The Golden Gate Bridge

A view of the Golden Gate Bridge with blue sky in the background

May 27 and 28 was the opening anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937. May 27th was the first day for foot traffic and May 28th was the first day for automobile traffic.

Click on each of the links below to learn more!

Facts about the Golden Gate Bridge

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a bit lengthy, the view of walking on the bridge gets interesting about 4.5 minutes in. Feel free to jump ahead to other views of the walk. You can mention to your child how windy it is on the bridge from the sound on the cellphone.

Building of the Golden Gate Bridge Video footage begins at 1:25, feel free to skip to that part if you would like.

Photographs and newspaper clippings of the two opening days

If your child is interested in learning more about bridges, there are a number of ways for you and your child to explore.
  • Research different types of bridges and how they were built and what materials were needed to build them
  • Research other famous landmark bridges in the United States or in the world.
    • Locate them on a map.
    • Research why it was important for that bridge to be built
    • Why was that type of bridge chosen for that space.
  • Experiment building your own bridges out of various materials at home and or in the yard. A fun challenge to do with our time at home is to try to build one of each type of bridge.
  • Drive to different areas around Cleveland and point out bridges.
    • Name the type of bridge it is
    • What materials were made to use the bridge or have a child guess
    • Find safe bridges to walk across and look at the views and take some pictures. Here are a few to get started.
  • Take a road trip out of Cleveland to explore other bridges and find out their history. Here is a link to find covered bridges in Ohio.
  • Here is a video of Cleveland’s Center Street Bridge– a swing bridge in action.

Enjoy!