Cable Car Museum

• Hours: Open every day except Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1
• Reservations: Not required
• Cost: Free
• Location: Mason Street at Washington, directions below
• How Long: Allow about half an hour to view the exhibits
• Best Time to Visit: Any time

Cable Car Museum

San Francisco's Cable Car Museum is a good place to learn more about the city's trademark method of transportation. The museum is housed in the building that's the heart of the cable car system, where you can watch the cable-winding machinery in action from an elevated gallery and then go downstairs to see the moving cable passing through a series of "sheaves" as it enters and leaves the building.

Other displays at the Cable Car Museum include antique cable cars and photographs taken during the sytem's reconstruction from 1982 to 1984.

You can also pick up interesting souvenirs here, made from sections of cable car track and cable.

Review

We rate the Cable Car Museum 4 out of 5. It doesn't take long, but it's a fun way to find out a little bit more about what goes on under the streets and how the cable cars work.

Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about it, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.

What do you think of the Cable Car Museum as a tourist destination?

• 0 = Yuck! Just say no to this flea-bitten hole of a tourist trap
• 1 = So-So More fun than a night in jail, but you might enjoy a good nap more
• 2 = OK Some people find it interesting, but I didn't
• 3 = Good Go if you have time, but it's not a big deal if you miss it
• 4 = Great I really liked it, and I think you will, too
• 5 = Awesome! It's a must-see sight that I recommend to everyone

Getting to the Cable Car Museum

Cable Car Museum
1201 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 474-1887
website

The best way to get to the Cable Car Museum is the most obvious - by cable car. If you're on foot, you don't need a map, just follow the Powell-Hyde or Powell-Mason cable car tracks.

Street parking is nearly non-existent near the Cable Car Museum, and the nearest public parking lots are in North Beach. The closest MUNI bus lines are the 1 and 30.