Always a classic when visiting Pier 39, this double decker Carousel is fun for both adults and children. Pick your animal of choice, and enjoy the spin. Wish you could get a better view of the bay when riding it, but it's still a nice time. Definitely pricey for a ride - I believe it was $9/person to ride, which was definitely a little pricey. Not to mention not all of the "horses" worked properly, so I ended up on a panda that was broken. Overall, it's a nice Carousel, but it can definitely add up if you're coming with a family. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Not impressed with the experience here at all. Brought my out of towner visitor to the Fisherman Wharf and pre-purchased a ticket for a three year old via Groupon (a lot cheaper btw). It did say that kids under 42" need an adult to accompany them, but I figured just like every other carousel that the parent doesn't need a ticket. When I got up to the booth the guy said I needed to get an extra ticket for the accompanying adult, I was shocked but didn't say anything just got a $9 ticket for the adult. They went ahead took the Groupon ticket for the kid and the $9 ticket for the adult and let them board. Once they were on the carousel another employee told them they needed another ticket. What?? My niece doesn't speak English very well so she wasn't real sure what they were saying. I don't know if they decided to let it go or if they finally figured out their mistake, but whatever. I personally won't be giving them any more of my money. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Good ride however, the main attendant at the front smelled like he hadn't taken a shower in weeks! Black hair, about 5'9 wearing a hat and sunglasses that reminded me of Johnny Depp read more

Found this magical relic on Yelp and it was everything it was cracked up to be! A historical piece of living art imported from Italy all the way to San Francisco. So many beautifully painted animals to choose from. A unique and wonderful ride on the pier- I highly recommend! read more

I visited the SF Carousel on Wednesday, 11/30/22. One ticket per person was $7. My friend and I decided to get on the carousel together. It was nice because we had the carousel all to ourselves. We decided to go to the top level. The ride was about 3-5 minutes. Overall, we enjoyed the ride and had a fun time. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

This operate was rude and racist. The sign says riders under 42" tall need to be accompanied. My cousin from Taiwan accompanied her son on the carousel- and this man said she needed a ticket (we bought her son a ticket). She said she's accompanying her son, and he then rudely made some comment that along the lines of "I told her in English." WHAT kind of racist remark was that? Her English isn't perfect, but you don't say that to me. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Rude and racist operator - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Have I ever ridden a carousel in my life? Growing up in a small town back home which was devoid of any amusement parks, I only saw carousels quite a few times during the town fiesta. I don't think I have ever ridden one. However, I'm always been amused by the colorful Lights and paints of a carousel or merry-go-round. San Francisco is Home to several iconic carousels but this one located in pier 39 is the only double-decker carousel. It was originally hand crafted in Italy. The horses and other animals were painted using a sea creature theme. There are also spinning tubs, swings, and benches available. A ride requires tokens to be purchased in advance which costs $5 for one or $10 for three. Although I didn't go for a ride, I enjoyed watching the carousel go round and round. I liked watching little boys and girls having a good time with their parents. I also enjoyed listening to the accompanying music that seemed like soothing sounds to my ears. read more

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It's $7 each for five minutes (regardless of age), and the people operating the carousel are super rude. Terrible human beings. Avoid this place. read more

The San Francisco Carousel is located inside Pier 39. It is an old school looking carousel with two levels so many people can ride at one time. On the day we were there, the line was short and everyone in line was able to board at once. There are moving pieces, non-moving and benches on the carousel. Before you ride, you need to buy a token. The tokens can be bought from the machines right in front of the carousel. The cost is $5 for one token or $10 for three. Parents are not free and do need a token. There is a separate card slot for each option so be careful because I saw multiple people accidentally swipe their card and get three tokens rather than one. The carousel is cool but I do think it is overpriced, even for the location. read more

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It was a 5/5. The ride was great. I am glad that the ride opened. It has great service and scenery. The only bad thing is that it required tickets to get on it. read more

Rude staff and $5 per ride, um, no thanks. Don't get me wrong this is a beautiful carousel in a prime location but man these people suck. So the guy who was working there should find another job, preferably away from people. A woman said her child lost her toy on tge ride and asked if she could go in and look for it. The employee said she would have to pay another $5 to go inside and look. Um....WTF? Have you no heart? The ride lasts about 3 minutes and it goes by pretty quickly. The ride is better after a couple of drinks that's for sure. Beautiful whatf scenary. But, man, because of the staff here it makes me want to give this place 2 stars. By the way, the woman didn't want to pay the $5, and I guess she never did find her child's toy. Super sad. read more

