In 1851, three quarters of San Francisco was lost to fire. It happened again after the great earthquake of 1906. But fire has also warmed many a cold San Francisco evening and brought people together. Look no further than where the Pacific Ocean meets the sands of Ocean Beach.

Here San Franciscans, landlocked neighbors and tourists have flocked for generations to beach bonfires as a soothing source for connections, warmth and companionship. On the rarest of warm, clear nights, they can turn acres of sand into a tropical playground. But more than not, they’ve served to shelter those huddled around from the cold sting of swirling fog and wind more typical of our summer nights. Enter the scene via a classic mini-golf loop-de-loop for a quintessentially San Francisco experience.