14 Fun Things To Do Around Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco
Trying to figure out what to do in your next visit to Fisherman's Wharf? There are plenty of things to check out, depending on your interests! In this article, travel enthusiast and San Francisco local Alicia Broggi shares her favorite things to do in Fisherman's Wharf!
Last updated: April 11, 2024
9 min read
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Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the most popular tourist spots in San Francisco. Whether you are stopping in just for a day, or for a week, Fisherman’s Wharf offers a fabulous – even dizzying – range of activities. There are mirror mazes and magic shows, ferry rides to Alcatraz, wax museums, whale watching trips, tours of World War II vessels, and plenty of food.
So, if you’ve decided that Fisherman’s Wharf is a stop you need to make on your trip to San Francisco, there are plenty of activities to do for everyone! Take a look at some of my favorite activities that will help ensure your trip is a memorable one!
Pier 39, by Land or by Sea
By Land
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Summer Months (June to August)
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Family Enthusiasts, Sea Lion Admirers, Waterfront Lovers, Shopping Aficionados
Pier 39 is the center of activity and family fun on Fisherman’s Wharf. It has a seaside carnival vibe, complete with crab and chowder sidewalk stands and outdoor magic shows.
There’s even a double-decker wooden carousel that was handmade in Italy. During the day, the carousel rides overlook the crowds. At night, there’s a special charm as its hand-painted scenes of iconic San Francisco sites are lit up.
A great option for inexpensive, quirky fun is Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze. It includes bespoke artistic installations, and kids under 5 go free.
Also catering to the full family is the Flyer Thrill Zone. At this gaming center, you can settle into a “flying theater” to explore the sites of San Francisco. Or try an escape game, if you’re looking for a challenge. You can also maneuver through a laser maze, use VR, or experience a “thrill ride” in “7D” that includes laser blasters.
By Sea
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Warmer Months (Late Spring to Early Fall)
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Sailing Enthusiasts, Nature Lovers, Outdoor Adventurers, Photography Aficionados
For visitors feeling the call of the sea, several vessels depart from Pier 39. Most exhilarating is the racing yacht that leaves daily from ACsailingSF. Help to crew the USA 76! It’s an International America’s Cup Class yacht, which you can ride for 2 – 2 ½ hours at high speeds over an old America’s Cup course. The trip is led by a well-qualified captain, and it offers brilliant views of the Bay (including the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz).
If racing isn’t your vacation speed, consider a more romantic, leisurely alternative. Take a 2-hour sunset sail on the Privateer, which departs from the San Francisco Sailing Co.
Whale watching is also available through Golden Gate Whale Watch. Depending on the time of year, you can see humpback whales or gray whales. But harbor seals, dolphins, sea birds, and the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen year-round. A trip will take around 2 ½ hours, and you’ll need to bring your own food and drink.
By Sea on Land
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Marine Life Enthusiasts, Family Visitors, Educational Seekers, Nature Lovers
If you want to explore marine life without getting sealegs, visit the Aquarium of the Bay. According to its website, it hosts “more than 24,000 local marine animals”. You can see the forbidding sevengill sharks that “guard” Alcatraz, as well as colorful jellyfish, playful river otters, and California’s state fish, the Garibaldi. (Yes, this fish is named after the Italian national hero. And who knew there were state fish!?)
Get a feel for the skin of anemones, rays, sharks, and more in “touch pools”. And soak up some interesting trivia. For instance, did you know that much of the Bay is fairly shallow, at only 10-15 feet deep?
This Smithsonian affiliate has much to commend it, but if you have enough time in San Francisco prioritize the Steinhart Aquarium at the phenomenal California Academy of Sciences instead.
By Sea Food
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Seafood Enthusiasts, Food Lovers, Waterfront Diners, Cultural Explorers
Despite being a tourist center, Pier 39 offers some unequivocally good eating. At the Fog Harbor Fish House, for instance, you can enjoy sustainable, fresh seafood with stunning views of the Bay. Their clam chowder and Dungeness Crab are highly recommended, and the restaurant received a Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Award in 2022.
Pier 33: Alcatraz Landing
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Spring and Summer (March to August)
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Tourists and Locals Alike, History Enthusiasts, Photography Lovers, Bay Area Explorers
Alcatraz is the only penitentiary you want to spend time in. Originally a military fort, it gained notoriety as a maximum-security federal prison. It housed such infamous inmates as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and the Birdman of Alcatraz. The prisoners were sent there for being particularly violent, disorderly, or a flight risk in other prisons–which only adds to the thrill of a visit.
