The best museums in San Francisco, California

Whether you want to take in some culture or simply to elevate your Instagram feed, there is plenty of amazing museums in San Francisco that will take your breath away.

DE YOUNG MUSEUM – SAN FRANCISCO

If you are looking for some great art museums in San Francisco, start with the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. This 125-year-old museum boasts more than 27,000 pieces of art, including American, African and oceanic collections.

Address: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF, USA

Must see: Located on the 9^th floor, the Hamon observation tower offers a stunning view of Golden Gate Park, downtown San Francisco, the Bay and the Marin headlands.

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

As one of the largest modern art museums in America, SFMOMA is home to 33,000 works of art, including painting, photography, architecture & design and media arts.

Address: 151 Third Street, SF, USA

Must see: The light-flooded space features 6 sculpture-decked terraces, as well as the largest living wall in the country with more than 19,000 plants.

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Established in 1853 and considered one of California’s oldest museums, California Academy of Sciences is a must-visit for children and adults alike. The 400,000-square-foot space features an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest and history museum.

Address: 55 Music Concourse Drive, SF, USA

Must see: The museum also has one of the most striking rooftops in the city, covered in seven rolling hills and home to about 1.7 million plants.

EXPLORATORIUM

Located on the waterfront at Pier 15, the Exploratorium intrigues both kids and adults with over 650 exhibits, including hands-on activities, science experiments and interactive galleries.

Address: Pier 15, Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco, USA

Must see: Self Made offers playful interactive activities, artworks, artifacts and costumes. There is also a sculpture made from 100,000 toothpicks.

LEGION OF HONOR

Located in Lands End, Legion of Honor is a feat of architecture clad in white limestone, marble and gleaming wood. The museum contains a collection of more than 800 European paintings, sculptures, photography and ancient art.

Address: 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco

Must see: Ancient art from Egypt, Greece and Rome fills the Hall of Antiquities

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

If you are looking for one of the greatest Asian museums in the USA, then the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco should be added to your bucket list. With a collection of more than 18,000 works from India, China, Japan, the museum is a very popular tourist attraction in San Francisco.

Address: 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco

Must see: Make sure to check out the Tattoos in Japanese Prints and Art Recovered From Shipwrecks.

MUSÉE MÉCANIQUE

Found by local legend Edward Galland Zelinsky, the museum houses more than 300 antique carnival games, musical instruments, vintage arcade machines, terrifying clown dolls and many others.

Address: Pier 45 Fisherman’s Wharf at the foot of Taylor Street, San Francisco

Tip: Musée Mécanique offers free admission every day of the week, just bring your coin jar to play the games.

CHILDREN’S CREATIVITY MUSEUM

If you are travelling to San Francisco with kids, the museums are the place to take them. Designed to encourage imagination and creativity, it is full of different labs, workshops and studios.

Address: 221 Fourth Street, San Francisco

Must see: LeRoy King Carousel, a storied relic originally constructed in 1906 would be worth a memorable experience.

CABLE CAR MUSEUM

Run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum – a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the preservation of cable car history, the museum houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and a gift shop.

Address: 1201 Mason Street, San Francisco

Must see: Check out 3 antique cable cars from the 1870s

MARITIME MUSEUM

Located in the Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building, the ship-shaped museum is a beautiful place to visit for some seafaring knowledge. The interior walls are covered with colourful psychedelic murals depicting the underwater world.

Address: 900 Beach Street, SF, USA

Tip: The museum is open seven days a week and offers free admission

CARTOON ART MUSEUM

If you are a fan of comic art, then take a visit to Cartoon Art Museum, one of these unique museums in San Francisco. Established in 1984, it displays nearly 7,000 works in its permanent collection, including comic books, political cartoons and graphic novels.

Address: 781 Beach Street, Floor 1 San Francisco, USA

Must see: Tables stationed around the space are stocked with drawing utensils for both adults and kids to create their own comic art.

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