Cable Car Museum: Best For Gearheads
Hear that whirring noise coming from beneath San Francisco’s cable car tracks? Thats the sound of the cables pulling the cars, and they all connect inside the citys historic Washington and Mason Cable Car Barn. Grips, engines, braking mechanisms…if these mechanical wonders warm your heart, youll be besotted with the free Cable Car Museum.
This intriguing museum isnt just a warehouse for antiques its the functioning powerhouse that keeps the popular Powell-Mason line running. You can track the cables running down the street, through an open channel and into the powerhouse, where they wind around massive bull wheels without losing momentum or tension. Head to the upstairs deck to see the mechanisms in action and watch cables whir over the wheels as awesome a feat of engineering now as when Andrew Hallidie invented the technology in 1873.
Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center
Located in the heart of the Crissy Field public recreation area, the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center focuses on one very specific time in history.
To understand the background, you have to travel back to 1941, at a time of growing tensions between the United States and Japan. To help support the war effort, the US Army trained thousands of Japanese American soldiers as linguists to join combat units.
Building 640 a renovated hangar where the first soldiers were trained houses the museum today. The exhibits inside photographs, historical documents and personal stories of the soldiers who were part of the mission.
There are also details about the war companies they were involved in, as well as personal effects.
San Francisco Fire Department Historical Society
Did you know that the San Francisco Fire Department has long been considered one of the best fire departments in the world?
The work of the men and women of the SFFD has saved the city from destruction multiple times.
Free all year long, shows some of the incredible events and people that forged the city that we have today.
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San Francisco Railway Museum
If youve fallen in love with the vintage cable cars still riding the streets of San Francisco, this small museum is a great stop to learn more about San Franciscos rail transit history.
Although compact, theres plenty to see here, including a replica of a 1911 motormans platform, where youre more than welcome to play with the controls.
There are also audiovisual presentations, historical photographs and artifacts, and plaques full of interesting tidbits of information. Temporary exhibits usually focus on things of local importance, such as the 1906 earthquake or the history of transportation in San Francisco.
Entrance to the museum is free and visitors can also pick up unique memorabilia and San Francisco-themed souvenirs at the museums gift shop.
Museum Of African Diaspora
685 Mission St.MoAD showcases the history, art, and cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the Africa Diaspora. MoAD connects all people through shared African heritage and detailed immersive exhibits. Throughout the year, they offer special programs that bring together people of all ages through dance, music, art talks, and more.
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Explore World Art Mind
Okay, so were no New York City, but San Francisco is actually home to some truly amazing museums that boast not only incredible art, but amazing architecture and legit cafes. Another fact is that going to museums does wonders for our spirits because not only are we seeing and learning new things, were engaging with the world in different ways, finding inspiration, and creating new memories.
Whether youre interested in fine art, photography, vintage cars, antique arcade games, natural sciences, botany, or having your mind blown over and over again, here are 14 of our favorite SF museums that continuously make us think, ignite creativity in our own lives, and, perhaps most important, leave us feeling productive and satisfied. Make some time to visit in between all the other fun stuff going on this summer.
California Academy Of Sciences
Located inside Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is one of the largest natural history museums in the whole world. The entire Academy is home to more than 46 million different species of plants and animals! Its a huge museum that includes the Steinhart Aquarium , the 75-foot-tall Morrison Planetarium, and the famous Osher Rainforest exhibit. Every Thursday night, visitors aged 21 and up are invited to explore the Academy after dark with special events, exhibits, and a bar. Ticket Prices: Between between $33 and $37 for adults free for children under 3
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M H De Young Memorial Museum
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Inside the Lincoln Park lies the iconic Legion of Honor . Its collection spans 4,000 years of human history, including European paintings and sculptures, ancient art form the Mediterranean basin and one of the largest repositories of works of art on paper in the U.S. Together, The De Young and Legion of Honor comprise the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, meaning a ticket here also allows you free same day entry to the De Young.
Free museum days: Free Saturdays for Bay Area Residents Free the first Tuesdays of each month for all. Days Closed: Mondays
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The California Academy of Science is the only place in the world to contain a Planetarium, Rainforest, Aquarium, and Natural History Museum all under one roof. They also offer a popular Thursday evening 21+ ticket option, complete with DJs and cocktails matching each exhibit. We recommend going these nights and grabbing a drink, a Planetarium ticket, and walking the ascending staircase in the Rainforest Biome to reinvigorate your belief in the beauty of life.
