Odd Tours and Museums in San Francisco

Planning a vacation to San Francisco often brings to mind images of cable car rides and strolling through lanes filled with beautiful townhouses with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop. I recently discovered that San Francisco has much more to offer than picturesque scenery though, it is also jam-packed with interesting museums, vintage theaters and many adventures that are just too quirky to miss. On your next trip through this beautiful city, check out one of these 5 unusual San Francisco attractions.

Paxton Gate
824 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA
Paxtongate.com

If you like to shop as much as you travel, stop in at Paxton Gate for a shopping adventure through time! A shop described as being filled with treasures and oddities, this little shop will tantalize you with strange and beautiful trinkets that you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

The Walt Disney Family Museum
104 Montgomery Street
The Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Waltdisney.org
Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students

Although Disneyland is known across the globe, it's rare to find a Disney fan who knows the story behind the internationally famed Walter Elias Disney. The Walt Disney Family Museum takes visitors on a tour through the struggles, hardships and successes of the Disney family, from their beginnings as a hard working family in Chicago through Walt's success in film and animation.

San Francisco Vampire Walking Tour
Starting from the corner of California Street & Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA
Viatour.com
Tickets: $19

Take a stroll through time and mystery on one of the most unique walking tours you'll ever have the opportunity to take. The two hour guided tour takes guests through the Nob Hill area of San Francisco and gives a detailed description of how vampire legend has helped to shape the darker side of the city's diverse history. As informative as it is educational, guests leave the tour with a greater understanding of the facts, stories and legends of some of San Francisco's most historic buildings and landmarks.

BurlingameMuseum of Pez Memorabilia
214 California Drive
Burlingame, CA
Wackymuseums.com
Tickets: $3 Adults, $1 Children

Just minutes outside of San Francisco, the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia boasts a collection of every Pez dispenser made since 1950. The collection not only includes the hand-held Pez dispensers we all know and love, but it also is home to the world's largest Pez dispenser which stands just under 8 feet tall. Expanded in 2004 to also include the Classic Toy Museum, this is one tour that delights collectors and toy enthusiasts of all ages.

CableCarMuseum
1201 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA
Cablecarmuseum.org
Tickets: Free entry

If you simply must add cable cars to your tour of San Francisco, then add a stroll through the Cable Car Museum to your list of things to see. Covering the complete history of the famous San Francisco cable cars, this museum gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what makes the cable cars operation so unique.

Taking the initiative to explore areas of San Francisco that aren't listed in the traditional tour guide isn't just entertaining; it also gives you a better sense of the city's inhabitants. From quirky museums to shops filled with oddities, San Francisco has much to offer travelers looking for a more intriguing travel experience.

Sources:
San Francisco is Unusual, Odd or Just Eccentric
OnlyInSanFrancisco.com
San Francisco Attractions from A to Z