San Francisco’s beautiful Conservatory of Flowers is one of those great things to do in San Francisco-akin to an overgrown greenhouse or living museum-located regally on a slope on the eastern side of Golden Gate Park, has been sumptuously restored to its former grandeur after a devastating wind storm damaged its ornate glass-and-steel structure. Built in 1878-89, it is the oldest public conservatory in the western hemisphere. Today it houses some 2,000 plant species in its five galleries. Plant experts and laypeople alike will enjoy the wide-ranging displays, which include an aquatic area with water cascading into lotus-filled pools; the Lowland Tropics area with its displays of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla; and plant-themed temporary exhibits.

© Images courtesy of Kevin J Frost and Todd Worley