Unveiling The Magic: Visit The Walt Disney Museum In San Francisco
3 minute read | contains affiliate links
Welcome to the enchanting world of the Walt Disney Family Museum, nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s historic Presidio.
Stepping through its doors is like embarking on a journey through the life and legacy of one of the greatest visionaries of our time. As you explore the exhibits, you'll be transported to a time where imagination knew no bounds.
From the earliest sketches of beloved characters to groundbreaking technological advancements in animation, this museum offers a truly immersive and multimodal experience that engages all your senses.
Join us as we delve into the magical realms created by Walt Disney and unravel the extraordinary story behind the man who forever changed the landscape of animation.
Get ready to be inspired, amazed and filled with childlike wonder as we embark on a tour of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
I’m going to be somewhat vague in the descriptions of exhibits and the museum itself, as I highly encourage you to see it for yourself and I don’t want to spoil it.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
Location, Parking & Admission Fees
The Walt Disney Family Museum is located in the historic Presidio in beautiful San Francisco, just a stone’s throw from the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum’s address is:
104 Montgomery Street
Entering that address (or simply the museum’s name) into any GPS device will place you directly in front of the museum, where the closest available parking is.
If there’s no parking available there, you can try the Main Post Parking Lot (across the Main Post Lawn) or behind the museum in the Taylor Road Parking Lot.
Keep in mind that parking is metered credit/debit cards (as well as cash) is accepted.
Admission fees to the museum are as follows:
Adults: $25
Senior (65 and up): $20
Student (w/ ID): $20
Youth (6-17): $15
Child (5 and under): Free
Military (active, veteran, or retired): Free
Military Spouse/Dependent: Free
These prices pertain to the main museum only. The museum features regular special exhibits on a rotating basis. If you want to tour those exhibits, add $5 to the prices above.
When buying your tickets, you’ll be asked to select an arrival date and entry window. This is to help the museum with over-crowding.
I had no issue getting tickets the day before and even though we arrived past our entry window, we were still able to get in. I can’t guarantee they’ll be lenient every time, though.
The Walt Disney Museum
When you walk inside you’ll be greeted, be asked to show your tickets and be given a quick breakdown of the museum and where everything is.
To the left of the entrance is the cafe and gift shop. To the right are some exhibits to see while you wait for your entry time if you arrive early.
At the podium, you’ll present your tickets and be given a quick explanation of the camera/filming policy before proceeding into the first room.
*I was told that pictures and video were fine, but that flash photography was prohibited. Most cameras, including those with detachable lenses, are good to go.
The first room you’ll enter is on the ground floor and details Walt’s early life. You’ll learn about where he was born, his earliest entry into the world of cartoons and his service in the Red Cross during World War One.
When you’re done looking around, head to the elevator in the next room and take it to the next floor where the remaining museum exhibits are located.
Coming out of the elevator, the next few rooms are a treasure trove of the early works of Disney animation and the equipment Walt and his animators used.
The first room heavily focuses on the musical animated classic series, Silly Symphonies. These musical shorts were the bread and butter for Disney at the time and would pave the way for musicals we all love such as, Beauty and the Beast and Frozen.
The next room details the beginning stages of the development of Disney’s first full-length animated move, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The walls are adorned with early sketches, rough drafts of the script, props, images and more. It’s a literal treasure trove of all things Snow White.
You’ll also see the multi-pane camera Walt and his animators invented in order to create the multi-dimensional look of their films.
This gave their movies depth rather than having that “flat” look that other animated features of the time had. Past that, you’ll see examples of how Disney began diversifying their character roster.
Next, you’ll learn about the Hollywood writer’s strike of 1941 and how it affected the relationship Walt had with his animators.
The exhibits also detail the events of World War Two and how Disney did his part to help keep the moral of the troops up.
From here, you’ll make your way into what I refer to as the, “transition room”. The walls are lined with screens where clips from some of Disney’s most beloved films play.
It’s a dark room with plush seating in the center, allowing you to rest and comfortably view the clips and images that rotate on the screens.
After the transition room, you enter a beautifully lit hallway with floor to ceiling windows allowing for a commanding view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
At the end of this hallway is one of the actual benches from Los Angelas’s Griffith Park. Walt brought his kids to this park numerous times and sat on this very bench (and others).
It is these benches where Walt’s idea for Disneyland first came about. He was watching his kids ride the carousel and thought to himself, “there outta be a place where kids and their parents could have fun together”.
As you move past the Griffith Park bench you’ll enter the final and perhaps most popular exhibit in the museum; the development of Disneyland.
As you work your way down the spiral ramp you’re surrounded with images and props used during creative sessions and the construction phase of Disneyland.
At the end of the ramp is a beautifully rendered model of Disneyland called, “The Disneyland of Walt’s Imagination”.
The model isn’t an exact representation of the park, but more of a, “fun map-style”, model. This allows for each of the park’s most popular aspects to be highlighted without regard to scale. Tony Baxter, a famed Disney Imagineer, is responsible for the idea.
The model was easily the most popular exhibit. Not just in this room, but in the museum as a whole. After admiring the model, your visit to the museum concludes with a touching tribute to Walt.
The final room covers his final days and the impact his death had on not just the entertainment idustry, but the world. It’s easy to see how special Walt was and how we’ll never have another one quite like him.
I hope you’ll consider paying a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum. If you’re a Disney fan, particularly of its history, you’ll enjoy it immensely.
If you’re considering a vacation to Disneyland, doing proper research is imperative. Head over to our Disneyland section for many planning resources.
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
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