Things to Do in San Francisco by Moscone Center

Moscone Center, located in the center of downtown San Francisco, plays host to dozens of conferences, expos and other business events throughout the year -- it's especially popular with technology companies. But whether you're in the area for work or for play, you'll find plenty of off-site diversions within just a few blocks. Shopping and dining options abound, as do more culturally elevated attractions.

Ride a Carousel

• The Yerba Buena Gardens are actually located on top of part of the Moscone Center complex. This multi-use complex has several components including a bowling alley, a skating rink, a playground and a fountain that doubles as a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. You'll also find a vintage carousel, originally erected in San Francisco in 1906 and lovingly restored and maintained by the nearby Children's Creativity Museum.

Visit a Museum

• Moscone Center is surrounded by world-class museums, from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art just to the northeast and the Contemporary Jewish Museum to the north, to smaller and more focused museums such as the Cartoon Art Museum and the Museum of the African Diaspora. Meanwhile, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents music and dance performances and installations, providing exhibition gallery space for a variety of innovative visual art.
• Catch a Movie

• If museums are too highbrow for what you're looking for, you can always catch a movie. Several theaters are located nearby, including the Sony Metreon and the Westfield Centre Cinemas. Both show first-run movies in theaters with stadium seating and similar modern comforts. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts screens more artistic and experimental film work regularly as well.

Eat a Tasty Treat

• Dining options are plentiful and varied around Moscone Center. If you like cream puffs, Beard Papa's -- the local outlet of a famed Japanese chain -- is nearby. If you crave a sophisticated tea lounge experience, head to Samovar in the Yerba Buena Gardens. For top-level fine dining, the Fifth Floor is dedicated to wedding haute cuisine with ecologically mindful practices from selecting sustainable food sources to recycling kitchen oil.

Shop Your Heart Out

• Just across the street from Moscone Center is the Westfield Shopping Center, anchored by a branch of Nordstrom's. Right next door is Bloomingdale's as well as smaller shops such as the Art of Shaving and Kate Spade. In the Metreon complex you'll also find an outlet for local press Chronicle Books full of colorful gifts.