I totally love this place. No admission fee at all. First time ever coming here as my bf recommend it and I had so much fun! Looking and playing at all the vintage arcade games. There's even a change machine where you can get quarters. Some games cost $0.25 per game and some were $1 a play. I especially had fun dancing to the piano and getting my cardio on. The arm wrestling game was hard. Even at the lowest and easiest level I still lost to the machine. Haha. Oh well. It's a great place for adults and kids of all ages. Will definitely come back again soon! read more

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It's really fun and cool Great for kids and all ages Kind of loud Very interactive Not expensive Lots of stuff around the area too and food read more

Fun time playing some classic games. Highly recommend if you want to kill time waiting for food. $10 goes a long way

Not a museum, a time travel machine! "What da' hell's wrong with you Afshin?!", I asked myself after walking in here for the first time in 15+ years of living within walking distance of it! This place is awesome! As I was walking around I often ran into a machine from 70s and 80s that brought back so many memories. It felt like I had traveled back in time! I so clearly remembered how I spent small fortunes on certain machines when I was a high-school or college student! There are over 300 mechanical machines from different periods of 20th century in this place and most, if not all, of them are still in perfect working condition. You are very likely to find a machine that you remember from your teenage years. It will bring back memories, I guarantee you. If you ever visit San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, you should stop here. There is no entry fee, but you will have to pay to play with the machines. read more

Musee Mecanique - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Must see!! I had no idea that places like this existed. There are arcade games and other vintage coin operated entertainment. It was like stepping in a time machine and landing in a world that I never knew about. Not only did we have fun getting our fortune told or playing whack-a-mole, but we learned that arcade games used to be like shows. Really glad that we just happened to walk by this place. Definitely go and support this business so our future generations can continue to learn about our history! Bonus: I believe this is where some scenes in the movie "The Princess Diaries" took place! Super cool to pose with the famous arm wrestling game! read more

Talk about a blast from the past. This museum is a hidden gem and can be easily missed with all the activities and restaurants Fisherman's Wharf has to offer. However, with due diligence, you'll be glad to have found this hidden wonder. Behold: The Musée Mécanique! Located right on Historic Pier 45 in Fisherman's Wharf. The Musée Mécanique is a unique museum where you can touch and use the artifacts. The artifacts you'll find here are arcade machines! No, not the ones you find at your local arcade; I'm talking about old school mechanical machines. Granted, there are modern arcade games mixed throughout the museum for those who aren't feeling quite as nostalgic. The Musée Mécanique is free to enter and wander about, but to operate the machines will require some cash. Great thing is that most of the machines only require a few quarters. One of the more notable and rarer historical pieces is a large diorama of a traveling carnival with a Ferris wheel. And then, there's the creepy 6-foot-tall, laughing automaton called Laffing Sal. From video games and player pianos, photo booths and music boxes, to peep shows and pinball machines, this place has it all. The Musée Mécanique literally feels like a jump back through time. I'm pretty sure most of those mechanical machines are way older than me! But that's what gives this place so much character. And to be able to operate and play a part of history is such a humbling and wholesome experience. If you're ever in Fisherman's Wharf or visiting San Francisco for that matter, I highly recommend putting this place on your "must-see" list. read more

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When visiting a friend, she was excited to take me here since a scene from Princess Diaries was filmed here. The famous arm wrestling machine and Laughing Sal are he highlights. There are plenty of arcade games, most are antique or vintage games but there are also some newer ones too. The older games are typically $.25 or $.50. This is a fun place to check out if you are near the Wharf area read more

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Fun old-fashioned arcade. Right on fisherman's wharf took my 21-year-old son there. He had already been there, but it was still a lot of fun seeing the old games free to get in. read more

Have been here two times with the last visit being a few months ago. I just love how many cool antique machines are inside this enormous building/hanger. From laughing Bertha (I think that's what her name is) to an old school photo booth, there is fun to be had by people of all ages. I really love the old school claw/crane machines like the one that give you gum balls or the ones that let you win cheap plastic toys. I also love the machines that tell you your fortune, future or tidbits about yourself through paper cards that come out of the machine. There are machines were you can arm wrestle, watch a carnival come to life, see buffalo grazing, play soccer against a friend and even watch someone get beheaded lolz So many cool machines to test out for a low low prize of a few coins or so :) read more

