Museums in San Francisco

Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts

Art Museum

Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts is a nonprofit exhibition venue and research institute dedicated to contemporary art and ideas. It is part of the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. They host rotating temporary exhibitions, public events, and do in-depth research into the future of contemporary art.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.

• "The Voice of Multiplicity" Talk by Trinh T. Minh-ha
• Cinthia Marcelle: A morta
• Abbas Akhavan: cast for a folly

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 360 Kansas St, San Francisco, CA 94103

SS Jeremiah O'Brien

Historic Site

The SS Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty ship is moored at Pier 45 near San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf area. It is one of two remaining fully functional Liberty ships of the 2,710 built and launched during World War II and it is the only one that is unaltered.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at SS Jeremiah O'Brien.

• The Steam Engine (used in the filming of the Academy Award winning movie Titanic)
• Visit the Ship’s Museum
• Panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay,

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $20 per person
• 📍 Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133

SFO Museum Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library

Art Museum

The SFO Museum was created in 1980. It was the first of its kind -- a museum in an international airport that is. The museum has grown from one small exhibition to an extensive museum in its own right offering cultural and educational programs in locations throughout the Airport's terminals.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at SFO Museum Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library.

• Masterworks by Edward Chavez: Model Aircraft Collection
• Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope
• California Studio Craft

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Cultural Center

The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (SFWMPAC) is comprised of the War Memorial Opera House, Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, Herbst Theatre, The Green Room, The Wilsey Center, and Harold L. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall. It is also home to the San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera. Tours are scheduled every Monday, except holidays, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on the hour. All tours leave from the Grove Street entrance of Davies Symphony Hall and cost $7.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center.

• War Memorial Opera House building
• Davies Symphony Hall building
• Veterans Building

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $7 per person
• 📍 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Specialty Museum

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. The Park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, a Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, Maritime Research Center, and Aquatic Park Historic District.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

• The Historic Ships
• The Maritime Museum
• The Maritime Museum

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 2905 Hyde Street San Francisco, CA 94109

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery

Art Museum

The Arts Commission founded its exhibitions program in 1970. Today it has three locations in the San Francisco area the SFAC Main Gallery, Café Valor, and SFAC Galleries - Art at City Hall. The Galleries focus on making contemporary art accessible to broad audiences. They host various curated exhibitions throughout the year.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery.

• The Continuous Thread
• Wounds Many: Portraits of the Northern Ute
• Brian Belott’s RHODASCOPE: Scribbles, Smears, and the Universal Language of Children According to Rhoda Kellogg

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 401 Van Ness Ave Suite 126, San Francisco, CA 94102

The Presidio

Specialty Museum

The Presidio of San Francisco is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In 1994 the Presidio became a national park site. The beautiful park has many wooded areas, hills, and scenic vistas overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. If you want to learn more about the park's layered history check out the Presidio Visitor Center. It hosts changing exhibits about the Presidio, information about sights and activities in the park, and a bookstore.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at The Presidio .

• Crissy Fields
• Inspiration Point Overlook
• Main Parade Ground

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Presidio Visitor Center 210 Lincoln Boulevard on the Presidio's Main Post San Francisco, CA 94129​

Octagon House

Historic Site

San Francisco's Octagon House was built in 1861. Today it is a historical landmark, an architectural treasure, and a Colonial and Federal Periods Decorative Arts Museum. The collections on display at Octagon House Museum represent decorative arts of the American Colonial and Federal periods. There are examples of American furniture, portraits, samplers, and pewter as well as English and Chinese ceramics. The museum and garden are open to the public from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the second Sunday and second and fourth Thursday of each month except January.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Octagon House.

• American Decorative Arts
• Colonial Style Garden
• Allyne Park

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 2645 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Museum of Performance & Design

Private Museum

Founded in 1947, the Museum of Performance & Design has been focused on documenting and preserving the San Francisco Bay Area’s rich and diverse performing arts heritage from the Gold Rush to the present. The collection includes personal papers of prominent artists, original costumes and design renderings, audio-visual recordings of live performances, original artwork, other artifacts, and ephemera.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Museum of Performance & Design.

• Opera and Ballet Costume Design

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 2200 Jerrold Ave, Ste. T, San Francisco, CA 94124

Museo Italo Americano

History Museum

The Museo Italo Americano was founded in 1978. The museum's mission is "to research, collect, and display works by Italian and Italian-American artists, and to promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture". Although the museum always holds temporary exhibits, it also maintains a permanent collection, including works by Beniamino Bufano, Francesco Clemente, Sandro Chia, Mimmo Paladino, and more. The museum also offers a number of Italian language classes.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Museo Italo Americano.

