Musée Mécanique : A Magical Trip Back In Time

In the midst of the tourist crowded area of Pier 45 in San Francisco, there lies a hidden gem that makes the visit so worthwhile. As you enter the doors of Musée Mécanique you are transported back in time to the days of old fashioned arcade games, strength testing machines, animated figures and scenes, self playing musical instruments, moving pictures, and more. The admission is free for access to the world's largest private collection of over 200 antique coin operated mechanical toys and games.

Musée Mécanique is the perfect attraction for the young and the young at heart. The museum offers a fascinating range of operational coin-operated games dating back to the 1800's all the way up to the 1980's. Even after a hectic day of touring the entire city of San Francisco (San Francisco Movie Tour - more about that later) I was mesmerized by the whimsical details of the vintage machines and inspired by the styles of eras gone by.

To see more of my photos from Musée Mécanique and from San Francisco please stay tuned for my photo book project coming shortly.  

*Scroll down to see my first ever DSLR video experiment. Forgive the blurriness, the weird quality, and music ending cut off. I still think the amateur video motion is kind of cool. Yes? No?

Look Past the Famous Fisherman's Wharf Sign. Musée Mécanique is Right Behind.

Laffing Sal Greets You At The Entrance of Musée Mécanique

Early Moving Picture Machine - The Oldest Machine In The Museum

My Friend Kristy Playing Six Shooter

Mexican Marionettes Designed To Come To Life

Baseball World Series Game 1937 Game

Sing Along Pinball - One of the Pinball Machines at Musée Mécanique

Automatic Nelson -Wiggen Piano Co. Circa 1920

Kiss-O-Meter Measure The Thrill of Your Kisses

Toothpick Fantasy Ferris Wheel Created by San Quentin Prisoners

Old Time Peep Show Viewer - Risqué For The Time

For complete information about the story of Musée Mécanique visit www.museemechanique.org or www.museemecaniquesf.com.