Musee Mecanique - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Interesting and quirky to say the least. Stopped in on a whim and had the opportunity to see a ton of old "games" that I never knew existed. I have to say, some of them are no-thrills.... ie the "buffalo and Indian" game and the "execution" we certainly not worth it, but some others were much more exciting and interesting. I wish though that they would clean and dust some of the characters within these machines as they are quite Dusty! Also, there are modern arcade games mixed in to keep your kids busy while you browse. Enjoy! read more

What a fun way to spend some nostalgic time in San Francisco while enjoying Fisherman's Wharf! This place is a time capsule, you can leave your modern day worries - and your hi-tech gadgets - at the door because as soon as you enter the Musée Mécanique, you are travelling through time and you have just entered the fun zone! Seriously, check this place out, it will bring smiles and memories to your adult self while introducing the younger ones how fun was always supposed to be! Musée Mécanique, historic and nostalgicly fun too! Arcades have an intrinsic nostalgic value that brings us back to a simpler childhood that was sometimes mischievious, but was always innocent. And one of the worlds largest arcades in the early years could be found at Musée Mécanique in the old San Francisco Playland, a nostalgic artifact in itself. The remnants of Musée Mécanique which has been well travelled including a long stint at the basement of the Cliff House, and parts of the arcade collection have even showed up at "Playland Not At The Beach" in El Cerrito California which have closed recently http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org/ , has been housed at Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133 for awhile now. Laffing Sal survives! "The museum's original owner, Ed Zelinsky, began collecting at age 11. His games were exhibited in the 1920s at Playland. In 1972 Playland closed and Musée Mécanique became a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The museum moved into the basement of Cliff House, just a few blocks north and across the Great Highway from the Playland site. Zelinsky's son, Dan Zelinsky, took a temporary job in the 1970s maintaining the collection. In 2002, when renovations to the Cliff House had begun, the National Park Service announced plans to relocate the Musée Mécanique temporarily to Fisherman's Wharf. A portion of the $14 million renovation was devoted to moving the museum, with support from the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and museum owner Ed Zelinsky." -wikipedia https://sanfrancisco.wingsdomain.com read more

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Awesome place to just check out if you have 30min - 1 hr to kill. It's filled with antique games that are pretty cheap to play too! There are change machines, so if you didn't bring any quarters, don't worry, you can convert your dollars to quarters there. A lot of the games are 25 cents, but there are some that do cost more. TIP: Some of the games/items have instructions that would be helpful to read before putting your money in. You'll think the machine is broken, but it just needs to be set to a certain "mode" before you can put the quarter(s) in. read more

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A very cute and unique museum with one of the largest privately owned collections of vintage coin operated music instruments and antique arcade. Also battleship, submarine and warhead from World War Two in the back next to the bay. I had never seen vintage arcade anywhere, some were dated back to 1920s, just how amazing is that! Museum is free but you do need quarters to play the antique machines, and they were so much fun to look at and play! We could easily spend an hour here without realizing it. I think if you travel with small children, they would love to play at this cute little museum! This museum is located at fisherman's wharf so it's packed all day everyday, come in have a look and play a little, it's a nice little stop to relax on a sightseeing day! read more

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This place is so unique! I love all the different games you can play in here. There are so many different options. I think this would be great for all ages because of the wide selection. It's really large but also kind of dark. I went in the summer and there were a lot of kids running around. It was pretty loud. Be prepared to be patient! read more

Now this is my kind of place, the older the better! Added bonus if a game shoots a projectile ball at high speeds, hits the targets and then comes racing back to smack the plastic barrier protecting you. We were in SF for five days and actually went back here THREE TIMES. Forget all of the other touristy junk in the area, hit up Musee with $5-10 and have amazing fun playing games that are older than your great grandfather. Watch out for the worker on roller skates who can fix a 45 year old machine in under five minutes, I think he also moonlights as a magician on the weekends because nobody knows that many tricks. Some of the games are macabre, others use tricks that have been around 100 years to draw you in. "XXX - watch ladies!" (spoiler alert) is really nothing more than a woman beating a man with what looked like a frying pan. Here is my quarter old machine, you've earned it for fooling me. I think my favorite was the bowling machine in the very back where you get about five frames, it reset the pins every time and if one accidentally falls over, it was smart enough to reset and stand them up again....I think I was most impressed by that in general. You've seen this featured in "The Princess Diaries" from more than 15 years ago and always wanted to go....so do it! It's magical, a learning experience and of course museum all in one. There is no fee to enter, just money to play the machines. If you don't find something here that amuses you even a little bit, then you are dead inside. read more

