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1090 Point Lobos
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Former Mayor Adolf Sutro Made the Sutro Heights (Including the Sutro Baths and Cliffside) in 1896 and he envisioned Big complex wherein one can have a bath literally then stroll around and see his extensive world wide collections of stuff and see a concert at a concert hall. Sutro Baths was created as a huge swimming and bathing facility, offering six saltwater swimming tanks of varying sizes, shapes and water temperatures that provided exercise and recreation to the San Francisco public but due to high operating cost, it went bankcrupt and in 1966, was destroyed by a fire. Today, it's ruins are a popular sideshow if one goes to visit the nearby cliffhhouse.
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The Cliff House is a historical building located at the West end of San Francisco on a bluff hanging over the ocean. The Cliff House that is currently standing was built in 1907. Two former Cliff Houses have been destroyed. The current Cliff House was acquired in 1977 by the National Parks and Recreation Service, which now maintains it.
The Cliff House is a popular tourist destination--especially in the summer. (You can see Seal Rock, Sutro's Baths, Panoramic Views of Ocean Beach and Great Highway) It is often foggy over the water, but on days when the weather cooperates, the views are quite lovely. Walks along the beach are pleasant, and most of the visitors on sunny days in the winter are San Fran locals, but be warned. Conditions can be cold and windy.
Open Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 8:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
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 The view from Sutro Heights
looking south by KarnubawaxLeave a Comment Directions: Follow Geary to Ocean Beach.
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 by KarnubawaxLeave a Comment Directions: Follow Geary to Ocean Beach. Park in the lot just above the Cliff House.
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Since 1977, the Cliff House has been owned by the National Parks Service and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Before that it was owned by George Whitney, who had bought it from the Sutro family in 1952. It was during the ownership of Adolph Sutro and family that the Cliff House spent it's heyday, as part of Playland and the Sutro Baths. Even before Sutro though, the Cliff House had considerable fame, having been first built by Butler and Buckley in 1863. In the early days, the wealthy, including three US Presidents, rode their carriages out to the restaurant as part of a day of horse racing at Ocean Beach. The original structure burned on Christmas Day 1894, after Sutro had built a railroad to allow the masses to visit the area. In 1896, Sutro built an eight story structure complete with towering spires and a viewing platform some 200 feet above sea level. During this period, the Sutro baths were also built, making the Point Lobos recreation complex one of the most visited attractions in the city. While the Cliff House survived the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, it burned to the ground a year later. Adolph Sutro's daughter Emma rebuilt the cliff house in a smaller neo-classical design. After Whitney purchased it, it was remodeled several times to meet tourist needs, but never regained the glamour of the Sutro days. Most recently, the restaurant underwent a two-year remodeling project to create a contemporary two-story room with a wall of glass looking out to ocean, a design that recalls the old steel beam ceiling of the Sutro Baths. The restaurant views are great, but local reviews of the food quality produced by the National Park Service concession make the views, rather than the food, the reason to come here. See Part 2 of this series for more information and great views as seen from the Cliff House. Leave a Comment
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 Seal Rocks from the Giant
Camera at Cliff House by atufft, 4 more photosLeave a Comment
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 Cliff House overlooking Ocean
Beach by Pounder73
Just on the North Side of the beach is the famous Cliff House Restaurant. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but never have been. I guess you are paying for more of the name and location than the food. Not my style. The more scenic ocean landscape is beyond the Cliff House at Lands End and China Beach, in my humble opinion. Leave a Comment
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 Cliff House and Seal
Rocks by grandmaR
Cliff House has been renouvated. The structure next door, which until recently housed a snack shop and the National Park Service visitors center (which wasn't there when we visited as it didn't buy the property until 1977), will be demolished. In its place, a new building will include a two-story dining room with vast views of the ocean, an observation deck and a grand entrance lobby.
Included in the $14 million renovation program are repairs to the "camera obscura" located just below the Cliff House. Leave a Comment
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 by USCgirlie |
 by caffeina
You could spend an entire day in and around this area! This is one of the most pan-San Franciscan experiences you can have for under 5 dollars. You can get there easily by public transit, you have this amazing vista that spreads out before you. From Land's End (just a light hike up the hill a ways) you can see the stunning Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate and the opening of the Bay. From the Cliff House area you can take in a view of the Pacific, Seal Rock (which is no longer a haven for Seals, they moved to the Pier-39 area long ago) or some really astonishing, breathtaking sunsets. You can take in some beautiful hiking in Sutro park, or you can hike down to the ruins of the Sutro baths and tunnels! It's so weird!
Then, back up on the cliff is the Cliff House itself, rebuilt after the first one was destroyed by fire way back when. The very best part of the Cliff House is the Musee Mechanique, which houses a great collection of antique coin operated novelty machines! How fantastic is that! You can easily spend a few hours enjoying this amusing, surreal and David Lynch-esque place for whatever pocket change you happen to have. There are even some great oldschool arcade machines in the back, if you want to spend a whole Quarter rather reliving the 80's. Leave a Comment Directions: The Cliff House is located at 1090 Point Lobos Avenue, pretty far from downtown San Francisco.
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