• Falassi Collection of Saints and Allegorical Figures
• Permanent Collection
• Historical Archive

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts

Cultural Center

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) is a multicultural, multidisciplinary arts organization located in San Francisco's Mission District. MCCLA was established in 1977 by artists and community activists to promote, preserve and develop the Latino cultural arts that reflect the living tradition and experiences of the Chicano, Central and South American, and Caribbean people.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.

• Off The Wall: Print Sale
• Juan Serrano
• Diego Marcial Art

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 2868 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

The Mexican Museum

History Museum

The Mexican Museum provides public access to art and ideas that reflect the Mexican, Mexican-American, and Latin American experience through educational programs and exhibitions. The Museum is preparing for a move to its new permanent home in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at The Mexican Museum.

• Family, Homeland, Revolution: Stories of the Chicano Movement
• Mexico in San Francisco: Works on Paper from Diego Rivera to Alejandro Santiago
• Fernando Reyes: An Artist's Evolution 1991-2017

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 649 Mission St Suite 419, San Francisco, CA 94105

International Art Museum of America

Art Museum

The International Art Museum of America is located in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood near downtown San Francisco. It is a nonprofit art museum that strives to provide a global lens for people to appreciate art and culture by unveiling the hidden bonds among seemingly disparate worlds. The collection includes art from China, Algeria, Belgium, England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Scotland, and the United States. The works range from traditional calligraphy and Western oil painting to modern ink brush landscapes, sculptures, and portraits.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at International Art Museum of America.

• Chinese ink painting & calligraphy
• Western Painting
• Sculpture

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15 per person
• 📍 1023 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Fort Point National Historic Site

Historic Site

Fort Point, located on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, is a masonry seacoast fortification. Although Fort Point never saw battle, the building has tremendous significance due to its military history, architecture, and association with maritime history. Fort Point National Historic Site provides Parks as Classroom programs designed to engage students in historic inquiry and environmental science.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Fort Point National Historic Site.

• Bookstore
• Cannons

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Long Ave & Marine Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129

Chinese Historical Society of America

History Museum

The Chinese Historical Society of America is located in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood. It is the oldest and largest archive and history center documenting the Chinese American experience in the United States. The collection highlights the experiences of the Chinese in America. They offer tours of both the Museum and the surrounding Chinatown community.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Chinese Historical Society of America.

• One Hundred Years: History of the Chinese in America by James Leong
• Gum Shan (金山) paintings by Jake Lee

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15 per person
• 📍 965 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94108

California Historical Society

History Museum

The California Historical Society is located on San Francisco's Mission Street. Its focus is on the environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural heritage of the state of California. The museum's collection includes 50,000 volumes of books and pamphlets; 4,000 manuscript collections; 500,000 photographs; printed ephemera, periodicals, posters, broadsides, maps, and newspapers. It also houses the Kemble Collection on Western Printing and Publishing; 5,000 works of art, including paintings, drawings, and lithographs; and numerous artifacts and costumes.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at California Historical Society.

• Fine Art Collection
• Manuscript Collection
• Ephemera Collection
• Photography Collection

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10 per person
• 📍 678 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Academy of Art University Automobile Museum

Private Museum

The Academy of Art University Automobile Museum is a conservator of automotive history and a tool for students in the industrial design department at the Academy of Art University. The museum is a non-profit, all proceeds go to both the Rotary Club and the Boys and Girls Club. Tours are available on Tuesdays from 11a to 1p and Thursdays from 2p to 4p.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Academy of Art University Automobile Museum.

• Tucker 48
• 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15 per person
• 📍 1849 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Madame Tussauds

Private Museum

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum with waxworks of famous and historical figures, as well as popular film and television characters from famous actors. It was originally founded in London by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud (in 2011 it celebrated its 250th anniversary). The San Francisco location has six categories: Spirt of San Francisco, History & Leaders, Sports, Music, Film, and A-List Party.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Madame Tussauds.

• Robin Williams
• Jimi Hendrix
• Jerry Garcia

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $23+ per person
• 📍 145 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Conservatory of Flowers

Specialty Museum

The Conservatory of Flowers is a national, state and local landmark located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It was actually the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park. It houses flowers, foliage, and plants from around the world, with a concentration on tropical plants. It has five distinct galleries, each focusing on highlighting a different ecosystem, ranging from a tropical rainforest to the cloud forests perched on top of mountains.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Conservatory of Flowers.

