You may know San Francisco has sea lions but what do you know about these wonderfully lovable animals? Though they haven’t been a part of SF from the very beginning they are coming up on 30 years next year of making Pier 39 their home! They began arriving in large numbers shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. With a protected environment and plenty of food from the Bay, it was not a tough choice to settle into K-Dock at Pier 39. The annual anniversary of their arrival happens every January, and for the entire month (Jan. 1-28th) you can stop by the Sea Lion Center and enjoy programming every half hour from 10:30am – 3:30pm to learn about these friendly animals. They will also be offering free sea lion encounter tours on select days to see and learn about them up close. These tours are happening daily January 13-15 and 20-21, 2018 from Noon to 3pm. They depart at 12 pm, 1 pm, 2pm and 3pm from the Sea Lion Statue, west of the Pier 39 Entrance Plaza.