Hyde Street Pier

Hyde Street Pier Review

Cotton candy and souvenirs are all well and good, but if you want to get to the heart of the Wharf—boats—there's no better place to do it than at this pier, by far one of the Wharf area's best bargains. Depending on the time of day, you might see boatbuilders at work or children pretending to man an early-1900s ship.

Don't pass up the centerpiece collection of historic vessels, part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, almost all of which can be boarded. The newly restored Balclutha, an 1886 full-rigged three-masted sailing vessel that's more than 250 feet long, sailed around Cape Horn 17 times; kids especially love the Eureka, a side-wheel passenger and car ferry, for her onboard collection of vintage cars; the Hercules is a steam-powered tugboat. The C.A. Thayer, a three-masted schooner, recently underwent a painstaking restoration and is back on display.

Across the street from the pier and almost a museum in itself is the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park's Visitor Center, happily free of mind-numbing, text-heavy displays. Instead, fun large-scale exhibits, such as a huge First Order Fresnel lighthouse lens and a shipwrecked boat, make this an engaging and relatively quick stop. 499 Jefferson St., at Hyde St., 94109. 415/447-5000. June-Aug., daily 9:30-5:30; Sept.-May, daily 9:30-5.