Music Concourse and Spreckels Temple of MusicStop on Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, a free self-guided tour.The Music Concourse is the grand formal heart of Golden Gate Park - a European-style promenade lined with sycamore trees and flanked by two of San Francisco's most important cultural institutions. The Spreckels Temple of Music, a magnificent colonnaded classical bandshell at the east end of the concourse, was a gift from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels and has hosted free public concerts continuously since 1900. The tradition of free Sunday afternoon band concerts has continued for over a century, making this one of San Francisco's oldest and most democratic cultural institutions. The concourse's central fountain was a focal point of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, which transformed this section of the park and led directly to the founding of the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. The whole area has a grand, unhurried elegance that rewards a slow stroll.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