Address: Pier 45, Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133, United States
The Mexico Museum is an immersive museum for profit consisting of penny games and objects from the 20th century located at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California. It is one of the largest private collections of such games in the world and owns over 300 pieces of mechanical equipment.
Ed Zelinsky, the owner, started collecting from Playland, at the age of 11 and showed his games in the 1920s. Playland closed in 1972 and the Mécanique Museum became part of the National Recreation Area at Golden Gate. The museum relocated into Cliff House, a few blocks north and across Playland’s Great Highway. Zelinsky’s son Dan Zelinsky took the collection briefly in the 1970s. The museum was included in The Princess Diaries in 2001 and the Japanese TV show GameCenter CX in 2011.
The Musée Mécanique has a collection of over 300 mechanical toys, including music boxes, fortune tellers, Mutoscopes, video games, love testers, piano players, peep shows, picture booths, pinball machines, etc. At its present site, the museum exhibits about 200 of the machines.
There are aseveralrare historical items in the museum. In the middle of the museum, there is a large diorama of a moving Ferris wheel and other rides. The museum is the only steam engine in the country, which was built in 1912 in Sacramento. The diorama of the Royal Court included couples dancing and was shown at the International ExhibitionPanama–Pacificc. A six-foot-high, laughing automobile is Laffing Sal, which is described as “famously shrinking.” In addition, the Museum has a series of devices made by prisoners in San Quentin from toothpicks.
Check out our list of the Top 9 San Francisco Hidden Gems. We introduce more information about each on the following pages:
- Sutro Baths Ruins and Cave
- Land’s End Labyrinth
- The Wave Organ
- The Vulcan Stairs
- Yerba Buena Garden Sculptures
- Seward Mini Park
- Telegraph Hill Parrots
- Musee Mecanique
- Angel Island State Park
All of these wonderful locations are located just a short drive from our location near Downtown Walnut Creek, California on Locust Street. Stop by for a visit anytime!