So get your ride in – and out! – by booking online with Alcatraz City Cruises, the only source for ferry rides to the island. (Apparently in the summer tickets can sell out months in advance, so don’t wait to book!) The ferry leaves from Alcatraz Landing on Pier 33, and tickets are all-inclusive. They cover your entrance into the park, any selected tour option, and an audio guide from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
During your visit, you can explore the prison, walk the island, and peruse historical exhibitions. Don’t forget to buy merch from the bookstores in the Barracks and in the Cellhouse Store.
Just off Pier 45
We All Live in a Yellow Submarine, Sort Of
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Summer Months (June to August)
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History Buffs, Naval Enthusiasts, World War II Scholars, Maritime History Lovers
Off of Pier 45 is a decommissioned submarine from World War II that now serves as a museum: the USS Pampanito. This submarine was first commissioned in 1943, and the museum offers an educational view into the submarine service of the U.S. Navy.
According to the USS Pampanito’s website, in World War II, the marine service “represented less than two percent of all U.S. Navy personnel”. Despite this small size, “they were responsible for fifty-five percent of all Imperial Japanese tonnage sunk, including one third of their warships.”
The flip side to this outsized impact, however, was that the service also “recorded the highest percentage of men lost, 24%: more than 3500 men in 52 submarines did not return.” That’s pretty sobering! While the museum is not large, it offers an unusual educational experience. But download the audio tour before you go, you may lose reception in the sub.
Next to the USS Pampanito, you’ll find the SS Jeremiah O’Brien. This fully restored Liberty cargo ship from World War II supported the D-Day invasion at Normandy. As you’ll recall, that invasion was pivotal in liberating Western Europe from Nazi control. Today the O’Brien is listed as a National Historic Landmark. And the ship is also “fully seaworthy”. So in addition to learning about its history and inner workings (you can see an engine room that appeared in Titanic!), consider booking a cruise on the O’Brien!
Musée Mécanique
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Summer Months (June to August)
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Vintage Arcade Game Enthusiasts, History Buffs, Family Visitors, Cultural Explorers
For a vintage gaming experience try Musée Mécanique. It boasts more than 300 antique arcade games and coin-operated musical machines. These reach back to pre-Pacman days!
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
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Summer Months (June to August)
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Curiosity Seekers, Families Looking for Entertaining and Unusual Experiences
Near the base of Pier 45, on Jefferson Street, is the iconic Ripley’s Believe It or Not. It’s a real San Francisco tourist establishment–I remember my dad taking me there decades ago. This self-proclaimed “odditorium” explores the bizarre, the rare, and the shocking. As the website puts it, this is a place “where the truth is always stranger than fiction.”
The history of this odditorium has its own interesting facts. It was founded by LeRoy Robert Ripley, an amateur anthropologist who made sensationalist displays of items from his travels. Crucially, he had also been a cartoonist for the The New York Globe. It was there that he drew his first “Believe It or Not!” cartoon, which turned into an immensely popular series with an outsized impact.
Apparently, in 1929 one of the cartoons made this controversial observation: “Believe It or Not, America has no national anthem!” Although “The Star Spangled Banner” had been a popular patriotic song, it was not until 1931 that President Hoover officially made it the national anthem. The people at Ripley’s attribute that to the impact of their founder.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
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Pop Culture Enthusiasts, History Buffs, Family Visitors, Selfie Enthusiasts, Celebrity Admirers
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, also on Jefferson Street, is “The World’s Greatest Wax Museum”. I know because it says so on their website. The museum chain is famous for the realism of its wax figures and the lack of barriers around its displays. Instead, props are set out so you can pose with the figures. This is great for Instagram and TikTok!
You can expect to see figures of big-name actors, athletes, and musicians. So strike a pose next to Anne Hathaway, Steph Curry, Beyonce, or even Taylor Swift (without the drama of getting tickets to her Eras Tour).
What makes the San Francisco franchise unique, though, is the local angle of its displays. You can meet the likeness of Mark Zuckerberg, whose company Meta (a.k.a. Facebook) is based in the Bay Area. A special section called the “Spirit of San Francisco” has wax replicas of people that have shaped this city, and been shaped by it. (Did you know Robin Williams made his start performing comedy in San Francisco?)
At the time of writing, there is also a special display of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. While Made Tussauds always makes a figure of the President, this is the first time to include a Vice President. And this VP hails from the Bay Area.
