Entry No. 3 — the San Francisco file — filed under: mechanical arcade

Musée Mécanique

A pier-side warehouse of 300-plus coin-operated machines — hand-cranked music boxes, 19th-century Mutoscopes, a 1912 steam-powered motorcycle, and Laffing Sal, a leering mechanical automaton whose recorded cackle has been unsettling visitors since San Francisco's old Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park.

The move: Bring a roll of quarters and work the machines together: start on the century-old orchestrion, take turns with the fortune-telling grandmother, and end on the vintage love tester before Laffing Sal cackles you out the door.

📍 Fisherman's Wharf
💸 $
⚡ Up for anything
🌗 Indoors

Where: Pier 45, Shed A, San Francisco, CA 94133

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

#mechanical arcade #antique automata #free admission #fishermans wharf

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: museemechanique.org · Wikipedia · Atlas Obscura

last checked: 2026-07-20