Musee Mecanique (Mechanical Museum), San Francisco

If you're looking for mind-blowing fun in San Francisco that doesn’t blow your wallet, check out the Mechanical Museum—part time capsule, part carnival, and all clinking, whirring joy! Tucked inside Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf, right next to seafood legends like Alioto’s and Tarantino’s restaurants, this place turns nostalgia into a full-body experience. Admission is free every day (from 10 a.m.–8 p.m.), with visitors simply paying small coin fees—usually quarters—to bring the exhibits to life.

Step inside and it’s like you’ve wandered into an arcade built by time travelers. The air hums with a symphony of gears, bells, and laughter. You’ll find everything from Galaga and Ms. Pac-Man to Whack-a-Mole, air hockey, and delightfully creaky pinball machines. It’s the rare spot where grandparents, teens, and tourists all play side by side—each trying to beat a score or, at the very least, the machine.

The museum houses over 300 vintage exhibits, one of the largest private collections of coin-operated wonders on Earth. There are player pianos, fortune tellers, mutoscopes, orchestrions, slot machines, and automata—each one a little story waiting for your 25 cents. Don’t miss Laffing Sal, the towering red-haired automaton who once haunted San Francisco’s long-lost Playland at the Beach (still laughing like she knows a joke we don’t). You’ll also spot oddities like a 1912 steam-powered motorcycle and hand-cranked dioramas that range from charming to downright bizarre.

The whole collection began with Edward “Ed” Zelinsky, a kid with a thing for mechanical amusements who never grew out of it, making it a lifelong passion. His son, Dan Zelinsky, continues to curate and maintain the museum—preserving every blinking light and tinny tune with care—to ensure that the gears keep turning and the laughter rolling. Originally displayed at the Cliff House, the collection moved to its current location on the Wharf in 2002, where it’s been spinning quarters and smiles ever since.

So, grab a handful of change, pocket your phone, and get ready for some hands-on, pre-digital joy. The Mechanical Museum proves that sometimes, the simplest fun still runs on gears, grins, and good old-fashioned coins...