Musee Mecanique - *spoiler alert* So one of the games, the Native dies. - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

Really neat place to stop by and visit near fisherman's wharf. They have some antique arcade games and music boxes, old pinball machines, strength tests, and more. There are also a few more modern arcade games, though I feel like every game is at least 25 years old or more (Simpsons arcade game, Terminator shooter game, X-Men vs Street Fighter). The great thing is that there's no admission fee, which makes it fun to go even if you forgot your quarters. A lot of the activities in the area are costly for families, so it's nice to have somewhere where you don't have to spend a ton just to see. The only gripe is the lack of clean bathrooms. Also, some of the machines don't quite work very well (whack a mole comes to mind), though I think that ought to be part of the expectation. Some of these machines are really really old, and ought to be treated with care or shouldn't be expected to function like new. This is a perfect place to come visit in it's own right, but especially for those times where you're waiting for a boat tour or need to kill time before lunch or dinner. Worth checking out at least once! My kids were begging for more quarters! read more

Every time I come to the Bay and swing thru The Pier, I make a stop here just for nostalgia! Bringing the young ones was great as they got to see 1st hand the evolution of games... not everything was an app or digital guys. Always a good way to spend some coins, reminisce while playing and share some of my childhood memories... When Star Wars came out I thought it was the most advance, realistic game... compares to Galaga that is. Pinball machines, other Atari classics and many more games that you've forgotten or never knew about are here. Not every game is fully operational, but you won't get caught unsuspectedly dropping coins as you know it's not working. Change machines on hand so bring some $5 or $10 bills to enjoy it all! Seeing all these games read more

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Loved this place, hate SF. I try to stay away from SF... anywhere you go takes at least an hour and good luck finding parking. But if you do manage to find a spot, you will spend at least $60 in parking fees. Anyways... if you love old fashion games, were both in the 60's-90's, it wil bring back good memories of your childhood. The games are affordable, not $5 a game like regular arcades. They do have change machines, but bring your quarters. Easy to spend a couple hours in it and will bring some smiles. read more

We stopped by here to kill some time while waiting for our flight to leave for the night. It was an interesting place to check out old games and entertainment. Recommended for a quick stop in if you're in the area. read more

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On Saturday May 19, I Lorraine C of Selma, Ca beat the high score on Ms PAC-MAN! Yes it is true, and I did it with only $.50. This is truly a great place to chill for an hour or two and play some old school video games. If you're not a video game fan, there is a lot of creepy, interesting vintage things to look at as well and this is also an outdoor walk you can take with a ship outside and a beautiful view of the bay. There is something for everyone here. It's located at the beginning of Fisherman's Wharf inside a shed looking building.....oh and Admission is FREE!!! read more

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What an extremely fun blast to the past! We happened upon this place by chance and were immediately taken in with the feel of the place. There are tons of old arcade games/shows that are not only fun, but give a really interesting look back in history. We had an absolute blast and spent a good hour here just admiring all of the games. read more

what if I told you that you can go back in time? admission is free to one of the world's largest collections of antique arcade games and most games are only 25 cents. Come try your luck at a love tester or arm wrestling. there are many rare and historical pieces here and it's quite bizarre and surreal to see what once was considered entertainment the best part is that admission is free! and games are only a quarter read more

Haven't been since middle school but it's still the same old place, doesn't really get any older than it already is. Pretty nostalgic coming back after so long, glad to see nothing much has changed and that the place is still there. It's a great way for anyone curious to play these arcade machines from the past, or just a place to walk around and find interesting things. Also a great place for any locals who want to bring relatives from outside the city and such. read more

Musee Mecanique - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Even my one and a half year old had a blast at this place! So many interesting things to do and stuff to see. Make sure you take a bunch of quarters to see what the machines say or do. You can also watch from afar if someone else puts a quarter in, but if you are curious like me, you will need some change. They do have machines that make change there, in case you forget. I appreciated the fact that admission was free, a rarity in times like this. I will definitely be coming back next time we are in SF. What a nostalgic and whimsical place to visit! We enjoyed every second of it. read more

