San Francisco Museums

San Francisco Museums

East Bay Area Museums (Berkeley, Oakland, Contra Costa County)

South Bay Area Museums (San Jose, Santa Clara, Silicon Valley)

Museum Listings:

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-581-3500
The Asian Art Museum’s myriad public programs explore the art and cultures represented in the museum’s collection and special exhibitions. The museum offers programs for visitors of all ages, and for all levels of knowledge of Asian art and culture, from novice through expert.
http://www.asianart.org/

Beat Museum
540 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
800-537-6822
Located in North Beach, The Beat Museum celebrates Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and all who influenced the Beat Generation. Offering a variety of Beat memorabilia and paraphernalia including fine art, prints, posters, photos, new and used books, CDs, DVDs, t-shirts and more, this is a must stop for all collectors and Kerouac fans. The Museum also hosts open mike poetry nights, movie screenings, and other cultural events.
http://www.thebeatmuseum.org/

California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr.
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Ca 94118
415-379-8000
415-379-5831
The California Academy of Sciences is a world-class scientific and cultural institution based in San Francisco. The Academy recently opened a new facility in Golden Gate Park, a 400,000 square foot structure that houses an aquarium, a planetarium a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof. The new facility is also home to the Academy's staff of world-class scientists, an education department that provides a wide range of student and teacher services, and an extensive science library with over 26 million specimens and artifacts.
http://www.calacademy.org/

California Historical Society
678 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94105
415-357-1848
The California Historical Society presents Think California, an exhibition highlighting the colorful history of California through the institution’s remarkable collection of artwork, artifacts, and ephemera. This ambitious exhibition asks the question “What do you think about when you think of California?” Here you see both common and little known facts of the Golden State’s fascinating history, as well as the myths and realities that are the lore of California.
http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/

California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park 100 34th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121
415.750.3600
This museum houses more than 87,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and tapestries. Some pieces date back 4,000 years. The main floor is dedicated to the museum's permanent collection, much of which features the works of Rodin. European and ancient art are also on display. The lower garden level features temporary exhibitions, ranging from Andy Warhol to Francis Bacon. Take a break in the museum cafe, which features light snacks and has outdoor seating. The gift shop, though small, has a nice selection of postcards, books, posters, jewelry and some reproductions from this and other fine arts museums.
http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/

Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94105
415-227-8666
The Cartoon Art Museum aims to make its facilities, exhibitions, and programs available to all visitors. The entrance is on street level and all galleries are fully wheelchair-accessible. An elevator allows guests to access the offices and library on the second floor. Visually impaired individuals may arrange for a docent tour.
http://cartoonart.org/

Chinese Culture Center
750 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108-1809
415-986-1822
If we want to truly understand each other we must look at where we have been and culture is the perfect and clearest window into the past of a nation. The CCC was founded on this simple premise: To introduce the richness and variety of the Chinese culture: its music, art, history, cuisine, customs & traditions, language and people, to the world and to illustrate it in as much detail as possible
http://www.chinaculturecenter.org/

Contemporary Jewish Museum
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-655-7800
Embracing a range of artistic disciplines and media, the Museum’s exhibition program includes contemporary art and historical objects, film and music, conversations, lectures, literary readings, and other live performance. Ever changing, the Contemporary Jewish Museum is a non-collecting institution that partners with national and international cultural institutions to present exhibitions that are both timely and relevant and represent the highest level of artistic achievement and scholarship. The focus of the CJM's programming is on education and outreach to the broader community with the goal of fostering interfaith and intercultural dialogues.
http://www.thecjm.org/

Exploratorium, The Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-563-7337
415-561-0360
The Exploratorium isn’t just a museum, it’s an ongoing exploration of science, art, and human perception - a vast collection of online interactives, web features, activities, programs and events that feed your curiosity.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-750-3600
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprised of the de Young in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.
http://www.famsf.org/

Maritime Park Association
P.O. Box 470310, San Francisco, CA 94147-0310
415-561-6662
415-775-1943
USS Pampanito (SS-383) is a World War II Balao class Fleet submarine museum and memorial that is open for visitors daily at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Pampanito made six patrols in the Pacific during World War II during which she sank six Japanese ships and damaged four others. Operated by the Maritime Park Association, Pampanito hosts approximately 110,000 visitors a year and is one of the most popular historic vessels in the country. In addition to day time visitors, over 15,000 kids a year participate in Pampanito's educational day and overnight programs. Pampanito is a National Historic Landmark.
http://www.maritime.org/

