The North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, lies north of downtown and the Nob Hill neighborhoods of the city and overlooks the San Francisco Bay. For tourists, North Beach serves as home to a variety of things to do. Among these North Beach attractions are aquariums, monuments with scenic views and wax museums with historic and pop-cultural exhibits.
Coit Tower is on Telegraph Hill in North Beach, San Francisco. Constructed in 1933 with a donation from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, the tower honors San Francisco volunteer firefighters, and its shape is meant to resemble the end of the types of fire hoses used in Coit's day. Once you reach the top of Coit Tower, you are treated to a 360-degree view of the city of San Francisco. Even from outside of the tower, the view from Telegraph Hill is sweeping, and the walkway around the parking area is a common setting for tourists' photographs.
When visiting Coit Tower, you can elect to drive you car to the top of the hill, where traffic is often heavy and parking sometimes difficult, or you can walk. The tower is open daily to the public. An admission fee is necessary to enter for anyone over 6 years of age. As of October 2010, the fee was less than $5.
Located on Jefferson Street amidst the fish markets and souvenir shops at Fisherman's Wharf, The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf opened in 1963. The museum covers four floors and has a collection of 200 wax figures, making it one of the largest museums of its kind in the world, according to the museum's website. The exhibits include historic personages and pop-culture icons with notable figures like Leonardo Dicaprio, Marilyn Monroe and presidents like Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. The museum also has a Hall of Religions, depicting scenes from Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and other major faiths from around the world. A Chamber of Horrors and an exhibit dedicated to ancient Egypt are also featured.
The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf is open every day of the year. An admission fee is required for children over 5 years of age. The cost was $14 or less, depending on your age, as of October 2010.
The Aquarium of the Bay is located in the Pier 39 dining and entertainment complex in North Beach, San Francisco. Each year, the aquarium receives around 600,000 visitors who come to view the approximately 20,000 marine animals on display at the facility. The aquarium holds accreditation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, an honor reserved for less than 10 percent of the zoos and aquariums in the United States. A featured exhibit, the aquarium's "Touch the Bay" allows visitors to experience the sensations of touching marine life like leopard sharks and bat rays as well as some land reptiles.
The Aquarium of the Bay is open every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day. An admission fee is assessed for visitors 3 years of age and older. As of October 2010, the cost of general admission was less than $17.
