The unique Musee Mecanique is a stunning collection of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines. In fact, it’s one of the WORLD’s largest privately owned collections!
With over 300 items, it’s certainly a fun way to spend some time whilst on Fisherman’s Wharf pier!
Want to know something else fun? All of these coin operated musical instruments and arcade machines WORK – which means, you can play them! Now THAT is really cool!
It’s at Musee Mecanique that you can take a journey back in time, to the turn of the century when entertainment was simple. No iphones or Xbox’s kids – just simple hand cranked music boxes!
Just think about your grandparents as you wander and explore, kids – these are the toys that they would have grown up with, and their parents would have!
The 300 items have been sympathetically restored to working order and available to play for fees ranging from 1c to $1.
There’s loads to see and do with many unique and unusual games, and plenty of change machines dotted about! There is that classic Six Shooter, or the Toothpick Ferris Wheel!
You can check out the Cry Baby, or even see a vintage crane.
Parents – we know you’ll recognize the Bocca Della Verita!
With pinball machines, Wurlitzers, and organ grinders, it really is a step back in time with these great vintage toys and machines!
This ranges from more than 100 year old mechanical games and music machines to 1980ies video games or air-hockey – a cross-cut through the generations.But really, the old machines are the most interesting: well weathered but survived the times, they are still withstanding use every single day (yes, all of them still work, typically just cost a quarter). Hand-painted ‘fortune teller’ machines, 3D films of 1906 earrthquake, paper-roll operated pianos or a capella-singing wooden dolls – a wide range of curiosities from the last 100 years.I discovered it once by accident on a photo-walk, but now whenever someone visits the city, I take them there and they end up being as enthusiastic as me.
Free, fun, fantastic, fabulous, and phantasmagoric, the Musee Mecanique is definitely worth checking out.
A fun, inexpensive way to have a great day on the waterfront. It is free to enter. All of the machines are a quarter or less, and it’s a great place for pictures. There are many unique coin operated machines there that you cannot find anywhere else. It’s also a great place to bring kids of all ages.
When going to Fisherman’s Wharf, this place is definitely worth checking out. Admission is free, and all of the games are only one or two quarters to play, making it a very cheap place to spend an hour or two. If you plan on going, make sure to watch the crowds, as you will not be able to navigate easily if the rows are jammed with people. All of the games and antique coin-operated toys are in very good condition and it was definitely fun to be able to play Robotron and Moon Patrol on their original machines. If you’ve exhausted your interest in the games, there’s also a World War II submarine that is open for self-guided tours, with admission, of course. All in all, if you have no interest in anything else on the Wharf, then go just for this. Of course, be wary of the birds outside, especially around dinner time, as lots of tourists find that the best time to feed them and make them much more of a nuisance.
Yes, the wharf is a tourist wasteland, but Musée Mécanique is the exception. Tourists and locals alike flock here to journey back to the turn of the century at this antique arcade. Test your strength or have your fortune read. Prices are low and games can keep you occupied for about an hour. Perfect stop for families or even a date. For all you Anne Hathaway fanatics, you may recognize a few machines from The Princess Diaries.