How to spend a day in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco’s historic home of counterculture

The Summer of Love bestowed this district with its bona fide cool factor in the 1960s, but Richard Franks discovers that its charm remains in hipster stores, diverse places to eat and trendy bars

Colourful Victorian-style buildings can be found on the streets in Haight-Ashbury (Getty)

Our microguides series is inspired by the slow travel movement, encouraging travellers to relax their pace and take a deep dive into one particular neighbourhood in a well-loved city. Rather than a whirlwind itinerary which aims to hit up every must-see attraction, these compact, close-up guides encourage you to zone in, take your time and truly explore like a local.

Few intersections in the US hold as much cultural gravitas as San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. Made famous during the 1967 Summer of Love, these two then unassuming street corners blossomed under the hippie-led “flower power” era as an estimated 100,000 youths spanning the US arrived in this suburb to spread social values and indulge their hedonism.

Haight-Ashbury would soon sprawl outwards as a psychedelic playground, with musicians including the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin citing the area’s free-thinking nature and affordable rent, among other illicit reasons, as elements that made it so attractive.

Today, Haight-Ashbury remains a vibrant area and meeting point of the eclectic, and is home to colour-popping Victorian houses, quirky vintage shops and the world’s largest independent record store. If you find yourself in San Francisco and want a taste of counterculture history, and much more besides, here’s what not to miss in the neighbourhood.

What to do

Go vintage clothes shopping

Haight of hippiedom: were it not for the Swinging Sixties, this intersection may never have been widely known (Getty)

Is this the best place in San Francisco to bag a pre-loved garment? More than a dozen vintage stores and thrift shops are packed into a half-mile radius on Haight Street, between Central Avenue and Strayan Street, selling everything from Levi’s jeans to antique jewellery. Try Relic Vintage for rare finds or go thrifting at Held Over.

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Visit the homes of famous rockers

Haight-Ashbury wouldn’t exist in its current guise if it weren’t for that inadvertent spotlight placed on the neighbourhood by its hippie rockers. Music fans flock from all over the world to spend time in the area where the famous 1967 Summer of Love all began. You can’t go in, but you can see the apartment where nomadic guitar genius Hendrix lived for a short time, plus the historic Grateful Dead House where the band lived and jammed together; both praised the low rent of the area at the time for allowing the magic to happen.

You’ll find psychedelic art and can explore the band’s history at the Grateful Dead House (Getty)

Explore Golden Gate Park

It might not run through Haight-Ashbury but the city’s largest park has its boundaries on the edge of the district. This 1,017-acre green space stakes its claim as the third most visited park in the US. Summer concerts are often held on Robin Williams Meadow, a memorial patch for the late actor who lived in San Francisco, while the suitably named Hippie Hill sees thousands descend upon it on 20 April (or 4/20) to celebrate California’s legal right to use cannabis. There’s also a skate park, multi-use trail and botanical garden, plus the Kezar Stadium, the former home of the San Francisco 49ers American football team.

On the periphery of Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park is one of the most popular green spaces in America (Getty)

Where to eat

Cha Cha Cha

With such a mix of cultures, it’s no surprise that this neighbourhood’s food offering has the eclecticism to match. Cha Cha Cha is a Caribbean tapas-style restaurant which comes highly recommended by those lucky enough to live near it; just ask any local where to eat and they’ll tell you here. Its Cajun garlic shrimp is off the scale but you’ll want to round up your pals and try the paella.

Parada 22

Sticking with the Caribbean vibe, Parada 22 serves up authentic Puerto Rican dishes in a warming environment famous for its great value. Everything on the menu – including their renowned fried plantain and sautéed shrimp dish, mofongo – is $21 (£16.50) or under, while sangria flows aplenty at happy hour.

Slice House Pizza

Pizza by the slice may just be the greatest post-bar snack, and Haight-Ashbury has many bars. Slice House is headed up by Tony Gemignani, one of the best pizza chefs around: he’s been crowned world pizza champion a stonking 13 times. You can’t go wrong with an NYC slice after a few craft beers, and their Detroit pepperoni is something else.

Where to drink

The Alembic

San Francisco’s cocktail scene has a lot to thank The Alembic for; this rustic spot leads the way in Haight and beyond with its forward-thinking approach. Twists on cocktail staples include a brown-butter old fashioned and a black manhattan with salted cacao. Arrive early and cosy up in a leather booth.

Magnolia Brewing

In 1997, the original Magnolia location found its home on the former site of the Drugstore Cafe, one of the original Sixties hippie hangouts in Haight. Some 3,000 beer batches, spanning IPAs to stouts, have been produced in its basement and poured upstairs since then, with many named after the city and Haight-Ashbury’s notable residents. Try a pint of Misty Bay, a tropical hazy IPA, or a Janis Joplin, a citrusy double IPA.

Trax

Trax is a welcoming dive bar often frequented by the local LGBT+ community. While it might not look like much from the outside, there’s something truly great hiding inside: San Francisco’s cheapest happy hour. Domestic beer is $3 between noon and 7pm from Monday to Friday, but is $2 all day and night on Tuesdays, and any bar open since 1940 must be doing something right (there’s a pool table, too).

Where to shop

Love on Haight

Nothing screams Summer of Love like Love on Haight. This colourful emporium of peace and love stocks the world’s largest collection of tie-dye and should really be seen to be believed. T-shirts, dresses and even underwear – it has it all. There’s also a Grateful Dead merch section, in a gentle nod to their 2000 album Ladies and Gentlemen... the Grateful Dead which features the shop owner’s tie-dye artwork on the cover.

Rainbow road: vibrant colours promise plenty of tie-dye inside Love on Haight (Richard Franks)

Amoeba Music

You’ll find another “world’s largest” at Amoeba: this time it’s an independent record store. One of three stores across California, the eclectic Amoeba not only stocks a ridiculous amount of physical music, its free concerts and events also make it a popular hangout for rockers. Amoeba is housed within a former bowling alley and reflects Haight-Ashbury’s progressive, free-thinking spirit: rainforest conservation, recycling efforts and local charity causes are all supported through purchases.

The Booksmith

The Booksmith is one of San Francisco’s best-loved small indie bookshops. This cosy literature spot stocks a good collection of new and classic books, with a particular focus on subgenres related to the storied past of its neighbourhood. Keep an eye on their events as many names associated with the Sixties and Seventies, such as Neil Young, Patti Smith and the Grateful Dead, have all made appearances.

Many of the books at The Booksmith are related to the local area’s past (Richard Franks)

Where to stay

Stanyan Park Hotel

For all its cultural significance, Haight-Ashbury does lack depth in accommodation. Its only real hotel option is Stanyan Park, a boutique Victorian hotel with 36 elegant rooms and a full breakfast buffet with each stay. Having lived a previous life as a saloon and small lodge from 1883, it remains the oldest hotel on the borders of Golden Gate Park and is one of San Francisco’s most historic.

The Line

Consider The Line, at the corner of Turk and Market, for something more modern. This imposing flatiron building celebrates local art from its lobby up to the rooms, while there are daring cocktails on offer in its rooftop bar and Asian-Northern Californian dishes at its lauded Tenderheart restaurant. Its 236 rooms feature king-sized beds, downtown San Fran views and high-end Grind espresso machines, while suites also include rolltop baths and plush sofas. It’s just a 15-minute Muni bus ride to Haight-Ashbury (catch No 6 or 7 at Market Street and 6th Street from outside the hotel).

Getting there

Virgin Atlantic operates daily flights from London Heathrow to San Francisco International Airport.

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