Free admission to SF Botanical Garden

A Leucospermum, also known as a 'California Sunrise,' is seen in the South Africa Garden area at the Botanical Garden in San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, April 1, 2017. A Leucospermum, also known as a 'California Sunrise,' is seen in the South Africa Garden area at the Botanical Garden in San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, April 1, 2017. Photo: Mason Trinca, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Mason Trinca, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Free admission to SF Botanical Garden 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

If on our national day of thanks you’d like to pay tribute, but not cash, to nature’s bounty, San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park stays open and offers free admission every Thanksgiving.

The garden’s 55 acres feature plants from far corners of the globe, from Chile to New Zealand, from South Africa to Southeast Asia, and from far reaches of time. (One section is devoted to ancient plants.) These multinational species can all thrive here thanks to Karl the Fog and other peculiarities of our most peculiar microclimate.

The garden especially recommends visiting its Andean Cloud Forest this time of year; that area houses its renowned collection of high-elevation palms — some of which have a native habitat of more than 10,000 feet above sea level. Flowers in this part of the garden blossom into shapes straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.

— Lily Janiak

San Francisco Botanical Garden: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23. Free. Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park, S.F. (415) 661-1316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org