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Antique mechanical games of all sorts. Kids (and adults that are still kids at heart) will love this place! Bring a pocket of quarters. What an amazing, unique place, and its free! Check out "laughing Sal" (strangely scary even for adults!), the mechanical circus, and the diorama of the ranch hands sitting around the campfire (my fave!). I wish I could have spent the whole day there! It's in the Fisherman's Warf area near the other tourist attractions. Go! Laugh! Giggle! Repeat! read more

This place is INCREDIBLE! I am sooooo glad we came. Our kids, ages 4 and 6, had a blast. We could have easily spent SO MUCH MORE TIME HERE. I would allocate 1-2 hours. Admission is free. The games are all very reasonable and they have a machine that gives change for dollar bills (without charging you a fee to make change). The games ALL WORK (unlike Chuck-e-Cheese, lol) and I LOVE that you have to put in actual coins rather than have a "debit" type card. My kids were thrilled. The service was amazing too. There was a super kind woman working when we got there right at 10 am. She showed us that they had barstools sprinkled throughout the museum for kids who weren't tall enough for certain games which I thought was a really thoughtful detail. read more

The Musee Mecanique is a must do while wandering around Fisherman's Wharf and the surrounding area, and one of my favorite accidental discoveries in recent history. First of all, a free museum? Yes, sign me up. Granted, it's one of those times where you go for free, then have to purchase individual experiences once you're inside. But those experiences are completely optional. I found my entertainment just by walking around and staring, and you certainly can too. In fact, walking around landed us at the Musee in the first place. We saw it, thought it looked fascinating, went inside, and the rest is history. Literally! The Musee Mecanique focuses on what can best be described as antique arcade machines and even a few vintage video games. History gives us the chance to play with some amusements of yesteryear or just treat them as you would a painting. Personally, I didn't want to run the risk of breaking a beautiful machine, so I chose to stay away from the change machine near the entrance and let the arcade displays speak for themselves. Yes, some of the machines don't really stand the test of time. Some of them aren't safe for work. But what's exciting is to see how the machines evolved over the course of the 20th century. Look for the smallest details on every display. Everything, even the video games from our youth, is full of artistry. I will absolutely stop in to see the Musee the next time I'm in the area, and might even bring a quarter or two for the machines that look up to the task. I love any opportunity to step back in time (for no admission fee) and see the innovations that brought us to where we are today, especially in games and entertainment. read more

Musee Mecanique - Values dissonance - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Wonderful unique place, must visit when you are in the area or just make a special trip here and it's worth it! I remember this place when it used to be at the cliff house eons ago and I recognize many of the machines. I'm so happy to see they were able to preserve and move many of the fun games too. My fave was the bust a move bubble game, the challenger mode. So much fun! All machines takes quarters so come prepared which I did. I see change machines throughout the place also. This place is twice as big as I remember the cliff house location being. So nostalgic being here. read more

Musee Mecanique - Bust a move bubble game - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is a fun historic arcade with a lot of games see and play. Some of the games are decades old and still work, with many of them only costing a quarter! It's a little like a mini museum. If you want to play modern arcade games there are some mixed in too like air hockey and basketball, but I'd definitely recommend going if only to experience the old games. read more

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We had a great time here playing some arcade games. There's an atm machine and change machine to get quarters.

I love this arcade! I always have fun coming here and the staff definitely keeps this place well-maintained with how old most of the games are. The best part is that the games are fun and are affordable to play. Air hockey is 75c here but at other arcades, they can go up to $2-3! My boyfriend and I were stuck at a Simpsons arcade game for about 20 minutes, we were having a blast. Ski ball here is also just 25c. This is definitely one of our favorite date spots because its affordable and in the city. We always have a blast coming here. There are public bathrooms outside of the museum and in the parking garage nearby. They are actually very clean. Afterwards, you can stop by and grab some chowder at one of the shops! read more

This is hands down one of my favorite places in San Francisco. You could totally spend all day here, but I would at least allow for one to two hours. Heck, start your day, then go get food and come back later as it has free admission and restrooms nearby. I love the charm, and unique ability to interact with machines that are so old! Machines range from simple ones that give a little show to interactive games, and from 1900s to contemporary machines. The typewriter horoscope was especially unique. Also love that there are REAL photobooths! I'm not a big fan of the digital ones. Don't worry if you don't have quarters, there are plenty of change machines! Staff was very nice, and helpful when one machine got stuck on us. Parking is available at a variety of Fisherman's Warf lots and structures. read more

