California Historical Society
California Historical Society
4
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
California's history is archived here in a library, art collection and bookstore.
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Address
Neighborhood: Downtown San Francisco
How to get there
- Montgomery St • 4 min walk
- Montgomery St • 4 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
24 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
3
Average
8
Poor
3
Terrible
0
mini
Fremont, CA212,257 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
The current exhibit on 1915 Pan American International Fair at the California Historical Society is a superb exhibit. The only remaining building in San Francisco now is the superb Palace of Fine Arts. This historical exhibit honors the 100th birthday of the fair. There are various short video programs one can watch when visiting; these are well done. Its hard to believe that at one time San Francisco even had a replica "Yellowstone Old Faithful" at this exhibit. It must have been quite a fair in 1915 and this exhibit captures that "magic time" well.
In addition, when visiting the building, one also sees the staircase that Nancy Pelosi, Congressperson from San Francisco, walked down during her first election to Congress.
There was a $5.00 admission charge. Its close to some other excellent museums in San Francisco. They are all towards the smaller size so one can go to several other museums as part of a delightful "museum going" trip.
Staff is very good. There is also a store here to visit.
In addition, when visiting the building, one also sees the staircase that Nancy Pelosi, Congressperson from San Francisco, walked down during her first election to Congress.
There was a $5.00 admission charge. Its close to some other excellent museums in San Francisco. They are all towards the smaller size so one can go to several other museums as part of a delightful "museum going" trip.
Staff is very good. There is also a store here to visit.
Written March 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LisandroVoyager
Washington DC, DC769 contributions
May 2014 • Solo
A really interesting exhibit on a Mexican lady settler who grew to be prominent in San Francisco's Yerba Buena beginnings, is currently on display in the first floor gallery. One can see documents, even photos of the tiny settlement and learn much about the beginnings and the many hardships of this major city. Juana Briones is in her way a hero having helped so many others in the 19th c. frontier days when women had so few legal rights. The exhibit clearly details socio-economic differences for the city between its Spanish era and its early American one once the US gained control. The effects of the Gold Rush are explained.
Written May 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ATLAS313
San Francisco, CA185 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
Not that many pictures and of the pictures they had, most were so tiny you needed a magnifying glass to see which they provided if you were interested. Pictures in the SF paper advertising the exhibit were much larger than the real life photos on display. Only $10 bucks, but needed more content and curation.
Written March 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gusfamgoes
Holden, MA286 contributions
May 2019
This museum is in wonderful historic building, that is worth checking out. It also has a nice gift shop with lots of California items and souvenirs. But, the museum itself is quite small, with just one exhibition at a time. It took about ten minutes to see the current exhibition. Had the museum been free, or a dollar or two, this would have been fine. But charging a $10 admission fee for such a small museum, is excessive and there are far better attractions all over the city to visit instead.
Written July 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Berling's Eldest
Benicia, CA418 contributions
Jan 2019 • Solo
The California Historical Society sponsors tours of the Old Mint. Just took one today. The guide is extremely knowledgeable. The 90 minute tour was just too long with too much information. For a full 45 minutes we stood in one room while he spouted more information than we could ever want to know about Mints nationwide and their history. Standing on such hard floors that long really took a toll on everyone's feet and I could tell that most (if not all of the folks) were having problems standing in one place that long. I still believe the tour was worthwhile for the old vaults and history give the low $10 admission. I really suggest they provide chairs for people that can't stand that long.
Written January 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EWL05
Fresno, CA314 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
Current exhibition is the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition. Lots of memorabilia and a scale model of the Fair. Several video displays give insight to the event. They also have a limited hours historical library that unfortunately was not open when we visited Very pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable staff.
Written June 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris0999
33 contributions
Jul 2014
Wonderful exhibit on Yosemite's history. Great photos, especially Carlton Watkins. It took about an hour to read the information. The building itself is interesting. Great value at $5.00.
Written July 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JennieCV
Liverpool54 contributions
Nov 2021 • Solo
Lovely small gallery with amazing pictures of local areas. Welcoming staff and COVID safe. Really enjoyed seeing such works specific to San Fran.
Written November 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MorganLee1912
Salt Lake City, UT22 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
We did not go to the actual museum, but the gift shop was recommended to us by someone at the SFMOMA and it did not disappoint. It’s small, but they have some amazing Cali souvenirs from patches, stickers, journals, bags, books, artwork, amazing gift wrap, and more. Definitely recommend stopping in to pick yourself up something special.
Written March 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert S
Lawrence, KS2,660 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
CHS is a great organization with wonderful programing, but not enough space to exhibit all its interesting historical items. You should definitely drop by - they always have one good exhibit up.
Check their website calendar for author and artist presentations.
Their library is a great source if you want to do some in-depth research.
Check their website calendar for author and artist presentations.
Their library is a great source if you want to do some in-depth research.
Written July 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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