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| | California | San Francisco | |||
| San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf | |||
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At Fisherman's Wharf, the smell of salt air and breezes blowing off the ocean makes you want to hop on the first boat and sail across the Pacific, but a cruise around San Francisco Bay with kids is great fun (no sailing experience required). On land, explore historic sailing ships or a World War II submarine. Around Pier 39, you'll find a different sort of marine life – California sea lions. Round out your visit to Fisherman's Wharf with a visit to "The Rock," Alcatraz Island. |
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Pier 39 – | ||
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Bay Cruises – Take a boat cruise around San Francisco Bay. In the hour-long cruise, you'll sail past the San Francisco waterfront, Sausalito, Alcatraz and Angel Islands. The most memorable highlight – sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. Check out the Red and White or Blue and Gold bay cruise schedules. | ||
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Alcatraz Island – Cruise out to "The Rock," site of Alcatraz prison and home of gangsters such as Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. It's a short boat ride, but cold water and strong currents made Alcatraz inaccessible. On the island, start with the short 10 minute video presentation, an overview of the long history of Alcatraz Island, from a military fort to the Federal Penitentiary, a prison for the worst criminals. Climb up the hill to the Cellhouse, the prison itself. | |
| A gripping audio tour takes you through the cell house blocks, vividly narrated by previous inmates and corrections officers. The "hard-bitten" audio tour may not be appropriate for young kids. Prison uprisings are described with graphic recollections and sound effects. (Audio tour is in English, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese and French.) | |||
| Once a week, there are Alcatraz Kidz Tourz, guided tours just for kids. On the "Flashlight Tour of Alcatraz" explore off-limit areas (and don't forget your flashlight (ages 7-12). Get a behind-the-scenes look of a gripping escape in "The 1962 Escape Tour." Or, find out more about kids who lived on the island in "Kids of Alcatraz.". Younger kids will enjoy the "I Spy on Alcatraz" tour, ages 5-10. For dates and more information about the tours, call (415) 561- 4926. | |||
| Note: We visited Alcatraz on a bright sunny day, but Alcatraz is often damp and foggy. Bring jackets – there's no heat in the joint. Alcatraz is a popular destination, so buy your boat tickets in advance. | |||
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USS Pampanito Submarine – Take a tour of this World War II long-range cruising submarine. The "silent service" wasn't so silent – it was noisy and hot in a submarine, and it had very cramped quarters. Inside the submarine, you'll see berths in the torpedo room, the tiny galley kitchen, radio and engine rooms, and crew's quarters, with bunks stacked three deep (the crew took turns sleeping). The audio tour is free, informative, and you can take it at your own pace. |
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Museum of the City of San Francisco and the Musee Mechanique (Pier 45) – The Musee Mechanique is a collection of mechanical toys, the "video games" of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These totally charming mechanical toys feature a miniature carnival and ferris wheel made out of toothpicks (it moves), gypsy fortunetellers, mechanical boxing games and player pianos. | ||
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Boudin Museum and Bakery Tour (Jefferson St.) – Nothing says San Francisco like sourdough bread, and the Boudin family has been making sourdough bread in the city since 1849. Step into the museum and demonstration bakery, a self-guided tour, to find out more about San Francisco history (the Boudin family rescued the "mother dough" in the 1906 earthquake), what makes sourdough bread sour, and watch bread being made – mixing the dough, rounded loaves on conveyors belts, and the finished bread. At the end of the tour, there's free samples of bread (try the raisin chocolate) and jam, and don't miss the bread in delightful shapes – crabs, alligators and turtles.(The self-guided tour is free for kids 12 and under, with a paying adult.) |
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Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf – The Wax Museum has been popular with visitors and local kids for over 40 years. One of the biggest wax museums around, it has lots of different historical and religious figures, life-like artists and artworks, celebrities, a re-creation of King Tut's tomb, but don't miss local personages, Mayor Willie Brown, Barry Bonds (SF Giants outfielder), Mark Twain (who wrote about life in San Francisco) and that "Hollywood hunk," Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California. |
