Musée Mécanique

The Short Answer

Admission to the Musée Mécanique is free, and it is open 10 am to 8 pm every day of the year, holidays included, at Pier 45 at the end of Taylor Street on Fisherman's Wharf. Inside are more than 300 coin-operated machines in their original working order, from turn-of-the-century hand-cranked music boxes to modern arcade games, and the museum says you can play any of them - so bring coins or small change for the machines themselves. Laffing Sal, Susie the Can-Can Dancer and the Carnival are among them. Food and drink are not allowed inside, and the museum holds no private events or parties because the machines are delicate.

Key facts at a glance
Admission	Free
Hours	10 am to 8 pm every day, holidays included - the museum says it is open 365 days a year
Address	Pier 45, at the end of Taylor Street, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133; (415) 346-2000
The collection	More than 300 coin-operated machines in original working order - one of the world's largest privately owned collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade artifacts
Playing them	Every machine can be played. They are coin-operated; the museum does not publish what each one costs, so bring change
Named pieces	Laffing Sal, Susie the Can-Can Dancer and the Carnival
Food and drink	Not allowed inside at any time
Parties	No private events or parties, because of the delicate nature of the machines
Family run	Family owned and operated since 1933
Source	Musée Mécanique, visit, checked Oct 6, 2026

Free admission to a delightfully noisy collection of antique coin-operated machines: fortune tellers, player pianos, pinball and old-time arcade games. Bring a pocketful of quarters.

Local Legend: Laffing Sal, the Cackling Lady of Musée Mécanique

What is actually true: Not quite. SFGATE reports that the Sal at Musée Mécanique is a back-up; the original Playland Sal now lives at the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Atlas Obscura says Sals were built for amusement parks all over the country, and the museum’s owner told it that kids are “scared to death” of her.

Opening Hours

Monday	10 am–8 pm
Tuesday	10 am–8 pm
Wednesday	10 am–8 pm
Thursday	10 am–8 pm
Friday	10 am–8 pm
Saturday	10 am–8 pm
Sunday	10 am–8 pm

Listed website www.museemecaniquesf.com does not resolve; the official site is museemecanique.com (museemecaniquesf.com without www redirects there). Update the website field.

From the venue’s own page, checked October 11, 2026. Holiday hours and one-off closures can differ.

Getting There

MJefferson St & Taylor StF Market & Wharves streetcar · 106 m, about 2 min walk
MTaylor St & Bay StPowell–Mason cable car · 0.3 mi, about 7 min walk
BEmbarcadero BART1.5 mi, about 39 min walk

Transit directions, including buses

Nearest Muni Metro, streetcar and cable car stops and BART stations, from SFMTA and BART published stop data. Distances are straight-line, and walking times are our estimate. Buses aren’t listed here.

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Questions People Ask About Musée Mécanique

Is the Musée Mécanique free?

Yes - the museum's own visit page says admission is free. The machines themselves are coin-operated, so bring coins or small change if the children want to play them. The museum does not publish a price per machine.

What are the Musée Mécanique's opening hours?

10 am to 8 pm every day, Monday to Sunday and on holidays. The museum says it is open 365 days a year.

Can children play the machines at the Musée Mécanique?

Yes. The museum says you can play with any of its 300-plus machines, all in their original working condition, from hand-cranked music boxes through to modern video arcade games.

Can you eat inside the Musée Mécanique?

No. The museum says food and drink are not allowed inside at any time. It also does not host private events or parties, because of how delicate the machines are.

Cite this page: Project SF, “Musée Mécanique”, projectsf.com/listings/musee-mecanique/ (updated 2026-10-11).

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