The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco is a wonderful stop on your sojurn to the City by the Bay. Whether you are a die hard Disney aficionado or just curious about the life of Walt Disney, this museum sheds light on the man, his vision and legacy. Trip Advisor ranks the museum as the 13th most popular attraction out of 733 things to do in San Francisco.
If you are a Walt Disney fan (like me), then this is like mecca. Making a pilgrimage to see the Walt Disney Family Museum is a must do when in San Francisco! But even for those not so…ahem…obsessed with Disney, it would make for a fun afternoon if you find yourself in the Presidio area of San Francisco.
The Walt Disney Family Museum gives visitors a real sense of who Walt Disney was. Lovingly co-founded by his daughter to honor her father’s memory, the museum is overflowing with memorabilia. It truly is a multimedia journey that utilizes print, movies, audio to immerse you in the storytelling–something that Disney excels at. I loved listening of the recording of Walt himself talking about developing his films and working with his animators.
What added to my enjoyment of the museum was the fact that my dear friend Lori and 2 of her sons were also in the area for a wedding, so we coordinated our plans and did the museum together. Lori also scored us complimentary tickets to the museum, but we gladly would have shelled out our Disney dollars to go regardless. We spent a few hours strolling through the exhibits and chatting. The full scale model of Disneyland is impressive, even more so to me now that I have been there! While it makes sense for the museum to document his life chronologically, having Walt Disney’s death at the exit seemed a bit of a downer to end the visit. So we decided to cheer ourselves up with ICE CREAM!!!!
No day would be complete without a little ice cream, don’t you agree? So we made a short trek via Uber car (5 minutes) to Ghirardelli Square to nosh on Sea Salt Caramel Sundae and Brownie Sundae. OK, so we’ll have to walk this city’s steepest hills (hello, Lombard Street) to burn off all the calories, but it’s worth it! Founded in 1852 by an Italian immigrant, Ghirardelli came to America wanting to be part of the gold rush. While he didn’t stirke it rich in gold, he made his mark by founding the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, and the company has been perfecting its chocolates for 163 years. Naturally, the ice cream shop also has a gift shop attached so you can pick up some souvenirs for your favorite chocoholic (and yourself).
As you can tell, we loved every minute of our time in the Ice Cream Fountain. Combining the Walt Disney Museum and Ghirardelli Square makes for a memorable afternoon in this magnificent city. Get your exercise beforehand so you can savor every delicious “spoonful of sugar”–it’s truly “delightful”!!!
The Walt Disney Family Museum
104 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 345-6800
Open 10am-6pm. Last entry 4:45pm.
Tickets: $20 general; $ 15 seniors and students; $ 12 youth ages 6-17; FREE for kids 5 and under and active and retired military, their spouses and dependents.
Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 775-5500
Sunday – Thursday: 9am – 11pm (Ice Cream Fountain opens at 10am) Friday & Saturday: 9am – 12am (Ice Cream Fountain opens at 10am)
Calories: up to you!
What a great day and fun adventures! So lovely to see both your smiling faces with the Ghirardelli ice cream! Can’t wait to see them in person in October! Also, I now have a serious craving for Ghirardelli ice cream – so good!
2 months, Shannan!!! Guess we better keep the ice cream to a minimum if we want to look cute in bathing suits and resort wear 😉 SOOOOOO glad you are going!!!