Walt Disney Family Museum

The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers


An 1890s military barracks in the Presidio houses 10 galleries that chronologically tell the exhaustively long story of Walt Disney's life. Opened in 2009, the museum gets high marks for design, integrating 20,000 sq ft of contemporary glass-and-steel exhibition space with the original 19th-century brick building, but it's definitely geared toward grown-ups and will bore kids after an hour (too much reading).

In typical Disney style, exhibits are impeccably presented, with lavish detail in a variety of media, including a jaw-dropping scale model of Disneyland that will delight die-hard Mouseketeers, but budgeteers may prefer to save their $25 toward a trip to Anaheim. Discount coupons often available; check online.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers attractions

1. Presidio Officers' Club

0.27 MILES

The Presidio's oldest building dates to the late 1700s, and was fully renovated in 2014, revealing gorgeous Spanish-Moorish adobe architecture. The free…

2. Crissy Field

0.36 MILES

War is for the birds at Crissy Field, a military airstrip turned waterfront nature preserve with knockout Golden Gate views. Where military aircraft once…

3. Presidio of San Francisco

0.48 MILES

Explore that splotch of green on the map between Baker Beach and Crissy Field and you’ll find parade grounds, Yoda, a centuries-old adobe wall and some…

4. Palace of Fine Arts

0.57 MILES

Like a fossilized party favor, this romantic, ersatz Greco-Roman ruin is the city's memento from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The…

5. Lyon Street Steps

0.86 MILES

Two blocks of Lyon St, between Broadway and Green St, are flanked by forests and glamorous mansions – including Senator Dianne Feinstein's – and offer jaw…

6. Baker Street Steps

0.93 MILES

A quiet alternative to adjacent Lyon St's social and fitness scene, Baker St's 200 steep, narrow steps between Broadway and Vallejo St are dense with…

7. Swedenborgian Church

1.04 MILES

Radical ideals in the form of distinctive buildings make beloved SF landmarks; this standout 1894 example is the collaborative effort of 19th-century Bay…

8. Wave Organ

1.13 MILES

A project of the Exploratorium, the Wave Organ is a sound sculpture of PVC tubes and concrete pipes capped with found marble from San Francisco's old…