Less of a traditional museum and more a source of interactive amusement, this old-fashioned penny arcade (with some modern video games thrown in for good measure) has been one of my favorite places to go since I was a child. Once located at the Cliff House, this mechanical-minded warehouse of around 300 antique coin-operated penny arcade diversions is guaranteed fun. Because it’s located among the pap of the Wharf, it’s easy to confuse this one as a tourist trap, but in fact, the lack of an admission fee (you’ll part only with whatever change you deposit into the machines of your choice) prove that’s not the case. Most of the machines require a few quarters to reveal their Coney Island–era thrills, and almost all of the machines are representatives of a form of mechanical artistry rarely found in working condition anywhere. My favorite machines are the Opium Den, a morality tale in which a diorama of smoking layabouts comes alive with serpents and demons, and the Bimbo Box, in which seven monkey puppets respond to your loose change by playing the Tijana Brass. The Guillotine offers macabre fun; its doors open to reveal the bloodless beheading of a tiny doll. But the standout machine is creepy old Laffing Sal, a funhouse figure that roars with laughter (and horrifies small children) upon the dropping of a coin. Don’t miss the black and white photo booths, which produce the old-fashioned, quality shots that make everyone look good. Ensuring guests have as much fun now as they did in the 1930s, when a guy named George Whitney was his generation’s leading impresario of cheap entertainment, is descendent Daniel Zelinsky, an aficionado of such amusements, who can be found on hand everyday but Tuesday, repairing and polishing his beloved machines; he often wears roller skates to get around quicker and wears a badge reading “I work here.”
San Francisco› Attraction
Musée Mécanique
Pier 45 at Taylor Street
Our Rating
Hours
Mon–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat–Sun 10am–8pm
Phone
415/346-2000
Prices
Free admission
Web site
Musée Mécanique
Map
Pier 45 at Taylor Street San FranciscoNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.