This carousel is located on Pier 39. It is located towards the end of the pier. First, before riding you will need to purchase a token. One token is $5 and three for $10. Depending on how many tokens you want you put your card in the corresponding credit card slot. Well, I didn't realize this and bought three tokens. Since I had three tokens I decided to ride one time with my son and let him ride twice. Note, parents are not free even if accompanying a small child. The carousel itself is very nice. It looks like they tried to recreate an old carousel but to be honest on the inside all of the should be paintings look like plastic which was a slight let down. The carousel is in very nice condition and all of the animals looked nice. My son loved the carousel and would ride as many times as I would have let him. The carousel was a nice attraction to visit on the Pier. I believe the price is about on par with other carousels in tourist attractions but at least at other locations the parents can ride with their small kids. read more

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What is not to like about a carousel? Doesnt matter if you are kid or a grown up, there is no shame on this. I gladly paid my $7 and had my own share of fun as a 37 year old and it was probably the best thing I did all day. $7 well spent! read more

San Francisco Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Horses and rabbits and magical creatures, bobbing up and down, always chasing each other around and around over two stories. Red and turquoise and once-white, and yellow glow of dim lights under a sky, shadows dashing frantically and melting into pavement under store lights. The air, scented with seawater; the salty water wafting into the pier and painting the aroma with soft, pungent smells on the breeze. Wine on the breath of your friends, perfume, overpriced food sending out amazing olfactory treasures of beckoning. The sounds of the carousel twirling, a double decker steady pump of ups and downs, a show at the stage, people walking with the clickity clack of tourist to-dos. People laughing, joking, plotting, discovering, jabbering, and then falling silent in unburdened bliss. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Is it me or is this the fastest Carousel EVER!?!? Looking past the fact that it costs $5.00 per person...even for adults who are just standing and taking pics, after all this is Fisherman's Wharf/ Pier 39. The kiddos loved it!! And wanted to ride again & again & again. The adults actually got alittle dizzy during the ride....not sure if it waa due to speed of the ride or the fact that we were on the 2nd level. It was fun none the lessw and worth it to see the kids soooo excited!!! read more

San Francisco Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The ride is super short, I think we literally stayed on for 3 minutes tops. The ride itself was $7 I believe. The good news was there was no wait on a Saturday night which was amazing. The live entertainment was nice to see in the area. I probably could pass on the carousel in the future but it's good for little kids if ur with them. read more

I never get tired of this carousel or atleast stopping by to look at it when it is lit up at night. I am currently 18 and i still have no shame in admitting that i love this carousel so WHAT lmao. It goes around for a decent amount of time, there is plenty of space, and cute characterized rides to choose from. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Carousel lit up at night - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fantastic! Totally California and smack dab in the middle of the pier. Pay at the machine that takes cards or cash and it's a great double decker with almost no line. read more

2 stories!!!! This is perfectly situated among throngs of unattractive middle Americans to give it a freakish carnival feel all year round. 3 for a ride or 2 for 5 bucks. Bring a friend! read more

San Francisco Carousel - Stairs to deck 2 - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here in the evening on a cold Sunday night a few weeks ago. I had to get on for old times sake. It was open and not a soul in line for a ride. I paid for my ticket and jumped aboard - a whole carousel ride to myself. I went to the upper deck and rode on what appeared to be a leopard seal. I could see all the shops, the city in the distance covered lightly in fog, the shoppers moving around with pieces of bread and hot chocolates. It was so sweet. If you want a little twist, come here in the evening and enjoy the pier by moonlight. Definitely a great time for a lonely carousel ride. I took pictures of all the different animals I saw, so check them out - they include a ride-able panda, a mer-horse, a dragon, a sassy looking seal, and your run of the mill ponies. read more

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Tripped up and down the stairs to the second floor. The panda I sat down on was dirtied & soiled with human excrements. Not to mention the cost -- I am a college student with a quarter million US dollars in student loans. Why would I, an intellectual, pay five US dollars to ride on a children's theme park attraction? Alas, capitalism has driven me to such behavior. Disgraceful, Pier 39. read more