We had a great time! There are an amazing amount of coin operated displays here, they have everything from pinball machines, air hockey, shooting games, to unusual dioramas and some quite macabre/strange mechanical "scenes" I guess you would call them....I got to see a hanging in England at one. It was odd, but amusing. They have musical machines and some MASSIVE articulated displays that you will likely not see anywhere else. If you are down at Fisherman's Wharf, you can easily spend an hour at this place and will quite possibly have a lot of fun on a pocket full of quarters. We would go back! The only downside was that the gift shop was not open and I wanted to see what they had for sale. Sad! read more

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Entrance is free. Just bring some cash with you though. They have change machines inside. The games take quarters. It's a great place to bring visitors of all ages. Kids, teens, and adults all seem to love it. Seems like a good date destination if your date has never been here. It's a arcade and museum in one. I would love to see more museum-y/historical wall displays. They have a display case near the entrance that has some old timey arcade prizes, but it's not even full. They seriously could have amazing displays of vintage arcade tokens/tickets/prizes if they really wanted to. Some people would probably donate vintage stuff if they asked. I did see a hardworking employee running around the place fixing up stuff and addressing customers' issues. He seemed nice... which made it even more f'ed up that someone left a used diaper on a shelf/post. Totally disgusting. The free entrance also lets riff raff in apparently. We managed to spend at least $10 bucks per person. The strength, boxing, bowling games are pretty cool. The super old games are awesome to look at. read more

Musee Mecanique - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great spot to spend $10 in San Francisco! You can spend over an hour in here with just a few bucks! You have to go here for the antique arcades! read more

Musee Mecanique - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This little gem down at Fisherman's Wharf was super fun to wander through. They have a TON of old quarter games that you can play if you have some time to kill. We only played a few games because we were heading toward a previously booked tour but could easily have killed an hour or two here (and spent a ton of quarters) playing some of these older games. I will definitely come spend some more time here the next time I'm in SF! read more

Hundreds of antique and still functional arcade games, with free admission and still cheap prices to play the games - what more could you want? This was an absolutely incredible way to spend an hour or so looking around and playing some old school games! Well worth the time for this really cool experience! read more

If you want to reminisce and be a kid again this is the place! We came upon this place while walking around fisherman's wharf and it was the true highlight of the area. The location is off the Main Street in a warehouse and it doesn't have much signage except for the entrance area. I actually had to yelp this place to figure out what it was. Once inside, it was quite fascinating to see all the machines. We spent almost an hour playing classic arcade games like pac man and Atari Star Wars. There was air hockey tables and antique arcade machines, some from early 1900s. I just want to say whoever owns the place took care in refurbishing the machines into working order for the public to enjoy. The best part is all the machines takes quarters and most games are .25-.50 cents a play and there are change machines throughout the facility. When I visit San Fran again I'm coming back here! read more

This place was so cool for a nerd like me. It's toward the back of Fisherman's Wharf and I really just happened upon it from just walking around San Francisco. I have never seen so many old-timey games in one place in such good shape. They have all the old games like Whac-A-Mole, Skee-Ball, Ice Hockey, Pong, Air Hockey, Pac-Man, Centipede, and so many others. A lot of the games and music makers they have I have NEVER seen before. It's so cool to see how people back in the day entertained themselves. All the music machines were perfectly tuned and you could hear all the melodies parading above the rafters. I nearly crapped myself when I saw all the pinball machines. I love pinball. I played Indiana Jones and a pinball machine that was definitely from the 1950s. Everything is only 25-50 cents which I think is pretty reasonable compared to other arcades where you have to load huge amounts of money onto a card just to play a little air hockey. I also got my fortune told by three of the machines in the Musee. I liked that the cards that were printed out were good card stock and seemed authentic and old-timey. Although most of my fortunes were....let's just say ....wrong, it was still a cool experience. The staff, which was only one guy, was cool. He had roller skates on so he could get around the place quickly. It looked like he also maintained the machines as well. I would definitely be back to this place the next time I visit San Francisco. read more

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My favorite local place for pinball. Free admission. Functional pinball. No food. No drinks. Lots of great old mechanical machines that all still work. This place is pretty awesome. And they have air hockey too. read more

Musee Mecanique - Pinball! - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California