If you’ve ever visited the West Coast, as a Disney fan, we’re sure you’ve made time to visit Disneyland (like we ALWAYS will make a Disneyland trip if we find ourselves in Southern California).
©Disney Family Museum
Maybe you’ve even managed to get in on one of those exclusive D23 Walt Disney Studios tours where you can visit the ACTUAL working studios of the company and even see Walt’s preserved office space. However, if you’re in Northern California and you skip out on the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, you may be missing out. We recently dropped by the museum and were blown away by everything there is to see.
The Walt Disney Family Museum features the life and legacy of the man himself, Walt Disney. The museum features 40,000 square feet of galleries, including interactive spaces, listening stations, and more devoted to Walt Disney. It is not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company but is instead owned and operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit group established by Disney’s family, including Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, who is also the founder of the museum.
The Walt Disney Family Museum
You’ll find displays dedicated to the life and works of Walt Disney, including vintage photos.
Lots of old photos
The museum follows the history of Walt’s arrival in Hollywood in 1923.
Walt’s Los Angeles
The museum is all about the man who brought us so much joy, with exhibits focused on his history, achievements, and more.
SO many awards
You can also see many of the Academy Awards Walt won during his lifetime. By the way, did you know Walt Disney has the world record for receiving the most Academy Awards with a total of 26? Yep. he also holds the record for most Academy Award wins and nominations in Oscar history!
We’re checking out the Disney Family Museum and we can’t stop staring at all of these Oscar’s! 🏆 Have you ever been to this San Francisco museum? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SoyIcBDxDK
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 2, 2025
You can also see tons of original artwork and sketches.
Some original art
It’s literally amazing just how big this museum is — it’s a must for Disney fans, especially those who want to see Disney history.
This place is HUGE
Of course, there are exhibits dedicated to original Disney merchandise, too. Yes, we had a Mickey alarm clock when we were little.
Another favorite while we were checking out the Disney Family Museum was all of the memorabilia! 😍 What is your favorite Disney merchandise item you own? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/v6OUE74UqL
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 2, 2025
Perhaps one of the most impressive displays in the museum is the 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland.
Model of Disneyland
If you want some TRUE vintage Walt Disney merchandise, you’ll want to visit the gift shop.
Grab some gear in the gift shop
If you’re ever in or near San Francisco, the Walt Disney Family Museum is a stop you need to put on your list. General admission is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $20 for students (with valid ID), $15 for kids (ages 6-17), and free for all kids under 6. U.S. Military personnel can also access the museum for free. The museum is located in The Presidio of San Francisco, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
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We spent 5 hours here. There were so many things to see. Totally fascinating. We’ve seen many of the replicas, but these were the real thing (like the real Oscars). Every Disney fan should make the trip.
I used to live in SF and visited the WDFM a couple of times. I absolutely loved it!
Big take-aways are that, for me, it *felt* like I was at a Disney property. Not sure how to explain that, but it felt almost like being at Disneyland, for example, … but not. Very cool!
Also, I think it’s not-so-common knowledge how much of an innovator/inventor WD was: (please feel free to fact check me because this is all off-the-top of my head so I might not get it 100% right) he was the first to mix live-action actors with animated characters, invented the giant multi-plane camera used to make Snow White – which was, itself, the first ever feature-length animated movie, and I think he may have invented the idea of/practice of story boarding. We also learn in the museum that he met his wife Lillian while she worked in the Ink & Paint Dept. at the film studio.
I can wholeheartedly recommend visiting the WDFM if you’re in SF!
I wish they would open one in Florida. So many awesome props and stories to display in such a high traffic area.
This is an amazing museum with so much stuff that I could have spent a week there. I even cried in the last room because it was so touching. Regrettably, my father-in-law was with us and gets bored easily and after just one hour, went for a coffee in the cafe and said he’d done. Seeing as we’d travelled from England, I was not letting anybody spoil the magic for me as I’d wanted to go for a while. It did feel pressured because of this so my recommendation is make sure you go with people that are like you and if anyone in the party is going to be like this, then ask them to plan something else for that day.