Free museum days: SF residents receive free admission on select weekends every year. Find your zip codeto plan your visit.Where: California Academy of Science at 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
Museum Of Russian Culture
You might not associate San Francisco with images of snow-covered Russia, but the truth is that religious persecution and then the 1917 Russian Revolution resulted in many Russian immigrants making their way to the US. San Francisco, as well as other coastal cities, received the largest numbers.
The Museum of Russian Culture was born as a way to document immigration, promote Russian culture, and track the impact of Russian-Americans in the history of the country.
The museums collection is mainly based on periodicals, archival materials, documents, and photographs covering wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Romanov dynasty.
Their exhibition hall features a large number of historical photographs, costumes and uniforms, books, and more. The museum also organizes a number of activities throughout the year, including Russian folk dancing classes, and a food festival every February.
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San Francisco War Memorial And Performing Arts Center
San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center is one of the largest performing centers in the country. As a collection of six different performance halls, the Center has been home to many show-stopping performances. As the birthplace of the UN, where the charter was signed, its worth a visit for history buffs. The center is home to both the San Francisco Ballet as well as the Opera, so make sure to enjoy at least one of their classic performances. There are tours offered every Monday between 10 am and 2 pm.
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
The San Francisco Arts Commission is the city and countrys arts council. It has multiple contemporary art exhibitions across the city, located in the War Memorial Veterans Building, a storefront gallery near the City Hall, and one in City Hall itself. The Commission completely oversees the art across the city in the form of graphics, murals, and sculptures. The commission honors contemporary artists and their work in its various galleries. They go out of their way to represent the minorities and diversity of the Bay Area.
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Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum
The Good Vibrations Museum is a popular museum with a collection of antiques from the 1800s through the mid-1970s.
You can see mail-order catalogs and advertisements for personal massagers and vibrators up through the time when they became taboo.
The museum is easy to get to in the middle of San Francisco and is free to enter.
SOMETIMES FREE MUSEUMS
This section covers each of the museums that you can visit for free during certain times of the week/month.
These locations aren’t always free, but we’ll provide details about how you can visit without paying a dime.
But first, here are some museums with free days detailed elsewhere in the post.
Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture
This former military base is worth a visit even if its just to enjoy its stunning views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture , however, has a lot more to offer to visitors than great photo opportunities.
The FMCACs main focus is on rotating exhibits and performances that include everything from art by SF Bay Area residents, seminars on social and cultural topics, and a theater season filled with plays and performances.
Free walking tours organized by the center take visitors to nearby historical areas and great viewpoints while sharing details about the military background of the FMCAC.
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De Young Museum: Best For Globe
The de Youngs camouflaged, oxidized green exterior barely hints at the fantastic range of artistic wonders within. Exhibitions here boldly broaden artistic horizons, from ceremonial masks from Oceania and trippy hippie handmade fashions to James Turrells domed Skyspace installation, built into a hill in the sculpture garden.
Featuring African masks and Turkish kilims alongside California crafts and avant-garde American art, this cross-cultural collection has been expanding minds for a century. Rotating main-floor installations are riveting and diverse, from early Inuit carvings to documentary photography from US prisons. Access to the Osher Sculpture Garden is free, as is the 144ft observation tower with its 360-degree viewing room.
San Francisco Cable Car Museum
Aside from the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars are the other most iconic sight in San Francisco.
While theyre part of the public transportation system, they are also a major tourist attraction not only because of their historic significance but also because two of the three lines in the city take you straight to the popular Fishermans Wharf.
If youre curious about their history, this is one of the best museums in San Francisco to visit. The museum itself is housed in the same building where the cable car barn is. This means you can actually take a peek into the working systems and engines that power the entire cable car system today.
The museums best exhibit is the Clay Street Hill Railroad car number 8, the only surviving car from the original cable car line that took to the streets in September 1873.
There are plenty of other vintage cars here as well, and most allow visitors to climb on them for a little trip back in time. Displays contain plenty of photographs and detailed models as well.
Stop by the gift shop on your way out for some cable car memorabilia, including genuine car bells.
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Chinese Historical Society Of America: Best For Personal Stories Of Immigration
Visitors can picture what it was like to be Chinese in San Francisco during the gold rush, transcontinental railroad construction and Beat heyday in this excellent museum, originally built as Chinatowns YWCA in 1932. Historians have unearthed some fascinating artifacts relating to the Chinese history of San Francisco, including 1920s silk qipao dresses, WWII Chinatown nightclub posters, and Frank Wongs Chinatown miniatures.
Exhibits feature personal insights and Chinese American perspectives on national milestones in history including the Civil Rights movement, the Cold War, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, which officially excluded Chinese immigrants from US citizenship and civil rights from 1882 to 1943.
