San Francisco Botanical Garden

This 75 year old gem sprawls across 55 acres in Golden Gate Park. While the native plants are plentiful, it's particularly known for its assortment of flora from around the world, including the forests of Central America, South America and Southeast Asia. The garden lays claim to the fourth most significant collection of magnolias in the world. Wander amid mosaic-paved trails and stone-laden paths and you'll find the ancient plant garden, a quiet redwood grove, the rhododendron garden and the dwarf conifer pond. One of the most popular areas is the Garden of Fragrance, where plaques encourage visitors to sniff sweet-smelling plants like cascading rosemary, rockrose, lemon verbena, chamomile and lavender.