Museums

San Francisco is a city with museums to fit nearly every taste. Following is a brief list of museums in the City of San Francisco:

Alcatraz Island (Prison) – Operated by the National Park Service, former federal prison, access by private ferry

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (Art) – Arts of India, China, western Asia (including Persia), South-East Asia, Korea & Japan

Beat Museum (Literary) – The Beats memorabilia and bookstore

San Francisco Cable Car Museum (Transportation) –

California Academy of Sciences (Natural history) –

California Historical Society (Local history) – State history and culture

Cartoon Art Museum (Art) – Art of comics & cartoons, including original animation cels, comic book pages & early newspaper comic strips

Children’s Creativity Museum (Children’s)

Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center (Ethnic) – History of Chinese in the U.S.

Chinese Culture Center (Art) – Exhibitions of traditional & contemporary Chinese & Chinese-American art

Contemporary Jewish Museum (Ethnic) – Contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art and ideas

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum (Art) – American painting, sculpture & decorative art, African, Oceanic, Meso-American, Central & South American art, textiles, contemporary craft, graphics art

Exploratorium (Science) – Hands-on science exhibits

Fort Point National Historic Site (Military) – Part of The Presidio

GLBT History Museum (History) – History and culture of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, communities and movements

Haas-Lilienthal House (Historic house) – 1886 Victorian house with period rooms

International Art Museum of America (Art) – Eastern and Western art including works by Chinese masters, Yun sculptures, classic 18th to 20th-century European portraits and landscapes

The LAB (Art) – Interdisciplinary arts organization with public gallery

Legion of Honor (Art) – Mostly French & European art

Madame Tussauds (Wax) – Located in Fisherman’s Wharf, includes San Francisco celebrities, movie stars, music performers, sports stars, politicians and world leaders

Mexican Museum (Ethnic) – Historic and contemporary art and culture of the Latino, Chicano, Mexican, and Mexican-American people

Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center ( Multiple) – History of Military Intelligence Service in the Presidio, Japanese American history, art and culture, operated by the National Japanese American Historical Society

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (Art) – Cultural arts center and gallery

Musée Mécanique (Amusements) – Penny arcade games, mechanically operated musical instruments, video arcade games

Museo ItaloAmericano (Ethnic) – Italian and Italian-American art and culture

Museum of Craft and Design (Art) –

Museum of Performance & Design (Art) – Performing arts

Museum of Russian Culture (Ethnic) – Part of the Russian Center of San Francisco

Museum of the African Diaspora (Cultural) – Diasporan histories of people of African origin & their influence & adaptation throughout the world

New Langton Arts (Art) – Experimental and innovative contemporary art

North Beach Museum (Local history) – Located on the 2nd floor of the Eureka Bank building

McElroy Octagon House (Historic house) – Operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America

Pacific Heritage Museum (Ethnic) – Artistic, cultural and economic achievements of the peoples of the Pacific Rim

The Presidio (Multiple) – Park with several visitor centers with a fort, marine, military and historical exhibits

Randall Museum (Multiple) – Art, science, natural history, live animals

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (Entertainment) – Near Fisherman’s Wharf

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (Art) – Contemporary art, three locations in San Francisco

San Francisco Fire Department Museum (Firefighting)

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (Maritime) – Includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum and a library/research facility

San Francisco Museum at the Mint (Local history) – Planned museum in the Old Mint to be operated by the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Art) –

SFO Museum (Multiple) – Located in several locations in San Francisco International Airport, changing exhibits of aviation, art, history, technology, culture, photography

San Francisco Railway Museum (Railway) – Antique streetcars, cable cars, earthquake of 1906

San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (Performing arts) – Tours of the various performance spaces

Society of California Pioneers (Local history) – California art, history, and culture

SS Jeremiah O’Brien (Museum ship) – World War II Liberty ship located at Fisherman’s wharf

The Walt Disney Family Museum (Biographical) – Walt Disney’s life, awards & memorabilia

USS Pampanito (Museum ship) – Submarine located at Fisherman’s Wharf

Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Art) – Part of California College of the Arts

Wells Fargo History Museum (History) – First location of the Wells Fargo Company, history of the company and the California gold rush

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (Art) – Contemporary arts center with several galleries