Not too much to add. San Francisco and area is really great. Lots of good suggestions already.
Golden Gate Park in SF is very nice. Just walking the paths on a sunny day can be a great time. It's also massive (larger than NYC's Central Park). Contained in close vicinity within the park are 4 distinct "museums" appealing to a wide range of folk. #1: De Young Museum of Fine Arts, #2: Japanese Tea Garden, #3: California Academy of Sciences, #4: SF Botanical Garden/Arboretum. All four are potentially very worth your time - if you're into that kind of thing. I should say that there are arguably "better" similar individual museums than each of these located elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area, but the location, layout and relative newness of these sights certainly makes them notable.
One thing that is a bit of a phenomenon down these parts right now is the broadway musical production,
Wicked. I have yet to see it, personally, but can assure you that it gets
rave reviews from the vast majority of patrons. I might be the furthest thing from broadway musical type, myself, and even I hope to see it. I mean, when you know someone who currently has $80 tickets to see it for the
fourth time, it's gotta be good, right? It is
extremely popular, so be sure to buy your
tickets well in advance. Note: I hear the show generally isn't recommended for children under 12 (though it depends) due to some adult content. [
wikipedia link]
Some people are interested in Silicon Valley and would like an idea of where/how to scout out some key points of interest therein while they're in the area. Though a bit old now,
this article gives a good basis for such a self-guided tour (assuming you're renting a car). There are several other notable POIs in the area missed above, including
YouTube,
Microsoft,
Yahoo!,
Stanford, etc. Also in the same general area is the
Winchester Mystery House and
California's Great America theme park.
Another neat little "museum" an hour south of Silicon Valley is the
Mystery Spot. It's located in Santa Cruz, a beautiful destination for numerous reasons, not the least of which it's sandy beaches and world famous
boardwalk.
I could go on and on, but needless to say, you shant be bored during your stay!
