Musee Mecanique
Musee Mecanique
4.5
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
This superb collection of mechanical games and toys will entice people of all ages.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Fisherman’s Wharf
Packed with family-friendly entertainment, quality hotels, and good food, there’s something for everyone at Fisherman’s Wharf. From street performers and historic cable cars to art galleries and museums, a postcard-worthy photo is available on every corner. Bring your appetite: seafood lovers will be rewarded with Dungeness crab and sourdough bread bowls, while Ghirardelli Square will satiate anyone’s sweet tooth after a day at Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Don't forget to say hello to the adorable sea lions that make this neighbourhood a true San Francisco treat.
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Best nearby
Restaurants
3,153 within 5 kms
Attractions
1,116 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- Clay GChicago, Illinois1,139 contributionsFun and GamesI have nothing bad to say. It's basically an arcade but also a museum. You can play pretty much everything there for a nominal price but a lot of it's just cool to look at. Also you can win little prizes in some of them and look at how happy I look.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten December 8, 2023
- Jane CBeauly, United Kingdom234 contributionsMagical - could have spent days here.Magical - loved it so much we're going back for another look. Like a trip into my childhood with all these mechanical toys, but also a fascinating insight into life before mobile phones! A real treasure of a place.Visited February 2024Travelled with familyWritten February 17, 2024
- billk1954Parker, Colorado293 contributionsCould Have Spent All Day Here!What a great find Musee Mecanique was on our trip to San Francisco last week. I had no idea there was such a place as a museum/arcade that featured games of skill, nickelodeons and player pianos, and vintage video games (original "Pong"!) - some that date back about 100 years. And you can actually play them!! I grew up playing pinball machines and it was a blast reliving those times while playing the old time baseball and bowling games. Admission is free and there are plenty of change machines available to exchange bills for quarters. What a blast from the past!!Visited May 2024Travelled with friendsWritten May 22, 2024
- Rachel & Andy392 contributionsA Fun Step Back in TimeVisited 10/06/2023 Fabulous hidden gem in Fisherman's Wharf. We loved looking at and playing on the old style arcade games that have been lovingly retro-fitted for modern coins. A museum of fun, and was a surprise find during our walk around the Wharf. Would recommend popping in for a visit to have fun back in time.Visited June 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten May 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,978 reviews
Excellent
1,769
Very good
941
Average
230
Poor
35
Terrible
3
steve
phoenix, Arizona, USA111 contributions
Dec 2019
With each passing year as we advance into digital gaming, these relics become more amazing. It's fun to imagine the creative talent required to construct some of these mechanical beauties. I think some of them have seen better days in terms of performance. Nonetheless, certainly worth a quick visit for anyone mechanically inclined or inquisitive.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Poppy Mae
Windsor, UK5 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
This museum is a collection of vintage arcade games of which were collected over time and positioned in this warehouse for the enjoyment of the public. Our personal favourite was the multiple photo booths scattered around. There were a few issues with the printing, but their maintenance worker didn’t stop until it was fixed and even gave us dollars to test the machine with and gave us the pictures for free. He rides around on rollerscates and is really a sight to watch and also hold a conversation with. He has an abundance of information on San Francisco and the local area, as well as the history of the museum. Just make sure you take quarters when you visit!
Written July 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
broketraveler
Parksville, KY273 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
This is a super cool place! We accidentally wandered in while looking around fisherman warf which was pretty desolate. Lots of old games which were interesting but also new games as well. Only 50 cents a game. It’s free to get in and worth looking around at the old games if you don’t like playing. But there is everything from pinball and air hockey to Pac-Man
Written June 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelingSwan
Concord, CA58 contributions
Sept 2020
Arcade games from the past, measure your strength, how in love are you? These are a couple of the old games they have there. You can really see the original pin ball machines and learn a bit about history as well. It can be pretty busy with lots of kids running wild depending on when you go
Written April 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
welikethecoast
Chico, CA8 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
This is probably on of the least expensive and most unique tourist attraction in SF.
I like this place so much that I'm having a hard time writing about it because everything I come up sounds diminishing or contrived. This is a glimpse at history that is in some ways static and in other ways interactive. It lets you experience things that children marveled at over 100 years ago and to see things that were considered interesting enough to hand build into mechanical representation. I love this place and if you are interested in history and have an inner child, you'll love it too.
I like this place so much that I'm having a hard time writing about it because everything I come up sounds diminishing or contrived. This is a glimpse at history that is in some ways static and in other ways interactive. It lets you experience things that children marveled at over 100 years ago and to see things that were considered interesting enough to hand build into mechanical representation. I love this place and if you are interested in history and have an inner child, you'll love it too.
Written August 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tabitha
Cuyahoga Falls, OH342 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
This place was a hit with the kids. All kinds of old machines and games from arcades. Free to enter and pay for what you want to or watch others who put money in the old machines. Crazy that some of these are actually still working! Great to visit if you are waiting for a ferry or rainy day!
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fireweed25
Edmonton, Canada257 contributions
Oct 2024 • Family
I wanted to check out this place as something on my wish list to see/do while in San Francisco. I dragged my husband and young adult children to Musee Mechanique and we ended up having so much fun! We enjoyed the classic arcade games as well as the antique entertainment ones. It is a museum, except you don’t just look at exhibits, you are an active participant and get to try out the games. My kids also loved that the older male employee was on roller skates! We found all of the games were inexpensive to play which was made easy by the many cash machines around the museum to get quarters. Recommend a visit to those of all ages.
Written October 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
billk1954
Parker, CO293 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
What a great find Musee Mecanique was on our trip to San Francisco last week. I had no idea there was such a place as a museum/arcade that featured games of skill, nickelodeons and player pianos, and vintage video games (original "Pong"!) - some that date back about 100 years. And you can actually play them!! I grew up playing pinball machines and it was a blast reliving those times while playing the old time baseball and bowling games. Admission is free and there are plenty of change machines available to exchange bills for quarters. What a blast from the past!!
Written May 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JJJC_Family
Virginia793 contributions
Dec 2022
If you love old amusement park games from the old arcades and you want to swim in nostalgia and even history, this is the place for you. Everything you could want is here - pinball machines, PacMan, Space Invaders and its ilk, Skee Ball, ancient baseball batting like pinball machines, juke boxes & their various predecessors, picture booths - only $5 now for 4 shots and for black & white ( talk about inflation ), a man's personal version of a circus mechanized, etc., etc., etc. I thought we'd spend a half an hour, but it was so large and so fascinating, we probably spent two hours there or more. Strangely, it will be one of the most vivid memories of a trip that included all four of the main islands of Hawaii, San Francisco, Carmel, Big Sur and more. Perhaps because it's one of a kind. And it's a kind I like.
Written December 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paradise Lost
Burnet, TX181 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
Wow, this was so much fun! Such unique old games, some more modern ones, and my favorite were the pinball machines. You really must at least stop by and check it out, and most games are 50 cents or less. Our whole family loved it, 13-65 years old all included!
Written March 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola, estarán abiertos los primeros dĂas de Diciembre?
Written November 20, 2020
Ed Zelinsky is the owner, according to Wikipedia. He started collecting at age 11 and his games were first exhibited in the 1920s at Playland.
Written June 16, 2018
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