Gregangelos Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Looking for a romantic date in San Francisco? Artist Gregangelo Herrera is the mastermind behind the circus troupe that combines aerial arts, motion media and optical illusions to create immersive experiences that are hard to describe.
Although much of their work consist of performances and installations, Gregangelo has also converted his own home into a museum.
This is no ordinary museum, though. Think of it as a theatrical experience instead. Or walking into a surrealist painting where circus acts come to life and where LED lights, twigs and branches, and colorful mosaics all coexist.
The house itself is massive, with about 30 rooms blending into each other. Youll find bejeweled bathrooms, alien rooms, a life-sized sarcophagus in the living room, and a real llama dressed as a unicorn living in the garden.
All proceeds from the two-hour guided tours of the home are donated to a local childrens arts organization.
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Yerba Buena Center For The Arts
701 Mission St.Located in the heart of Yerba Buena Gardens, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents cutting-edge, contemporary visual art, performances, film/video, and community engagement programs that celebrate innovation and experimentation by local, national, and international artists working today. Distinguished by its support for contemporary artists from around the world, YBCA is also recognized for the important role the organization plays in the San Francisco Bay Area arts ecology and in the community at large. Artistically, YBCA is decidedly cutting edge presenting and exhibiting work by artists who are pushing the boundaries of their art in form and/or content.
San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art
One of the countrys largest modern art museums, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is found just a few steps from the citys famous Yerba Buena Gardens. Apart from the 33,000 works of modern and contemporary art inside representing Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollock’s likes, visitors will also have free access to 45,000 square feet of galleries on the ground floor of the museum. There is even an entire floor dedicated to photography. Admission is free for those 18 and younger, as well.
At more than 125 years old, De Young Museum is known for its more than 27,000 pieces spanning from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa in the forms of contemporary art, modern art, and photography. More recently, the museum has gained fame for its international textiles and costumes collections. It is located in the heart of Golden Gate Park and in 2003, upgraded its facilities thanks to a collaboration between San Francisican and Swiss architectural designers. One of the building’s best parts comes from the Observations Level of the ninth floor, which provides a stunning 360-degree view of the nearby Pacific Ocean.
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Best Museums In San Francisco
San Franciscos history and culture culminate inside its diverse museums. Some of the worlds best are found within the boundaries of this vibrant city, so finding time to visit one or two during your time there is well worth the cost of admission . Learn about science, global histories, literature, pop culture, and of course, art, at the best museums in San Francisco.
California Academy of Sciences brings the world of natural science to San Franciscos Golden Gate Park. The 400,000 square foot space is an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum all rolled into one. Plus, the building has an incredible solar panel-lined living rooftop that helps keep its carbon footprint low, and your ticket helps sponsor world-class scientific research projects. The Steinhart Aquarium houses 40,000 live animals spanning over 900 different species. At the same time, the Osher Rainforest boasts four full stories of neotropical flora and fauna, complete with free-flying birds, butterflies, and Amazonian boa constrictors.
The 15 Best Museums In San Francisco
For the curious minds, museums are a must-go place. There lies the culture, jaw-dropping artworks, and fascinating installations. And San Francisco is home to a handful of museums that will show and educate you on the artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance of various artifacts.
There are currently 54 museums in the city and we have listed the best 15 that you should definitely take the time to visit.
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Asian Art Museum: Best For Asian Culture
The most comprehensive collection of Asian art outside Asia covers 6000 years of history and thousands of miles of terrain. A trip through the galleries is a treasure-hunting expedition, from cutting-edge Japanese minimalism and seductive Hindu temple carvings to a jewel-box gallery of lustrous Chinese jade just dont bump into those priceless Ming vases!
The museums’ displays follow the evolution and migration of Asian art from West to East, along with Buddhist pilgrimage trails and trade routes toward San Francisco. If youre tight on time, follow the mapped trail of masterworks parents can pick up Explorer Cards for kids to find favorite animals and characters in the galleries.
Wells Fargo History Museum
These days, Wells Fargo is best known as a financial services company. But the history of the corporation is far more interesting than you might have thought. In fact, Wells Fargo and its famous stagecoaches were key to opening up the West to settlement, and San Francisco owes not just its prosperity but even its existence in some part to this fabled company.
The Wells Fargo History Museum is located in San Francisco’s financial district, and it gives a valuable glimpse into the Wild West days of the city. Check out the gold nuggets and go for a ride in a stagecoach to see what life was like back when San Francisco was very much on the frontier of the emerging country that became the modern-day United States.
Thanks to this museum’s central location, you won’t struggle for lunch options once you’ve enjoyed the exhibits. Check out our guide to the best street food in San Francisco to learn more.
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