A Tour of San Francisco Museums — Art, Beat Poets, Science and History

You don't have to be a modern art lover — or Jewish or part of the African diaspora or a fan of the Beat poets or gay or an aficionado of animation or a military history buff — to be welcome at museums in San Francisco that specialize in exhibits and programs on those themes. I know this from personal experience. 

The City by the Bay is home to more than 50 museums, and all are eager to entertain and educate visitors. After 12 years in San Francisco, have I been to every one? No, but I've made return visits to several mentioned here, and will continue to play "tourist" in my own city as I visit the others. 

If you're drawn to large, world-class institutions, check out the latest exhibits at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art downtown, the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Asian Art Museum in the Civic Center or the Legion of Honor in the northwest corner of the city, high above the Golden Gate Strait.

If you favor science museums, the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park offers several under one expansive roof. The 400,000-square-foot space is home to an aquarium, a rainforest, a planetarium and a natural history museum, all topped off by a "living roof" with wildflowers, weather stations and a few whale bones bleaching in the sun.

If you go, say "hi" to Claude, the 26-year-old albino alligator who lives in the Swamp exhibit. (We're friends.)

Science and art intersect at the Walt Disney Family Museum in The Presidio, a 1,500-acre park on the northern tip of the city. The museum explores Disney's life, emphasizing his inventions that elevated animation to an art. Visitors also can peruse a model of Disneyland, wax sentimental about "The Mickey Mouse Club" and join in as those feisty pigs sing "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."

Paintings, cels, and production art from several Disney films also are part of  "A Treasury of Animation" an ongoing exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum on Fisherman's Wharf. Right now, you can see "Keith Knight's WOKE in San Francisco," a retrospective that provides the foundation for the artist's television series "Woke." The museum also showcases comic strips, comic books, political cartoons and graphic novels.

Speaking of novels, if you celebrated Jack Kerouac's 100th birthday in March, don't miss the Beat Museum in North Beach, where you can see the '49 Hudson used in the movie of "On the Road." The museum also houses original manuscripts, rare books, letters and personal effects of the Beats, all wildly creative writers, artists and thinkers that congregated in the neighborhood in the 1950s.

As part of Kerouac's centennial year, museum founder Jerry Cimino has launched a campaign for a much-needed larger space.

"The Beat generation's values of tolerance, compassion and living an authentic life all became San Francisco values," he said, "and since then, they've spread all around the world, where forward-thinking young people embrace gender equality, racial equality and mitigating climate change."

Investigating climate change is part of the experience at the Exploratorium at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. With more than 650 interactive exhibits, the museum is a self-described "scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse and an experimental laboratory."

The sprawling Musée Mécanique which sits on Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf, is home to one of the largest private collections of antique coin-operated arcade games (most cost a quarter) and musical instruments.

Calling all military history buffs! Docked nearby is the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, one of two remaining Liberty ships of the 2,710 built and launched during World War II. Floating next to it is another "living" museum, the USS Pampanito, a retired Navy submarine.

A 4-minute walk west brings you to Hyde Street Pier, the Maritime Museum and a visitor center, all part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. At the pier, visitors are invited to climb aboard historic ships, including two schooners, a steam tug, a steam ferryboat, a paddlewheel and the mighty Balclutha, a three-masted, square-rigger built in 1886. At the Maritime Museum, have a look at the merman depicted in "Undersea Life," the only surrealistic mural created as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

Vibrant murals of a different sort are on display throughout the Mission District neighborhood. The Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitor Center offers classes, workshops and private walking tours of the public art for small groups. (For a reservation or information on when public tours will resume, email [email protected].)

Currently on display downtown at the Contemporary Jewish Museum is "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited," a look at Henson's work for film and television.

"All of Henson's work foregrounds values of respect, understanding and love for one another," said Chad Coerver, executive director. "We believe this show will be a wonderful escape, a chance to momentarily step away from the challenges of the world and to revel in a place of inclusion, imagination and community."

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, across the street, displays visual contemporary art and offers performances and films that celebrate "local, national and international artists and the Bay Area's diverse communities." Nearby, the Museum of the African Diaspora is opening four new exhibits highlighting influential contemporary Black artists. The museum also offers some 200 programs a year, many virtual, that include discussions with artists, films, book clubs and community events.

If you enjoy San Francisco's iconic mode of transportation, you'll want to visit the Cable Car Museum in the Nob Hill neighborhood, where you'll learn how the system works, peruse historic photos and see antique cars from the 1870s.

In the Castro neighborhood, exhibits with an emphasis on diversity and social justice are featured at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, the first stand-alone museum in the U.S. of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender history and culture. And the Museo Italo Americano, at Fort Mason Center, was the first museum in the U.S. to exclusively showcase Italian and Italian-American art and culture.

Museums affiliated with historical societies include the San Francisco Historical Society; the California Historical Society; the Chinese Historical Society of America; the National Japanese American Historical Society and the Mexican Museum, which is under construction but maintains an online presence.

The Angel Island Immigration Station, a processing station for about 500,000 immigrants coming to the U.S. between 1910 and 1940, is now a museum. A ferry takes visitors to what once was known as the "Ellis Island of the West."

Alcatraz Island, a national park, also sits in San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz City Cruises, on Pier 33, is the only official source for tickets and serves as the departure point for the tour boats.     

As with museums in every city, admission fees and hours vary, as do COVID-19 protocols, so before you head out, check the websites or make a few calls. Then, put on comfortable shoes and prepare to learn something new. Much like a good book, exploring a museum opens up new worlds, provides different perspectives and expands understanding of our world.

Patricia Corrigan is a professional journalist, with decades of experience as a reporter and columnist at a metropolitan daily newspaper, and also a book author. She has written for Next Avenue since February 2015. Read more from Patricia at latetothehaight.blogspot.com. Read More