McLaren Lodge and Sharon MeadowStop on Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, a free self-guided tour.McLaren Lodge, a charming sandstone Romanesque building completed in 1896, served for decades as both the home and working office of John McLaren - the legendary superintendent who devoted 55 years of his life to Golden Gate Park. McLaren arrived in 1887 and spent the rest of his life planting millions of trees, building lakes and waterfalls, and stubbornly resisting every attempt to commercialize the park he loved. He famously refused to allow any statue in the park - and when the city honored him with a bronze sculpture after his death, it was tucked into the Rhododendron Dell so the trees would hide it. Sharon Meadow nearby is a beloved open lawn that fills with picnickers and kite-flyers on sunny days. The adjacent Children's Playground, established in 1887 as the first public children's playground in the United States, features a beautifully restored 1912 carousel that still delights visitors of all ages.Stops on this tourMcLaren Lodge and Sharon MeadowConservatory of FlowersRhododendron DellMusic Concourse and Spreckels Temple of Musicde Young MuseumCalifornia Academy of SciencesJapanese Tea GardenSan Francisco Botanical GardenStow Lake and Strawberry HillSpreckels Lake and Model Yacht ClubPolo Fields and Speedway MeadowBuffalo Paddock - American Bison HerdRainbow Falls and Chain of LakesDutch Windmill and Queen Wilhelmina Tulip GardenOcean Beach - Western Gateway