Are you looking for ideas on how to spend a perfect day in San Francisco with family? Don’t search any further. In this article written by a local you will learn about:
Unique things to do in San Francisco
Things to do in San Francisco with family
FREE things to do in San Francisco
If any of the three topics above are of interest to you then continue reading – you will find lots of useful and detailed information you need right now.
San Francisco is a Really Big city. May be not as big area wise as many other top travel destinations in the U.S. but it is very big on attractions. There are so many fun, cool and unique things to do in San Francisco with family that it is very easy to get overwhelmed in general and especially if you travel with kids.
My first and most important tip for you as a local – Pro Tip #1 – explore the city area by area, district by district. And the smaller the area you choose the more successful and stress free your exploration of the city is going to be.
In this article I will cover the area around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf that has enough unique things to do for a whole day. And best of all, most of these attractions are firmly on the list of FREE things to do in San Francisco (who wouldn’t want to save a buck, right? 😉 )
# 1. Unique things to do in San Francisco with family – Pier 39 Festivals and Events
If you plan to explore Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf try to plan your visit around unique festivals organized in the area. My personal favorites are:
Tulipmania tulips festival (mid February)
4th of July Celebration with fireworks (July)
Lighted Boats Parade (December)
Detailed information on dates and program of the events and festivals at Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf are published ahead of time on their respective websites. All of the three festivals above are FREE to attend but Tulipmania is probably the least crowded. Tulipmania is a 1 week event famous for beautiful tulips displays planted around Pier 39.
Pro tip #2: if you want to see tulips in full bloom, come the first weekend of the festival; if you want to have less crowds, come the second and last weekend of the festival – it coincides with President’s Day long weekend and many locals leave the city to go skiing.
#2. Unique things to do in San Francisco with family – Sea Lions at Pier 39
Sea lions at Pier 39 should definitely be on your list of unique things to do in San Francisco with family. Sea lions in general are not uncommon in California but here specifically they gather in big groups, vocalize and fight for domination on a couple of pontoons under the sun.
Kids love watching them: it is like a zoo, but FREE of charge and very unpredictable. This is a top spot to shoot funny animals videos, if you are into it.
We have visited Pier 39 in different seasons and at different times of the day and sea lions are always there. So I would say chances are, whenever you come sea lions are going to be there too.
Fun fact: these animals were not always residing at Pier 39. First seal lions arrived at the dock in 1989 shortly after Loma Prieta earthquake. Why they decided to show up there and then is still a mystery but since then they entertain tourists and locals near the Pier.
Pro tip #3: Do not mix up sea lion and seals. Sea lions are brown, bark loudly, “walk” on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps.
#3. Unique things to do in San Francisco with family – Street Performers
The area around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is famous for a variety of street performers: jugglers, singers, dancers, acrobats, clowns – you name it. Some of them are really good and quite entertaining.
It is a local tradition no to be missed. Technically, it is one of the cool FREE things to do in San Francisco. However, if you have an ability to do so, please, support the performer that you liked. They work really hard.
#4. Unique things to do in San Francisco with family – Musee Mecanique
Musee Mecanique at Pier 45 is my personal favorite in terms of unique things to do in San Francisco with family. This museum houses about 200 arcade games, musical machines and other coin operated curiosities. Some of them are unique antiques that are over 100 years old. All games on display come form different eras but all of them are operational.
The mere variety of the curiosities at Musee Mecanique is mind boggling! There are classic arcade games where you pilot a vehicle or shoot at targets but there are also sports games (baseball, football, ice hokey, etc.), musical boxes and even some sinister old fashioned contraptions like French Torture device (I have not tried that one personally so I cannot tell you what exactly it does).
The entrance to the museum is FREE of charge but you have to use coins to play. The cheapest musical machines cost 25 cents per play. Most games are 50-75 cents per play. The most expensive machine that I noticed was a musical machine at the entrance to the museum that cost $2 USD per play.
Pro tip # 4: You don’t really have to pay for musical machines that play music. You can just stop by and listen when someone else switches them on 😉 For games I suggest setting up a budget for each player and try not to go over it. Kids especially get very excited and want to play more and more. We told our kids that they are going to play with their own pocket money and they were actually very careful about how much they spend because it is THEIR money.
Our favorite games were: old fashioned baseball and air hockey.