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
Golden Gate Park 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-750-3600
American painting, sculpture & decorative art, African, Oceanic, Meso-American, Central & South American art, textiles, contemporary craft, graphics art.
http://deyoung.famsf.org/

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94110
415-643-5001
The Mission Cultural center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) was originally called the Palmeto Museum, Originated in the early seventies by a group of San Francisco State University students who were frustrated with the lack of Chicano – Latino cultural representation and to promote Latino cultural expression, awareness and growth of the Mission District. These students and some community artist petitioned the city of San Francisco to purchased the old Shaff’s Furniture store located at 2868 Mission which became the Palmeto Museum at the same time three other buildings were purchased for the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Western Addition Cultural Center, the South of Market Cultural Center, and the Bay View Opera House.
http://www.missionculturalcenter.org/

Museo ItaloAmericano
Fort Mason Center, Building C
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-673-2200
The Museo ItaloAmericano is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to Italian and Italian-American art and culture. Established in 1978, the Museo ItaloAmericano is a non-profit institution governed by a Board of Directors. The mission of the Museo ItaloAmericano is twofold: to research, collect, and display works of Italian and Italian-American artists, and to promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture, thereby preserving the heritage of Italian-Americans for future generations.
http://www.museoitaloamericano.org/

Museum of Craft & Folk Art
51 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco CA 94103
415-227-4888
The Museum of Craft and Folk Art provides innovative exhibitions and educational programs that are designed to connect with and inspire diverse communities. As the only folk art museum in Northern California, the museum is known for a rich offering of focused and unique exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art and craft from around the world — demonstrating how folk art, contemporary craft, and fine art are all part of the same continuum.
http://www.mocfa.org/

Presidio Army Museum
Presidio Interpretation, Building 201, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-561-4323
Situated on Lincoln Boulevard (junction with Funston Avenue) is the Presidio Army Museum, housed in an old military hospital dating from 1857. There are exhibitions of relics and documents which illustrate the part played by the military in the development of San Francisco.
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/

Randall Museum
199 Museum Way, San Francisco, CA 94114
415-554-9600
Located on a 16-acre hill overlooking the City, this small, dynamic, city-run museum focuses on area wildlife and offers hands-on art and science classes for children and families. In addition to hosting interactive exhibitions in its main lobby and a new permanent tree-house themed exploration zone for toddlers, the Museum has over 50 species of live animals kids can view... and some they can even touch!
http://www.randallmuseum.org/

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
175 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-202-9850
Two floors and over 10,000 square feet filled with the strange, the unusual, and the unbelievable! See in person the incredible “Believe It or Not!’s” you’ve read about it in the Ripley books and cartoons and seen on television.
http://sanfrancisco.ripleys.com/

San Francisco Airport Museum
San Francisco International Airport - San Francisco, CA 94128
650-821-6700
The library and museum is dedicated to commercial aviation and San Francisco International Airport's role as the "Gateway to the Pacific" is in place in the new International Terminal. These collections are permanently housed in an 11,500 square foot facility modeled on the Passenger Waiting Room of the 1937 San Francisco Airport Administration Building. Its mission is to increase public awareness of the important achievements in air transport by preserving, interpreting, and sharing the history of commercial aviation. The San Francisco Airport Commission has expressed its belief that, "in order to prepare for the future, we must preserve the past."
http://www.sfoarts.org/

San Francisco Fire Department Museum
655 Presidio Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94115-2424
415-563-4630
The primary mission of the SFFDHS is to preserve the heritage and to record the history of the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) for the benefit of the citizens of San Francisco. This mission will include the conservation and preservation of the collection, display of documents, graphic items, fire memorabilia, apparatus, appliances and other items at the SFFD Museum. The SFFDHS represents the SFFD at community events and firefighter musters, in parades, displays and competitions with the apparatus of the collection. The award winning SFFDHS muster team, by preserving the physical techniques of firefighting used in by gone days, makes the SFFD Museum a museum of living history.
http://guardiansofthecity.org/

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Museum
San Francisco Maritime NHP, Fort Mason Center, Building E
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-447-5000
The park also incorporates the Aquatic Park Historic District, bounded by Van Ness Avenue, Polk Street, and Hyde Street.
http://www.nps.gov/safr/