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Sidewalk Seafood (Jefferson at Taylor) – Stop to watch people
cooking and cracking crabs. There are big steaming vats where the crabs
are boiled, then the crabs are cracked open with mallets. |
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Hyde Street Pier – Ships and the sea are very much a part of the history of San Francisco. At Hyde Street Pier, run around on historic ships: | |
 Balclutha – A 1886 big square-rigged sailing vessel that sailed around Cape Horn. |
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Thayer – A sailing schooner that carried lumber from Pacific
Northwest, and was later a fishing vessel for salmon and codfish. |
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| Eureka – A passenger and rail car ferry that operated between San Francisco
and Tiburon. By day it carried passengers, at night it transported rail
cars. Don't miss the beautifully restored 1920's cars, and the Ghiradelli
Chocolate Wagon on the Eureka. |
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Hercules – A 1907 ocean-going tug that towed sailing vessels out through the
Golden Gate to the open sea and hauled log rafts to the lumber mills. |
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| Feluccas – From the pier, you can see replicas of the 1850's brightly painted
Italian fishing boats, the feluccas. |
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the pier, there is a steam "donkey" engine, used to load
and unload cargoes, and the stern wheel from the Petaluma riverboat
that chugged up the Delta. Kids can go inside an 1890's houseboat (very
homey, with lace curtains and a small organ) and practice tying knots (double half hitch, rolling hitch, bowline etc.) There is a demonstration
of sea chantey songs on the 1st Saturday every month. |
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Maritime Museum – The boat-shaped Maritime Museum has models of schooners, barks and brigs (ships that carried the gold miners around Cape Horn to San Francisco), whaling ships, Bay ferries, and scow schooners that sailed up the Delta. Tip: The Maritime Museum is closed for rennovation until 2009. | ||
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Aquatic Park – The Aquatic Park has a sand beach and calm water. It's the perfect place for kids to dig in the sand, or wade (but the water's always cold, even in summer). There's a small green park too, with park benches where parents can sit back and relax, while the kids run around. Go out to the end of the Municipal Pier for a spot to watch the boats go by. | ||
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Fire Engine Tours – If you want to take a tour, this is great fun. Ride over the Golden Gate Bridge in an old-fashioned fire engine. There are padded seats and seat-belts, so even the smallest kids can ride. The hour long tour takes you by Fort Point, over the Golden Gate Bridge, to Sausalito. Pick up the tour at the Cannery, on Beach St. (on the north side of the Cannery, at Columbus St.). | ||
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Lombard Street – Lombard Street looks like a child's drawing – a red brick road, planted with bright flowers, curving back and forth down the steep hill. Drive down the hill in a car for the full effect (but it is very crowded in summer.) Or, take the Powell-Hyde cable car, and hop off at Lombard Street. The view from the top of the hill is spectacular. |
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Shopping – |
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The Cannery, once the Del Monte peach canning factory, is a pleasant complex of shops and restaurants. There is often live music in the street level courtyard. For a special souvenir, stop into the Basic Brown Bear Factory. Here, you can stuff your own teddy bear. First, choose the bear you like, then pick the stuffing (fluffy or sparkle beads), watch your bear being stuffed, fluffed and groomed. Choose clothes for your bear, from sundresses and ballet tutus, to overalls and baseball uniforms. |
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Planning on a bay cruise? Get your tickets in advance for price savings and no waiting in lines. (During the holidays and summer season, the lines can get long.) Order your tickets online one week or more before you visit, and you'll "sail by" the ticket booth: |
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Blue and Gold Fleet | ||
| For a special experience on the bay, sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz in a big catamaran! We just did this, and it's fun for everyone in the family - kids can be any age (the catamaran has an enclosed cabin and netting on the front deck area). Cruises are Feburary to November, bring a jacket (it can be windy). | |||
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Sailing Cruise |
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| (More children's books on other San Francisco pages) | ||||||
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