Uploaded August 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
California travel guide Veronica Hill checks out Musee Mecanique in San Francisco, CA.
Set on Pier 45, this unique San Francisco museum is filled with dozens of penny arcade games and carnival amusements, some dating back to the late 1800s. Privately owned and operated, it's is one of many fun free things to do in Fisherman's Wharf.
Bring along a handful of quarters, or just watch on someone else's dime. At any given moment, most of the machines are putting on a show! Don't miss the mechanical side show carnival — complete with 100 moving parts; the 1958 Bimbo Box; or the fabulously creepy Chinese Opium Den. In the back of the Musee Mechanique museum, you'll find a collection of old-school arcade games, some more than 30 years old!
Laughing Sal, with her curly bright red hair and rosy cheeks, was once a staple at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco Bay. Dating back to the 1930s, the mechanical laughing doll is one of the most popular items in the collection.
Before you leave, be sure to check out the museum's Steam Flyer Motorcycle. Built in 1912, it's worth more than $250,000!
Music:
Pine Apple Rag (1908, piano roll) is royalty free creative commons:
freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Joplin/Frog_Legs_Ragtime_Era_Favorites/08_-_scott_joplin_-_pine_apple_rag
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California travel guide Veronica Hill checks out Musee Mecanique in San Francisco, CA.
Set on Pier 45, this unique San Francisco museum is filled with dozens of penny arcade games and carnival amusements, some dating back to the late 1800s. Privately owned and operated, it's is one of many fun free things to do in Fisherman's Wharf.
Bring along a handful of quarters, or just watch on someone else's dime. At any given moment, most of the machines are putting on a show! Don't miss the mechanical side show carnival — complete with 100 moving parts; the 1958 Bimbo Box; or the fabulously creepy Chinese Opium Den. In the back of the Musee Mechanique museum, you'll find a collection of old-school arcade games, some more than 30 years old!
Laughing Sal, with her curly bright red hair and rosy cheeks, was once a staple at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco Bay. Dating back to the 1930s, the mechanical laughing doll is one of the most popular items in the collection.
Before you leave, be sure to check out the museum's Steam Flyer Motorcycle. Built in 1912, it's worth more than $250,000!
Music:
Pine Apple Rag (1908, piano roll) is royalty free creative commons:
freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Joplin/Frog_Legs_Ragtime_Era_Favorites/08_-_scott_joplin_-_pine_apple_rag
SUBSCRIBE! tinyurl.com/p2fveuj
LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK tinyurl.com/nqx9osq
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER twitter.com/Californiatips
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM instagram.com/californiatraveltips