• Tropical Rainforest
• Cloud Forests
• Night Bloom

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $9+ per person
• 📍 100 John F Kennedy Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118

Aquarium of the Bay

Science Museum

Aquarium of the Bay is located close to Pier 39 in San Francisco on The Embarcadero. The Aquarium is divided into four exhibits, Discover the Bay, Under the Bay, Touch the Bay, and North American River Otters. The exhibits are focused on local aquatic animals from the San Francisco Bay as well as neighboring rivers and watersheds.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Aquarium of the Bay.

• Discover the Bay
• Under the Bay
• Touch the Bay

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $29 per person
• 📍 PIER 39 Embarcadero & Beach St. San Francisco, CA 94133

Contemporary Jewish Museum

Art Museum

The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) is located in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood of San Francisco. The museum was founded in 1984. It is a non-collecting museum which means instead of having a permanent collection it curates and hosts a broad array of exhibitions each year in collaboration with other institutions.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Contemporary Jewish Museum.

• Annabeth Rosen: Fired, Broken, Gathered, Heaped
• Levi Strauss: A History of American Style
• Show Me as I Want to Be Seen

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $16 per person
• 📍 736 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

San Francisco Cable Car Museum

History Museum

The Cable Car Museum was established in 1974. Today, it is located in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood. Its exhibits are all about the San Francisco cable car system. The museum's collection includes various mechanical devices such as grips, track, cable, brake mechanisms, tools, detailed models, a large collection of historic photographs and several examples of old cable cars.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at San Francisco Cable Car Museum.

• Sutter Street Railway
• Clay Street Hill Railroad

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 1201 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94108

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Cultural Center

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), located in Yerba Buena Gardens, is a large contemporary arts center in San Francisco. They feature visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists as well as Bay Area's diverse communities. They are firm believers that artists are essential to social and cultural movements. YBCA is a non-collecting museum with year-round rotating exhibitions.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

• The Body Electric
• Art of Peace
• Suzanne Lacy: We Are Here

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10 per person
• 📍 701 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Art Museum

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is conveniently located nearby San Francisco's bustling downtown. With seven gallery floors and 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space, SFMOMA is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States. The museum's collection includes over 33,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

• Roy Lichtenstein, Figures with Sunset, 1978
• Morris Louis, Untitled, 1959-1960
• Henri Matisse, Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau), 1905

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $25 per person
• 📍 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Exploratorium

Science Museum

The Exploratorium is an awesome science museum located on Pier 15 on San Francisco's bayfront street, Embarcadero. The large museum is divided up into several smaller galleries each with a different theme and exhibits. These galleries include Human Phenomena, Tinkering, Seeing & Listening, Living Systems, Outdoor Exhibits and Observing Landscapes. At any given time there are approximately 600 hands-on interactive exhibits on the floor.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Exploratorium.

• Mood Lighting
• Energy from Death
• Everyone Is You and Me

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $30 per person
• 📍 Pier 15, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111

Alcatraz Island

Historic Site

Alcatraz Island is located in San Francisco Bay, about 1.25 miles offshore. The island has a complicated history including (but not entirely limited too) the following: Civil War fortress, military prison, federal prison, bird sanctuary, the first lighthouse on the West Coast, and the birthplace of the American Indian Red Power movement. All-inclusive tickets to visit the island can be purchased through Alcatraz Cruises. The ticket price includes the ferry transportation service provided by Alcatraz Cruises, the cellhouse audio tour provided by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act fee. Once on the island, you can stay as long as you wish--there is a ferry departing back to SF about every half hour. You'll probably need about two to three hours to visit the whole island.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at Alcatraz Island.

• Abandoned Prison
• Oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States
• Early military fortifications

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $40+ per person
• 📍 San Francisco, CA 94133

The Legion of Honor

Art Museum

The Legion of Honor was built to commemorate Californian soldiers who died in World War I. It is a beautiful Beaux-arts building located in San Francisco's Lincoln Park. The views from the museum are stunning as it overlooks the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Bridge and much of San Francisco itself. The collection spans more than 4,000 years of ancient and European art. It includes the Hall of Antiquities, European paintings and decorative arts, a gilded Spanish ceiling, three-period rooms and more.

Highlights

Here are some of the "must see" items at The Legion of Honor.

• The Thinker by Auguste Rodin
• Detail of the Ceiling from the Palacio de Altamira from Spain, ca. 1482–1503
• The Grand Canal, Claude Monet, 1908

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15 per person
• 📍 100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121