San Francisco Carousel - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fantastic work on this 2 level carousel. Very beautiful and it costs five bucks per ride or ten dollars for the rides. It's nestled in the back of Pier 39. Clean, and it's a great relaxing couple minutes while you escape into a wonderland of mystical creatures before you get back to the waves of monstrous tourists that are everywhere you look. read more

I do not recomand this place !!!!!! The stuff is very rude, they make my 4 years old to cry, that supposed to be a happy place for kids, I will never go to that place anymore and I recommend to everyone to avoid, the owner of the place must train those guys and keep that place clean !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

TERRRIBLE EXPERIENCE. STAY CLEAR OF THIS TOURIST TRAP Very rude to customers. Juliana at the entrance insisted that I needed to pay when my daughter is clearly under 42 inches. Lot of eye rolling and shrugging shoulders. Absolutely no interest I in providing a pleasant experience. The carousel itself is-disgustingly dirty and absolutely not worth the $10 I had to shell out. A word for the business owners - if you're fleecing customers why don't you invest in some customer service lessons for your terrible staff? Also invest in a cleaner for your disgustingly dirty carousel. Yuck. What a terrible experience. Thanks for ruining such a nice day for us. read more

The carousel is located at the end of Pier 39, and is a great attraction if you've ever wanted to ride a seahorse, panda bear, or squid. It also has a spinning tea cup, and a rocking sea shell. It's a double decker, so the view from the second deck is very fun. It's $5 a ride, or $10 for three rides. We had six of us, so it was $20. The only drawback is there isn't the typical circus/carousel organ music. Instead it's top 40 pop. Beautifully maintained. If you try to find the squid, look under the stairs. It's well hidden. read more

Cute. Clean. Horses have crimped tails. On lookers gawking and smiling at us while we cuddled in a booth seat, probably thinking our children were somewhere onboard. Nope... just us. 2 grown adults, enjoying each other and being spontaneous. I felt bad for the other couples on the ground just watching... they would have had a great time too and 40 years from now could have said, "remember that one time in San Francisco when we rode the carousel". read more

The five stars aren't necessary for the comfort level of the horses but then again - I'm not sure they were meant for tall adults :D! The rating is for the enjoyment! I convinced my boyfriend to ride with me yesterday and we had a blast! It's been years since I've ridden a carousel and this was the one to ride. It was great to be able to see all the people walking/standing around as we laughed during the ride. The cost is one ride for $3 or 2 for $5 (but you need a $5 bill). It was worth the short ride with my boo :) Take some time and enjoy the ride! read more

If I can give this place zero stars then it's what they deserve. The employees are rude and was unwilling to let my 4 yr old ride by herself without a paying adult to stand next to her. When I complained to Sabrina, she threatened to call security! WTH?!? Is this how you treat your customers when I just paid to buy 3 tokens for my 3 kids??? And then she's unwilling to let my little girl ride with my 12-yr old kids! I hope the management reads this and realize what a money grubbing business they're running. read more

These people are thieves! I wanted to take my 18-month old daughter for a ride and bought one token ($5). Then was denied access, because I needed 2(???!!!) tokens... Of course I wasn't gonna pay $10 for one round, but guess what: no refunds! This is absolutely ridiculous and completely ruined our Fisherman's Wharf experience. I would give this place -5 stars if Yelp would have allowed me to. read more

Wow! This is the best carousel in San Francisco and possibly on the West Coast. It is the only carousel I have ever seen with two levels. Unlike most carousels, the horses don't just go up and down, but some of them rock back and forth or rear back on their hind legs. There are seats that spin around like the tea cups at Disneyland and benches that swing. The horses are smaller than those on most carousels--just the right size for kids. It is expensive at $3 per person, but the ride lasts about 4 minutes (twice as long as most) so it's worth it. read more

I can give one star even the staff are there so rude , untrained only think about money nothing else I had question guy name Terry hope they gave me right name he was black young guy doesn't have any respect to parents.i was so upset we paid $20 for 2 ride which is so expensive. read more

I would have gave it 5 stars but under the stairs they have went to carousel to get you to the second level had a bunch of visible boxes. It made it look raggedy, definitely should I had like some type of draping or had it removed completely. My daughter loved it we went on it about 3 times. read more

This carousel is awesome! Great customer service and clean. There are also these amazing scenic pictures of sf painted inside the top of the carousel. Its a must see! read more