August 21.
San Francisco Opera: Two hundred standing-room tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. the day of
each opera performance for $10. The SF Opera also offers senior rush tickets from 11 a.m. until 30 minutes
before showtime for $30. For information, see www.sfopera.com or call (415) 861-4008.
San Francisco Ballet: The ballet, too, offers $10 standing-room tickets for each
performance. Additionally, the ballet offers a substantial subscription discount to people aged 65 and
older. Current senior subscribers are eligible for a 50 percent discount on certain seats. For information,
see www.sfballet.org or call (415) 865-2000.
San Francisco Symphony: Forty seats in the Center Terrace, behind the stage, go on sale
two hours before most performances for $15 to $20 per ticket. For information, see www.sfsymphony.org or
call (415) 864-6000.
American Conservatory Theatre: Pay what you wish the evening after openings. A.C.T. also
offers senior rush tickets starting one hour before weekend matinees for $10. For information, see
www.act-sf.org or call (415) 749-2228.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Half-price rush tickets go on sale a half hour before each
show for people aged 62 and odler. For information, see www.berkeleyrep.org or call (510) 647-2949.
Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens: Admission is always free to this Golden Gate
Park jewel. Free daily docent-led tours are offered Monday through Friday at 1:30 p.m. and weekends at
10:20 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For information, see www.strybing.org or call (415) 661-1316.
University of California Botanical Gardens: Admission to this Berkeley treasure is
free each Thursday (though there is a 50¢ per hour parking fee). Other days, admission for people
aged 65 and older is $2. For information, see http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu or call (510) 643-2755.
San Francisco Zoo: Admission is free the first Wednesday of each month. Other days,
admission for people aged 65 and older is $7, or $3.50 for San Francisco residents. For information,
see www.sfzoo.org or call (415) 753-7080.
(This article originally appeared in the Summer 2004 issue of Bay Area Summit)
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