Maritime Museums in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to some excellent maritime and natural history museums.
Our listings are of the major maritime museums in the San Francisco area
Maritime Museums and Places of Interest – San Francisco
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
Website: https://www.calacademy.org/
Phone: 415-379-8000
The California Academy of Sciences is an aquarium, planetarium, a rainforest, and a natural history museum all in one. It is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Pier 45
43 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
Website: https://www.sftourismtips.com/pier-45-san-francisco.html
Phone: 415-561-6662
Pier 45 San Francisco is home to two World War II vessels. The SS Jeremiah O’Brien a liberty ship and the USS Pampanito a restored diesel-electric submarine. Both were used during World War II. The USS Pampanito comes with an interactive audio tour.
San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
499 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Website: https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm
Phone: 415-447-5000
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood. It offers visitors the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history. It includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships at Hyde St Pier. A Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, and a Maritime Research Center. The museum is located in the historic Aquatic Park Bathhouse.
Maritime Museums and Places of Interest – Sausalito
Bay Area Discovery Museum
557 McReynolds Rd, Sausalito, CA 94965
Website: https://bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/
Phone: 415-339-3900
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a children’s museum located in Sausalito in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at Fort Baker. The Bay Area Discovery Museum uses the concept of ‘home’ for exploring the natural and cultural environments of the Bay Area.
Bay Model Visitor’s Center
2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
Website: https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/
Phone: 415-289-3007
The Bay Model is an amazing scale model of the bay, complete with flowing water. It was built to study the effects of proposed changes to the bay, and it continues to be used occasionally for this purpose
Educational Tall Ship
2330 Marinship Way, Sausalito, CA 94965
Website: https://callofthesea.org/
Phone: 415-886-4973
Call of The Sea is an educational non-profit organisation that connects people to the sea and maritime traditions. They use two tall ships as part of the educational program. They are the 82’ schooner Seaward and a 132’ brigantine Matthew Turner .Marine Mammal Center
2000 Bunker Rd, Sausalito, CA 9496
Website: https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/
Phone: 415-289-7325
Volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center rescue, rehabilitate, and release seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals that need help. Since 1975, we’ve rescued more than 24,000 marine mammals along 600 miles of California coastline and the Big Island of Hawaii.
Richardson Bay Audubon Center
376 Greenwood Beach Rd, Tiburon, CA 94920
Website: https://richardsonbay.audubon.org/
Phone: 415-388-2524
Educational center located on Richardson Bay. Includes 11 acres of land and 900 submerged acres. The audubon is focused on bird conservation and public engagement. Their mission is to conserve and restore the natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity.
Sausalito Historical Exhibit and Visitor Center
780 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
Website: http://www.sausalitohistoricalsociety.com/
Phone: 415-289-4177
Sausalito’s Ice House Museum provides a light-filled center for residents, students and visitors to explore Sausalito’s history. Nice little museum with artifacts, photos, and stories of Sausalito’s past.
Tiburon Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum
1920 Paradise Dr, Tiburon, CA 94920
Website: http://landmarkssociety.com/landmarks/railroad-ferry-museum/
Phone: 415-435-1853
Tiburon has a rich railroad and maritime history. In 1775, Spanish explorers named the area Punta de Tiburón (Point Tiburon). Point Tiburon became a major railroad and ferry terminus for San Francisco. It was a major maintenance yard and industrial town.
Maritime Museums and Places of Interest – Oakland / Alameda
Alameda Naval Air Museum
2151 Ferry Point, Alameda, CA 94501
Website: http://alamedanavalairmuseum.org/
Phone: 510-522-4262
The Alameda Naval Air Museum is home to a unique collection of naval air artifacts and exhibits. It emphasizes the role of the Alameda Naval Air Station in the defense of our nation.
Berkeley Marina Shorebird Nature Center
160 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710
Website: https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Parks_Rec_Waterfront/Trees_Parks/Shorebird_Nature_Center.aspx
Phone: 510-981-6720
Inside the Nature/Visitors Center you’ll find displays on Marine mammals and birds.The Visitors’ Center provides information to visitors concerning all areas of recreation and marine conservation and education.Crab Cove Visitor Center
1252 McKay Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
Website: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/vc/crab_cove/
Phone: 510-544-3187
In the 800-gallon aquarium at the Crab Cove Visitor Center you can see bay creatures in their natural environment. Use the interactive stations to view microscopic animals, build a crab from the inside out, or get a lug worm’s view of the mudflats. Get an amazing view of the underwater world of San Francisco Bay.
USS Hornet – Sea, Air, and Space Museum
707 W Hornet Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
Website: https://uss-hornet.org/
Phone: 510-521-8448
The USS Hornet served with distinction in the Pacific in World War II and was awarded nine battle stars for her service. After the war the USS Hornet gained fame as the recovery vessel for the splashdowns of Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 spacecraft.
Maritime Museums and Places of Interest – Vallejo
Landing Craft Support Museum
289 Waterfront Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592
Website: https://usslcs102.org/
Phone: 707-373-2159
USS LCS(L)(3)-102 was built in Portland, Oregon for the United States Navy during World War II. The vessel was completed near the end of the war and was assigned to the Pacific Theater. She briefly saw service during the Battle of Okinawa, taking part in the Gunto Operation.
Mare Island Museum
1100 Railroad Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592
Website: http://www.mareislandmuseum.org/
Phone: 707-557-1538
The museum is in the oldest building on the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. It houses a treasure trove of artifacts and information about the shipyard and the role it played in American history. See the control room of an actual nuclear submarine the USS Mariano G. Vallejo
Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum
734 Marin St, Vallejo, CA 94590
Website: https://vallejomuseum.net/
Phone: 707-643-0077
Museum has a total of 5 galleries exploring the history of Vallejo & the U.S. naval base at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. They have an operational submarine periscope that gives wonderful views of the city and Mare Island.