Ten Cheap Things To Do In San Francisco For Under $10

No, San Francisco isn't the cheapest place to visit or live, but there are plenty of ways to stretch a buck. Check out our list of cheap ideas for your vacation to the City by the Bay. Some of the following suggestions are even free!

Spend a day of fun in the sun on Ocean Beach. The area around the Cliff House (home to three restaurants and a gift shop in one building) is a great place to explore the Sutro bath ruins and three miles of perfect tan sands. While beach bummin' around won't cost you a penny, we highly recommend you check out the Camera Obscura building. For just $3 per person, visitors can stand in the dark and watch the ocean and surrounding area drift by on a big ceramic disk that takes up most of the room--we promise, it's more impressive than it sounds. Don't forget to pack a picnic for a perfect, almost free day at the beach! Ocean Beach is located at the end Geary Boulevard and is part of Land's End.

Explore Golden Gate Park. It will take you multiple days to experience everything Golden Gate Park has to offer. The largest park in the city, Golden Gate Park covers more than 1013 acres of land. Some highlights include the Strybing Arboretum, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Buffalo Paddock, Strawberry Hill, the historic windmills, and a kids' playground. The park is home to two museums, but visit at the right time (usually the first Tuesday of the month) and you can get in at discounted rates or even free admission! Worthwhile attractions include the California Academy of Sciences, the de Young Museum (typically $4 for adults and free for kids) and the Conservatory of Flowers. Cars can drive through the park for free on the 49-Mile Drive. If you'd rather walk, check out one of the guided Golden Gate Park Walking Tours featuring history tours, stroller tours and tours of the Japanese Tea Garden. Be sure to check individual attractions for pricing.

Catch a film screening at the historic Castro Theatre. For $9.50 per adult ($7 for kids), patrons can see a number of classic revival flicks, and each movie is accompanied by a live pipe organ concert beforehand. The Castro hosts a variety of events including the San Francisco International Film Festival, Noir City: The Film Noir Festival and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Built in 1922, the theater became an official San Francisco Historic Landmark in 1976. The theater is capable of showing 70 mm films and is one of only four theaters in the world that can show them with separate DTS soundtracks. Located on Castro Street at the intersection of Market and 17th.

Window shop along Haight Ashbury. Once the epicenter of San Francisco counter-culture, visitors can still feel the spirits of Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia come alive as they mosey their way down Haight Street. A number of head shops, vintage clothing stores and exclusive boutiques line the street, as well as ultra-hip restaurants and bars. It's not uncommon that you'll pass a few jam bands making some noise on the sidewalk, hoping to earn a few bucks. Be sure to visit Amoeba, San Francisco's largest independent music store housing an impressive collection of vinyl, while you're there.

Visit the Musee Mechanique at Pier 45. Consisting of a collection of more than 300 unique items and artifacts, ranging from coin-operated mechanical instruments to vintage arcade games and fortune-telling machines, the Musee Mechanique belongs to life-long collector Edward Galland Zelinsky. Admission is free, but make sure to bring plenty of quarters to try out the vintage machines. Located at Pier 45 Shed A at the end of Taylor Street at Fisherman's Wharf. For more information, call 415-346-2000.

Take a stroll through Chinatown. The hustle and bustle of San Francisco's Chinatown is quite a spectacle to see, especially if you have the pleasure of visiting during the Chinese New Year (usually held in late January and early February). The area is billed at the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and is actually the oldest Chinatown in North America. The neighborhood hosts exciting events all year long, from the Autumn Moon Festival to Chinese film screenings and festivals. Visitors can get the most out of their dollar by purchasing novelty gift items starting at $1 apiece. Highlights of Chinatown include the Chinatown Gate (marking the entry to Grant Avenue), the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (free admission daily), Waverly Place (home to multiple Chinese temples) and the Chinese Historical Society of America (free the first Thursday of each month).

Peruse through three floors of rare and popular books at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. Owned by renowned poet and activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights was founded in 1953 at its current location on Columbus Avenue, providing a home for controversial works of literature. Considered the godfather of the Beat Generation (including the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg), Ferlinghetti runs an independent business that stands up for free speech and uncensored creativity. The bookstore remains a hotbed for alternative thinking, and features hundreds of thousands of titles spanning multiple genres. City Lights features a special section dedicated to local authors, including the Beat Poets, that no writer (or literary fan) should overlook. The bookshop also features a publishing office (publishing selected titles that relate to San Francisco culture) and a poetry room for scheduled literary events. Located at 261 Columbus Avenue. For more information, call 415-362-8193.

Check out the view from the Golden Gate Bridge. This popular San Francisco landmark features some of the most breathtaking views of The City and The Bay. Connecting San Francisco to Marin County, the bridge was the longest suspension bridge at the time of construction in 1937, and today remains the second longest suspension bridge in the U.S. The east sidewalk is open to pedestrians and cyclists 365 days a year at no charge (check website for hours of operation). Automobile tolls are collected in the southbound direction (heading into San Francisco) and cost $6 for 2-Axles and $9 for 3-Axles. We definitely recommend making a daytrip of the bridge and experience it on two legs!

Visit Fort Point. History is not forgotten at Fort Point, which protected the San Francisco Harbor from Confederate and foreign attack during and after the U.S. Civil War. The Fort is currently open three days a week, Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It is located underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and provides some of the best views of the bridge you can imagine, if you visit on a clear day. Temperatures a good ten degrees cooler at Fort Point, so remember to dress in warm layers during your visit. Admission is free. Visiting between the months of March and October? Check out Fort Point's Saturday Pier Crabbing Demonstrations. Reservations are required. For more information, call 415-556-1693.

Explore SFMOMA. While adult admission to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is normally priced at $12.50, patrons can save half off if they visit during the first Tuesday of the month. SFMOMA has been delighting audiences since 1995 with its permanent collection of over 15,000 pieces of art, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper and photographs. The museum hosts a variety of contemporary artists, and the building itself can even be considered a piece of art. Check out the lobby floor, designed as a massive chess board! Located at 151 Third Street. For more information, call 415-357-4000.