#5. Unique things to do in San Francisco with family – Historic Pier 45
Historic Pier 45 is located a short walk away from Pier 39. There are two WWII maritime gems located at Pier 45: USS Pampanito submarine and SS Jeremiah O’Brien battle ship. Both were turned into museums and can be visited on a self-guided tour. The entrance to the museums is ticketed. USS Pampanito is a much smaller museum vs SS Jeremiah O’Brien, take this into consideration while scheduling your time.
We visited both museums and our boys liked both of them. They were more impressed by SS Jeremiah O’Brian just due to the sheer size of it. I felt both museums were interesting.
Pro tip #5: if you don’t have the budget or the time to visit the ship and the submarine, still stop by the Visitor’s Center at the entrance to Pier 45. I firmly put it on my list of unique things to do in San Francisco with family. There are several cool educational exhibits in there, such as WWII Jeep and a battle ship gun. We also loved a huge poster explaining with pictures and in detail how submarines dive. The entrance to the Visitor’s Center is FREE of charge.
Additional tips for visiting Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf
1. Parking at Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf
Please, note, that street metered parking in San Francisco is FREE on Sundays and major holidays, however this rule does not apply to parking in the direct vicinity of Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. If you can park a little further out and walk towards attractions at Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf then you can definitely save on parking. There is a parking garage right across the street from Pier 39 on Embarcadero. It costs $12 per hour as of the day of this article publication and it fills out quickly. I suggest arriving not later than 10 -10.30 am.
2. What is a relation between Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf?
Fisherman’s Wharf is a famous San Francisco neighborhood bordering the Bay. Pier 39 is one of many points of interest in this neighborhood.
3. Where to eat at Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf?
We have been to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf multiple times. There are tons of restaurants, cafes and cheap food joints around the area but it is hard to find a really good place with truly excellent food AND reasonable prices.
We were very lucky that this time around we found Ciopppino’s restaurant. They invited us to be their guests and it was one of the best lunches we ever had in San Francisco.
Ciopinno’s is a family owned restaurant with ample sitting inside and outside and you can choose where you want to sit.
The restaurant offers an extensive Italian and seafood menu at good prices and even a very picky eater will find a dish to enjoy. We decided to sample a little bit of both, Italian and seafood plates. For appetizers we tried Insalata Caprese – you can’t really go wrong with it. It was fresh and fragrant and my only regret is that we did not order 2 plates of it. 🙂
We also ordered Pancetta Basil Mussels and, without exaggeration, these were the tastiest mussels I have ever had, hands down. The sauce that Cioppino’s restaurant creates to cook the mussels in is simply divine!
From the Cioppino’s Entrees menu we chose 3 dishes: Market Lasagna, Cajun Seafood Pasta and Seafood Risotto.
My older son is a big fan of lasagna, he always orders it wherever we go. He expressed his sentiment that Cioppino’s lasagna was really good compared to many other places – and as proof he finished the whole big piece, all by himself, no sharing 🙂
My husband likes spicy food and for him Cajun pasta hit all the right notes. His plate was full of seafood and he enjoyed every bit of it.
As for myself, I ordered risotto. The seafood was cooked perfectly. It is really hard to make seafood such as calamari so that it is not rubbery but mine was done just right. One thing I would note is that the rice probably needed another couple minutes on the stove, otherwise it was a great dish.
For desert we had Molten Chocolate Cake. The combination of warm gooey interior of the cake with cold vanilla ice cream on top is a match made in heaven and this is all you need to know about it to make the right choice.
I would also like to point out that we were very pleasantly surprised that the kids menu at Cioppino’s restaurant was very extensive too with lots of good choices. Chicken fingers and fries made my 6 years old son very happy.
Overall, Cioppino’s has a wonderful family friendly atmosphere, quick service and courteous staff. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and all his recommendations turned out to be spot on.
I strongly recommend you stopping by Cioppino’s restaurant if you are looking for a great kid friendly meal around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. I know that we will definitely be back.
4. Other tips for visiting Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf
1.Arrive early in the morning which will give you an opportunity to find the best parking and enjoy the area without the crowds.
2. Don’t miss magnificent views of Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island – they are one of a kind.
3. Weather is San Francisco is very changeable and unpredictable. In winter it can be warmer and sunnier than in summer. No wonder Mark Twain once said: “The coldest winter I have ever encountered was summer in San Francisco”. Dress in layers and a windproof/water proof jacket is highly recommended.
4. If you are not a local resident from San Francisco Bay Area and you are looking for a place to stay in the city below are the current deals:
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Thank you for your feedback. No, I did not hire a designer, it is a WordPress theme.