Art Adventures: Must-Visit Art Havens for San Francisco Seniors

San Francisco offers seniors an incredible selection of world-class museums, galleries, and theaters, perfect for indulging their passion for the visual and performing arts. Beyond entertainment, these cultural gems provide a gateway to global perspectives and foster meaningful connections within the community. Marin native Carolyn Koenig shares the best places where art and culture come to life for the city’s senior residents.

In a recent Arts Vibrancy Index, the National Center for Arts Research ranked San Francisco as the No. 1 city in the country for the arts. This is no surprise to residents, as the city is home to over 50 museums, hundreds of galleries and a diverse array of theaters. For older adults, who are often able to enjoy these attractions at their own pace, San Francisco's arts scene offers more than just a day out — it provides a connection to the art world and global culture.

Exploring San Francisco’s arts scene will take you throughout the city, from downtown and Golden Gate Park to flourishing local neighborhoods. With the wide variety of museums, galleries and theaters available, there are opportunities to immerse yourself in an experience that exactly matches your interest, whether it’s general or deeply specific. Here are some top spots to consider as you explore.

While it’s difficult to narrow down museum options, these five are perennial favorites with locals (and visitors). All have cafes for a light lunch or an afternoon pick-me-up coffee.

de Young Museum: The de Young is largely credited as being the most visited museum in San Francisco. This copper-clad, strikingly modern museum is a new (2005) reiteration of the original 130-year-old original in Golden Gate Park. It encompasses a renowned mix of American art, textiles and artifacts from the Americas, Africa and Oceana, plus eye-catching sculptures by Ruth Asawa. Its elevator will whisk you up the distinctive Hamon Observation Tower to the ninth floor, a glass-enclosed space offering 360-degree views of the park and the city.

o   Tip: Discounted admission for seniors is $17. The museum offers free general admission on Saturdays to all Bay Area residents; general admission is free to all on the first Tuesday of every month.

Legion of Honor: Together, the de Young and the Legion of Honor make up the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The Legion’s beautiful, grand Beaux Arts building in Lincoln Park is a work of art itself, patterned after the original in Paris. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, it encompasses ancient and European art from the 14th to the mid-20th centuries. Among its permanent collections are works by Monet, Titian, Rembrandt and later American artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Mary Cassatt. Upon arrival, you’re greeted by panoramic views of Lands End and the Golden Gate Bridge; once in the courtyard, by Rodin’s Thinker, a massive bronze cast of the original.

o   Tip: Discounted admission for seniors is $17. General admission is free to Bay Area residents on Saturdays, including the outstanding 4 pm concert on its 4,500-pipe organ (book tickets ahead). General admission for all is free on the first Tuesday of every month.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): A modernistic structure that’s true to its mission, SFMOMA is located downtown, south of Market, on 3rd Street. It features notable modern and contemporary art by Henri Matisse, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Paul Klee, as well as significant architecture and design collections. In 2016, an addition to its current location tripled the exhibition space, making it the eighth-largest art museum in the country. Also of note is its Pritzker Center for Photography, the largest space dedicated to photography in a U.S. art museum.   

o   Tip: Discounted admission for seniors is $25. General admission is free for Bay Area residents on the first Thursday of every month.

Asian Art Museum: Adding another superlative – and reason for the city’s prominence in the art world – is the Asian Art Museum, a Beaux Arts building in the Civic Center area that was once the Main Library. Instead of books, it now houses one of the most extensive collections of Asian art from around the world, spanning over 6,000 years. Among its “Masterpiece” art is Buddha dated 338, a bronze sculpture that’s the earliest known dated Buddha sculpture produced in China. Another is the Ewer with Lotus-Shaped Lid, an early 12th-century Korean celadon piece. 

o   Tip: Discounted admission for seniors is $17. On the first Sunday of every month, general admission is free and special exhibits are discounted to $10.

California Academy of Sciences: This is an all-in-one favorite in Golden Gate Park, with a history museum, a planetarium and an aquarium – all on the same ticket. The building has endured two earthquakes but a 2005 re-do has secured its future. Its signature design is the living roof, which encompasses 1.7 million native California plants and an undulating surface (dubbed speed bumps) that represent San Francisco’s notable hills. The Steinhart Aquarium’s donut-shaped fish roundabout was the first of its kind in the U.S. (sorry, no huge “Jaws” displays of sharks). Another don’t miss is the four-story indoor rainforest, teeming with free-flying birds and butterflies and home to nearly 100 exotic reptiles and amphibians.

o   Tip: Discounted admission tickets for seniors are available but vary by date.

Nowhere is San Francisco’s dynamic arts scene more evident than its galleries, with the ongoing installation of new works and new exhibitions, drawing art lovers and possible patrons with their buzz. 

Jessica Silverman Gallery: A fixture on Grant Avenue in Chinatown, this international contemporary art gallery represents artists who are emerging or at mid-career, on their way to making museum-quality art. Their works have been acquired by museums such as the Tate, MoMA (New York), the Whitney Museum of American Art and a litany of other top-tier institutions. Established by Silverman in 2008, the street-level gallery displays a clean, enticing aesthetic in its busy neighborhood space. 

o   Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday, no appointment necessary. 

Fraenkel Gallery: For those seniors interested in photography, Fraenkel Gallery, on the fourth floor of 49 Geary Street (Union Square) is a must-visit. This contemporary art gallery has hosted over 400 exhibitions since opening in 1979, with a focus on photography and its relation to other arts, including painting, sculpture and video. Photographers include such notables as Peter Hujar, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Carrie Mae Weems. 

o   Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday, no appointment necessary.

Berggruen Gallery: Berggruen has been a stalwart on the West Coast art scene for over five decades. It specializes in the exhibition and sale of  20th- and 21st-century American and European paintings, drawings, sculptures and limited-edition prints. Housed in an impressive, elegant two-story building on Hawthorne Street, near SFMOMA, this famed gallery has contributed to the careers of California artists Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Diebenkorn, Ed Ruscha, and Paul Wonner, among many others. 

o   Tip: Open Monday–Friday, no appointment necessary.

San Francisco’s Theatre District is loosely defined as a 10-block neighborhood between Union Square and the Tenderloin. Here you’ll find everything from dramas and comedies to hit Broadway musicals (Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child come immediately to mind).

Broadway SF: This entertainment company brings live stage performances to three historic theatres within the district. The Orpheum Theatre, located on Market Street, dates back to 1926, and has all the ornate Beaux Arts details that define the concept “theatre.” 

Golden Gate Theatre, on Taylor Street, began as a vaudeville palace in 1922, later became a movie theater and was restored for the live stage in the 1970s, with its two vertical Art Deco signs intact.

Curran Theatre, located on Geary Street, is also a 1922 gem and was fully restored in 2017, including its Arthur Matthews murals.

o   Tip: Discounts may be available on some productions, but you’ll need to check the individual show’s page to see its pricing tiers. Also note that ticket prices vary and are subject to change due to “dynamic pricing” (aka “surge” pricing, increasing prices as demand increases), so it’s always best to book quickly when a new production or show is announced. 

The Toni Rembe Theater (formerly The Geary): This historic survivor of the 1906 earthquake is home to the American Conservatory Theater, in a large classical, three-tiered building in the Union Square area. Look for classical and contemporary productions, including Tony Award winners straight from Broadway (New York).

o   Tip: Through its 2022 Bold Access Initiative, The Toni Rembe Theater has $25 tickets available for all shows on a first-come/first-served basis.