The museum’s founder, Madame Tussaud (1761-1850), also deserves some mention. Originally from France, an apprenticeship to a wax sculptor enabled her to ascend from being a housekeeper’s daughter to tutoring the sister of King Louis XVI in art. Brushing shoulders with nobility, however, led to her imprisonment in the French Revolution. It was only after her release that she eventually founded the initial exhibition in London.
Eating
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Food Enthusiasts, Lovers of Sourdough Bread, Seafood Aficionados, Cultural Explorers
Just off Pier 45 is the highly lauded Bistro Boudin. Committed to preserving local culinary tradition, their breads deserve special attention. After all, they have the Original San Francisco Sourdough. It’s mind blowing to learn that a continuous sourdough starter (“the mother dough”) has been used there for nearly two hundred years, which came in with the 49ers during the Gold Rush.
The Franciscan Crab Restaurant is also popular. It has a vintage vibe, with an art deco twist, and great views.
Pier 15
The Exploratorium
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Summer Months (June to August)
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Science Enthusiasts, Curious Minds of All Ages, Families Seeking Interactive Learning
One of San Francisco’s truly phenomenal offerings for educational fun is The Exploratorium. Art and science meet in this interactive “public learning laboratory”. In its exhibits, you can control the speed of air blowing over water to create waves, cast shadows in vibrant colors, and examine Bacteriopolis, a wall of visible bacteria. You can also see living “HeLa” cells that can divide endlessly.
These controversial cancer cells were taken without permission from a woman named Henrietta Lacks (thus the name, HeLa), as was common practice at the time. Because of their durability and ability to endlessly divide, they have been used extensively and to great effect in biomedical research. What a cool thing to explore!
The Exploratorium was founded by the physicist Frank Oppenheimer. Recognize the last name?! Frank was the younger brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb”. (He actually worked on the Manhattan Project under his brother.) Inspired by European science museums, Frank devoted the later years of his life to creating this museum, where ideas could be explored and not just explained.
Back on the Mainland
San Francisco Maritime National History Museum
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Maritime History Enthusiasts, Museum-Goers, Family Visitors, History Buffs, Cultural Explorers
San Francisco Maritime National History Museum is a park with a maritime museum and a historic fleet of six vessels. For those of you with seafaring knowledge, these vessels are a steam ferryboat, square-rigged cargo ship, scow schooner, regular schooner, steam schooner, and steam tug. For those of you who, like me, need a little extra help understanding those terms, pick up your tickets at the Hyde Street Pier ticket booth.
You can explore these vessels and learn more about the seafaring history of the Pacific Coast. Don’t skip the Visitor’s Center on the mainland at 499 Jefferson St! It’s a labor of love.
Escapology and Umbrella Alley
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Art Enthusiasts, Photography Lovers, Instagrammers Seeking Unique Backdrops
Turn inland from the Wharf, onto Bay Street, for an escape game at Escapology. Murder Mansion, Narco, and Antidote are a few of the games that get rave reviews.
Pass under the umbrella and balloon ceiling of Umbrella Alley. The walls are vibrantly painted with interactive street art, so you can become part of the murals.
Food and Drink
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Gourmet Enthusiasts, Food Lovers, Wine Connoisseurs, Culinary Explorers
Visit The Buena Vista Cafe, near Ghirardelli Square, for their Irish coffee. Do this even if you don’t drink Irish coffee. The food is good too, but the Irish coffee has achieved fame. There is even a youtube video of the coffee-making process with over 279,000 views, and an instructional video here!
For fine dining try the nearby Restaurant Gary Danko. The menu derives from classic French cuisine, but with a Mediterranean and an American twist. They take pride in using local ingredients. You may need to book well in advance though! This one’s not just for the tourists. For the quality of both the food and service, it has earned a Michelin star.
Alternatively, Scoma’s Restaurant is another excellent option. It’s actually situated on the water, just not on one of the big piers. The seafood stands out, as you might expect from a restaurant with the tagline, “Local Fishermen’s Fare – Since 1965.”
For sweeter options, if you’re hankering after breakfast food, try Eight AM, and Norman’s Ice Cream & Freezes offers locally-made ice cream.
In Ghirardelli Square, there is famous chocolate to try, as well as The Palette Tea House. It gets a positive review in the Michelin Guide for its dim sum.
There is so much to do (and eat!) around Fisherman’s Wharf. I hope this guide helps you to make the most of your time, whether you spend that time by land or by sea.
