As a follow up on Disneyland family trip itinerary I would like to tell you about a great affordable Disney attraction located in San Francisco, CA – Walt Disney Family Museum. I never thought it is possible to put the words “Disney” and “affordable” in one sentence, but it is – at $25 per adult and $15 per kid older than 5. It is not crowded at all compared to Disneyland and makes up for an excellent educational family trip whether or not you are an avid Disney fan.
This museum is located in Presidio – a very beautiful, peaceful and green area of San Francisco. Before or after the visit you should definitely take advantage of all the walking trails in the vicinity and magnificent views.
The museum is full of interesting exhibits. They are dedicated to the life of Walt Disney as well as the creation and evolution of many of his beloved characters and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
There are 10 exhibit halls corresponding to various periods of Walt’s life that has been quite fascinating. In the beginning you pretty much read and observe the exhibits but the more you progress towards the creation of Disney Studios, the more hands on exhibits you will encounter. And there are lots of videos playing throughout the museum.
My kids’ most favorite hands-on exhibits are related to merging animation with sound. In one exhibit you are given a bunch of household items with the help of which you need to create a “soundtrack” for a short cartoon clip. Your soundtrack is being recorded and at the end you can watch the cartoon with that soundtrack. You can re-record as much as you want but be mindful of other people waiting to try.
The other exhibit teaches you how you select a tune for a scene or a character and then you can try yourself matching music pieces with a part of a cartoon.
I personally loved the exhibits related to the process of how Walt Disney created his unique animated characters, including Mickey Mouse, Bambi, 7 dwarfs, etc.
In one of the last exhibit halls you can observe a huge model of Disneyland park. The dream was great, the intention was wonderful, it is the execution that nowadays suffers at times (you can read more about present day Disneyland in my previous post).
If you come during the holiday season from middle of November to early January you can see a special exhibit called Home for the Holidays at Carolwood. It is a model of the Disney family home, which once stood on Carolwood Drive in Los Angeles. The model also has a miniature version of Walt’s steam locomotive, the Lilly Belle.
During your visit you can attend short free talks by museum docents on various topics. They give you a schedule when you buy tickets. Our most favorite talk was about how Mickey Mouse was born.
In addition to permanent exhibits the museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, as well as workshops, film screenings, special events, festivals and talks (full feature talks, paid for separately, compared to the short ones I mentioned above that are included with admission). Check the Education section on the Museum’s website – it is huge! That’s why I like this place so much because it is deeply focused on education rather than just mindless fun.
Finally, don’t miss the iconic view of Golden gate Bridge from the glass walkway at the museum.
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