Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, is now installed as a StoryWalk along JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park!

Come read the book while strolling along this incredible space for people.

The ‘X’ in my book Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure is X Chiranthomontodendron lenzii. This is a tree also known as hybrid monkey hand tree. Lucky for me and the book, it turns out the scientific name of plants that are hybrids starts with an ‘X’! You can find this fascinating tree at the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

In 2021, Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure was a nominee in the 2021 Kids’ Book Choice Awards by the Children’s Book Council.

And it was an honoree in the 2021 California Reading Association’s
Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Awards!

Any night now, the huge Monterey cypress in front of McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park will glow with hundreds of lights for the holiday season. This tree – the park’s own Christmas tree and the City of San Francisco’s official holiday tree – is known as Uncle John’s Tree. Learn all about it (and go visit it)!

This summer, more than 200 pieces of artwork celebrating Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary were submitted by kids and youth. Check out all the amazing submissions in the online gallery, plus the winners for each letter.

My favorite place to find monastery stones is the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. I think it’s the biggest concentration, plus the stones have been used to build some cool structures and are even used in a fountain.

I’ve created a map of the best places to spot monastery stones in the Botanical Garden. But keep your eyes peeled on your treasure hunt. You’ll find them on nearly every path: sometimes just a single stone here and there, sometimes an entire wall.

‘F’ is for fairy door! Because fairies love and care for nature, there are more of these mystical creatures in the park than other parts of the city. Some humans who are friends with fairies have put fairy doors on logs and trees in Golden Gate Park. This creates a place for a fairy to take shelter if needed.

Here’s directions on how to find four fairy doors I know about in Golden Gate Park.

To celebrate the launch of Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, author Marta Lindsey and illustrator Michael Wertz put together a live adventure with lots of songs, stories, and silliness.

It was a fun and wild ride around the park for kids and adults, and if you missed it, you can watch a recording.

Leading up to the launch of Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, Michael Wertz and I asked kids and grownups to send in art featuring things they love about the park. We were absolutely delighted at what was sent in. THANK YOU to all the artists… and check out their submissions!

The wonderful response to this project led us to partner with the 150th Golden Gate Park anniversary to launch a six-week A to Z art contest. Get all the details and share your art!

Now is the time to search for and spot great blue heron and great horned owl chicks. Here’s where to find them, plus other birds you’re almost guaranteed to spot if you’re in Golden Gate Park.

Author Marta Lindsey and illustrator Michael Wertz are making a collective crowd-sourced “A to Z” art project with kids and grownups to celebrate all the things that didn’t make it into Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure.

So… what do you love about Golden Gate Park? Create a one-page piece of artwork!

I adore the illustration that Michael Wertz did for “B” is for bison. Now you can learn to draw a bison, too, with the fun and informative video Michael made!

I couldn’t be luckier that the talented artist Michael Wertz illustrated Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure. Michael captures the spirit and beauty of Golden Gate Park in a timeless way.

Well, it turns out that Michael’s husband Andy Cowitt is a talented songwriter. So now, there is a Golden Gate Park 150th anniversary theme song! The song is hilarious and clever. Check it out and sing along!

The story behind the ancient carved stones that you’ll find throughout Golden Gate Park is fascinating, and once you know what they look like, they’re so fun to search for.

I’ve created a one-mile loop walk for you to find several hotspots of monastery stones in Golden Gate Park.

You can pre-order your copy (or copies!) right now from the wonderful independent bookstore Green Apple Books. They’ll ship the book straight to you, no matter what part of the country you’re in.

And… not only will you feel great supporting a local business during such a challenging time, all pre-ordered copies will be signed and personalized by me and illustrator Michael Wertz!

Want to do a scavenger hunt of all the statues in the park? Here’s the complete list, including some funny and surprising history about the many memorials. The book Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, features some of the park’s statues.

Gray whales are wonderfully predictable in their migration patterns, so if the weather is going to be clear, head to the ocean! Read my tips for whale-watching at Point Reyes National Seashore, or if you’re elsewhere in California, Oregon, or Washington, check out my guidance for spotting gray whales all along the Pacific coast.

Although the peak of the northbound migration along the central coast of California was mid- to late-March, it’s not too late to see gray whales. In fact, mid-May is one of the best times.

Right now, thousands of gray whales are passing Point Reyes National Seashore on their way south to Baja, Mexico. In fact, mid-January is the peak of southbound gray whale traffic at Point Reyes.

As someone who’s logged a lot of hours in Point Reyes trying to spot gray whales, I want to share a few tips.

Whether you’re having an ocean-themed birthday party or want more ways to explore the journey of gray whales like Little Gray on your own, here are some fun activities for kids.