In a nondescript industrial warehouse at Pier 45, find a collection of century-old arcade games, mechanical fortunetellers and other oddities that will make you think you've walked onto the set of the 1988 Tom Hanks film "Big." Visitors are drawn into the museum by the mechanized hysterics of " Laffing Sal" who guards the door and offers a hint about the strangeness you will encounter within. Scenes from the old west are acted out by tin cowboys and Indians, peep show machines flash glimpses of well-covered ladies of the night and antique games of chance remind that there was a time before video games and Internet access.
The Burlingame Pez Museum is a candy lover's dream, located a few miles south of San Francisco International Airport. Burlingame Pez Museum is the only site on earth where you will find every Pez dispenser ever made in one place. The iconic plastic Pez dispenser was first produced in 1950, and since then over 550 different versions have been made, ranging in character from Pop-Eye to Thomas the Tank Engine. The museum also holds the 2007 Guinness Book Record for the world's largest candy dispenser, which stands over 7-feet tall and dispenses full-size Pez dispensers. The museum is closed Sundays and Mondays.
Get to know the city of San Francisco through its wandering spirits on a San Francisco Ghost Hunt walking tour. Tours combine ghost tales and historical information with visits to some of the city's most haunted locations. All tours are led by Jim Fassbinder (as of March 2011), a member of the Paranormal Research Foundation, frequent Travel Channel consultant and overall supernatural expert, who will lead you to sites haunted by ghosts of San Francisco history. The tour lasts around two hours and consists of a one-mile walking itinerary through the Palisades Hill district of the city. Tour guests meet at the Queen Anne Hotel every night at 7:00 pm, except Tuesdays. Children under 8 are not permitted on the tour.
Muir Woods is a National Monument located just over the Golden Gate Bridge, about 11 miles north of San Francisco. The Muir woods are home to a collection of redwood groves and nature trails arranged with wooden walkways and miles of forest trail. Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, and Muir Woods provides an opportunity to experience their immense size and explore a section of Pacific Northwest old-growth forest. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. daily and features a large free parking lot, restrooms and a snack bar.
