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Inside the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California: What To Expect On Your Visit

ByErin Burke Published on
Two story brick building with a third story of gabled windows. There is a porch that runs the length of the first floor (steps leading up to the first floor) and and large red sign hanging from the porch that read "The Walt Disney Family Museum"

As a Disney fan who’s been to the parks dozens of times, I knew that on our trip to San Francisco one priority for me was going to be visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum. It’s a small museum all about the history of Disney himself, Disney animation, and Disney parks.

If you’re a Disney fan like me, it’s a must-visit when you go to San Francisco!

So here’s what you can expect to find on your visit, plus some tips for visiting!

Visiting a lot of San Francisco museums and attractions? You might consider getting a San Francisco CityPASS or San Francisco Go City Pass to save money!

Three early paintings from Alice in Wonderland. One of Alice, one of the Queen of Hearts, and one of the seagull.
Mary Blair Alice in Wonderland Concept Art

Why is the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco?

So, it may seem a little weird that the Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, when Disney’s legacy was really central to Southern California.

Here’s why though. The Walt Disney Family Museum was founded by Diane Disney Miller, Walt Disney’s daughter. She lived in the Bay Area, so when she created the museum she wanted it to be located there.

And the explanation really is as simple as that!

Open hallway lined with different displays inside the Walt Disney Family Museum

What Can You See at the Walt Disney Family Museum?

The Walt Disney Family Museum is all about Walt Disney’s life and the story of his company. And there is SO much to see!

The galleries go through history chronologically, starting with Disney’s childhood in Marceline, Missouri, and ending with a look at the Disney theme parks.

There are ten galleries you can visit while you are there:

  1. Early Beginnings – All about Disney’s childhood and early influences.
  2. The Move to Hollywood – The beginnings of Disney’s animation company.
  3. Exploring New Horizons – About advances in Disney’s animation.
  4. The Transition into Features – Highlights Disney’s first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
  5. New Success & Greater Ambitions – About more early Disney movies that followed Snow White.
  6. Patriotic Contributions – During WWII, Disney contributed cartoons for propaganda films.
  7. Postwar Rebuilding – About the movies Walt developed after the war was over and his start in live-action.
  8. Walt & the Natural World – Walt was always fascinated with nature, so this gallery talks about his research and documentaries.
  9. Disneyland & Beyond – All about the theme parks! And this is where you’ll find the scale replica of Disneyland, which I could have spent hours looking at!
  10. Remembering Walt Disney – This one touches on his death and of course his powerful legacy.
Large scale model of Disneyland that guests can walk around to look at. All the rides are in miniature and there are lots of details to see.
Disneyland Model

There are also rotating temporary exhibits at the museum highlight different Disney art, artists, and memorabilia. Some past exhibits include Disney Cats & Dogs and The Art of Disneyland Attraction Posters.

And YES, there is a gift shop! This is a fun one too, because there was some unique souvenirs that you won’t be able to find at Disney Parks like special t-shirts, stuffed animals, books, and more.

Museum exhibit that shows an animator's desk with sketches above it and a screen playing a video about animation where the animator would be drawing on the desk
Animator’s Desk exhibit

Plus in the gift shop is where you can see one of the other coolest things at the museum (besides the Disneyland model): The Multiplane Camera! I read about this giant animation camera in The Queens of Animation and it was so interesting to see it in person! If you want to read more about the Disney Company, I highly recommend that book!

A large square camera contraption that takes up multiple stories of the building. We are seeing it looking down from the top, where there are different layers to place different slides of animation to be filmed.
The Multiplane Camera from the top. You can see it from the bottom in the gift shop.

Is the Walt Disney Family Museum Good for Kids?

While some parents may be hesitant to bring kids to this museum since it’s so focused on history, I think it is a great museum to visit with kids!

Every room has interactive elements kids will enjoy and/or video screens showing Disney cartoons that they will be glued to.

Plus, ask at the front desk and they will give you a scavenger hunt for kids where they can find hidden details in each room.

My kiddo (nine-years-old at the time of our visit) loved this museum. She was always getting ahead of us and then coming back exclaiming about all the cool things she was finding.

Full wall of animation sketches of the same scene. One small group of them is video screens that show the same sketch.

Admission Details

Price

Admission cost is $25 for adults and $15 for kids ages 6-17. Children 5 and under are free.

Tickets are based on time-entry (I recommend going as early as you can!), so you will need to reserve tickets online ahead of time.

You can also see the Walt Disney Family Museum as part of your San Francisco CityPASS or San Francisco Go City Pass. If you are using one of these passes, you don’t have to reserve an entrance time. However, there may be a short wait to get in when you arrive.

Hours

The Walt Disney Family Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on Thursday through Sunday. (This means it’s closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so plan accordingly!)

Last admission into the museum is at 4:30 pm.

I recommend getting there early, when the museum will be less crowded.

How Long Will Your Visit Take?

Generally, it’s recommended to plan about 2 hours for your visit. We spent about an hours and a half here, and felt that it was mostly enough time (although I could have gone more in-depth in some sections).

If you are a REALLY big Disney fan though who wants to read every sign and watch every film, I would plan to spend closer to 3-4 hours here though.

A display of vintage Mickey Mouse memorabilia including books, telephones, clocks, and sketches.
Some of the Mickey Mouse Memorabilia at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Getting to the Walt Disney Family Museum

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located in The Presidio, at 104 Montgomery Street. This means that there isn’t really easy public transportation to get here.

You can drive and park at metered parking around The Presidio or at Presidio parking lots. The price usually ranges from $2.50 to $3 an hour. But since parking is limited, I definitely recommend taking a ride share service. We took a Waymo here, which was super convenient!

A large green lawn on a sunny day. In the distance are red chairs visitors can sit in, and a visitors center building.
The Presidio Lawn outside the Walt Disney Family Museum

Tips for Visiting

Here are some tips to make your visit smooth!

  • Get here when the museum opens and enjoy your morning here. This is when it will be least crowded (and if you’re a Disney park-goer, you know how to rope drop anyway!).
  • If you want to get food nearby you can either eat at the small cafe in the museum or, if you’re done with your visit, have lunch at the food trucks on the lawn outside of the museum. We ended our visit with the food and trucks and had the best time sitting on the Presidio lawn on a sunny San Francisco day!
  • Don’t miss the views of the Golden Gate Bridge from here! The Presidio has some of the best views. And when you’re in the museum, there’s actually a hallway you’ll walk through with a great view of the bridge!

What’s Next?

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Erin Burke is a travel writer and the founder of Flying Off the Bookshelf. She has been blogging for over 14 years, has visited countries and cities all over the world, and loves to share detailed-itineraries and travel tips to help readers have the best travel experiences possible. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama, is a Visit North Alabama Ambassador, and her features include NPR, MSN, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and more.