San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design
550 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-773-0303
The goal is simple: to encourage the appreciation and the understanding of craft and design, as well as to acknowledge their strong connections to each other. Pushing traditional boundaries between these disciplines allows us to experiment at the edge of what is possible in offering innovative exhibitions, installations, and related educational programming for the local community, visitors to the area and museum members, including children, teens and seniors.
http://www.sfmcd.org/

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel.: 415.357.4000
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a dynamic center for modern and contemporary art. The museum strives to engage and inspire a diverse range of audiences by pursuing an innovative program of exhibitions, education, publications, and collections activities. International in scope, while reflecting the distinctive character of our region, the museum explores compelling expressions of visual culture.
http://www.sfmoma.org/

San Francisco Public Library History Center
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco CA 94102-4733
415-557-4400
The Daniel E. Koshland San Francisco History Center contains a research collection of books, newspapers and magazines, photographs, maps, posters, archives and manuscript collections, and ephemera, documenting all aspects of San Francisco life and history. The Center is also the official archives for the City and County of San Francisco.
http://sfpl.org/

San Francisco Railway Museum
77 Steuart Street
San Francisco CA 94105
415-974-1948
The San Francisco Railway Museum packs a great experience into a compact space, just across from the famous Ferry Building. The museum is designed to complement the historic rail vehicles of the F-line and cable car lines by serving as an information and interpretation center for them.
http://www.streetcar.org/

The Cable Car Museum
1201 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-474-1887
Houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and gift shop run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum - a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of cable car history.
http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/

The Mexican Museum
Fort Mason Center, Building D
San Francisco, CA 94123
In 1982 the Museum moved to Fort Mason Center where it has amassed a permanent collection of over 12,000 objects. This spectacular collection is unique in the nation and includes Pre-Conquest, Colonial, Popular, Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Latino, and Chicano Art.
http://www.mexicanmuseum.org/

The Society of California Pioneers
300 Fourth Street San Francisco, CA 94107-1272
415-957-1849
Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is a not-for-profit museum, library, and cultural organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of early California history for the benefit of present and future audiences of all ages.
http://www.californiapioneers.org/

The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf
145 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
800-439-4305
The spirit and energy of San Francisco is manifested in the history of one of its most popular landmarks - The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Bedecked by colorful waving flags and surrounded by a complex of gifts shops and entertainment sites, the museum welcomes guests to one of the world's most visited spots. Three generations of the Fong family have kept the Wax Museum a vital and changing San Francisco attraction.
http://www.waxmuseum.com/

Treasure Island Museum Association
Building One, Treasure Island, Room 111
One Avenue of the Palms
San Francisco, CA 94130-1806
415-413-8462
The Treasure Island Museum occupied an Art Moderne (Art Deco) structure erected in 1938 as both the administrative center for the Golden Gate International Exposition and the future terminal for the planned San Francisco International Airport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1941, the U.S. Navy acquired use of Treasure Island, upon America's entry into World War II. Building One became a command and communications center for the duration of the war. The Museum occupied the lobby of Building One from its founding in 1976 until it was closed in 1997. In addition to the Museum, Building One housed the headquarters of the Navy in San Francisco.
http://www.treasureislandmuseum.org/

Walt Disney Family Museum
104 Montgomery Street, The Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA 94129
415-345-6800
The Walt Disney Family Museum, LLC is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Disney's heirs (including Diane Marie Disney, co-founder of the Museum). It is not formally associated with The Walt Disney Company, the media and entertainment enterprise. The museum was funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation.
http://disney.go.com/

Wells Fargo History Museum
Wells Fargo Historical Services, 420 Montgomery Street (A0101-106)
San Francisco, CA 94163
415-396-2619
Wells Fargo’s History Museums and their curators welcome visitors from around the world. On display are original Concord Coaches, Wells Fargo’s Banking and Express documents, artifacts, early photos, gold coins, mining tools, ore, balance scales, working telegraphs, and western fine art. Each museum also showcases Wells Fargo’s role in regional history. Admission to all museums is free of charge.
http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
415-978-2700
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents contemporary art from the Bay Area and around the world that reflects the profound issues and ideas of our time, expands the boundaries of artistic practice, and celebrates the diversity of human experience and expression.
http://www.ybca.org/

Zeum
221 Fourth St. SF, CA 94103
415-820-3320
Zeum is San Francisco's hands-on, multimedia arts and technology museum for kids of all ages. Whether you've got a toddler or a twin, we have something for everyone! FROM: http://www.zeum.org/