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San Francisco: Best Place to visit during Fall

As the air starts to cool in most parts of the country, the beginning of the fall season is the start of an Indian summer in San Francisco – with pleasant, warm temperatures lingering all the way until November.

Fall is the time of the year most tourists and residents of the City by the Bay look forward to the most – here are several reasons why:

The incredibly breathtaking scenery

Taking in the beautiful fall colors of San Francisco is definitely one of the best reasons to visit the city during the fall. The city boasts numerous scenic parks, which gives you plenty of opportunities to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities.

One of the best spots to visit is Golden Gate Park – an exceptional venue to watch the leaves turn. Free admission to all national parks is also offered during Veteran’s Day, which presents a great opportunity to visit popular destinations such as the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park or Muir Woods.

The Litquake Festival

Held during the month of October, the annual Litquake Festival is a week-long literary festival that showcases the work some of the best writers from around the Bay Area.

Events during the festival include author readings, book signings, panel discussions, live musical performances, film screenings, storytelling, and many more. Many of these events are completely free, and are hosted by the city’s local bars, bookstores, coffee shops, and museums.

On the last night of Litquake, be sure to check out Lit Crawl, which features a huge variety off free events scattered all over the Mission District. This year’s Litquake will be held from October 6 to 14, 2017. For more information, visit this website.

The ice skating venues

While ice skating is typically a winter pastime, it’s one of the best activities to enjoy in San Francisco during the fall. In November, two ice skating rinks in the downtown area open their doors to the public – the Union Square Ice Rink and the Embarcadero Center Holiday Ice Rink. The Embarcadero ice rink is larger compared to the one in Union Square, although the latter is located in a more iconic venue.

You can also drop by the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center, a year-round ice skating rink which also offers figure skating practice sessions, skating lessons, and hockey games, in addition to daily public skating sessions.

The best holiday shopping

San Francisco turns into a shopaholic’s paradise during the fall. Indulge in an unforgettable holiday shopping experience by heading to Union Square, where you’ll be able to see the soaring Macy’s holiday tree, in addition to numerous window displays set up by the shopping district’s biggest department stores.

If you’d like a more laid-back shopping experience away from the big crowds, there are plenty of other shopping districts to visit around the city. You can also check out some of the city’s fantastic seasonal craft fairs, such as the SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium or the Renegade Craft Fair.

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