Read this review and guide to the Walt Disney Family Museum before you go with kids so you know what to expect! What to bring, what to expect, and what you can do nearby.

Overview of Going to the Walt Disney Museum with Kids

One of the things we often heard before we headed to the Walt Disney Museum was that the museum was for “older kids and adults”. Yes, this museum doesn’t have rides like Disneyland and I know our 1 and 3-year-olds did not come out of the museum ready to take on the world, inspired by what Mr. Disney did (how I felt when I went there before kids). There is a lot to read, watch, and listen to at the museum, which little kids aren’t the best at. BUT they still loved seeing all the animation – on paper and screen. We explained that Mr. Disney drew these characters and that’s how the animations are made. Henry (3) knows some of the characters and he is starting to get into drawing and painting, so I think there was some part of him that understood. He loves it more and more everytime we come back and we love to see the level of comprehension changing every time! The day after, he randomly said: “we saw a mickey bike yesterday!” We are all for activities that leave an impression on him, however random it may be. 🙂

That being said, this museum is not suited for:

If you are super opposed to screen time or if your kid is very very sensitive to the dark. The lighting of many of the rooms is on the darker side, even though a lot of fun things are going on. Just to keep in mind.

Parking & How to Get to the Walt Disney Family Museum

Bus

The 43 bus drops you off at the Presidio Transit Center, and it’s about a 4-minute flat surface walk from there. (That’s adult walking so a little bit slower with kids.) For more bus and public transportation options, check out this site here. 

PresidiGo

If you are coming from the downtown area, you can take this FREE shuttle to the Presidio Transit Center.

Parking

There are also 3hr street parking, and also a larger parking lot across the lawns. (Paid parking.) Basically, parking should never deter you from coming to this museum!

Food Options at the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco

They have a cafe next to their museum store with basic cafe fare. This site lists other food options around the area. If you are here on a Sunday, we love the Presidio Picnic right outside during the spring and summer months!

Pro Tip: Come here for milk during the Presidio Picnic! They have frozee (frozen rosé) but no milk at the event. This cafe saved us!

There is seating inside and outside the museum building and plenty of grassy areas outside for a picnic! (They have gigantic red lawn chairs during the Presidio Picnic months, even not on Sundays.)

What to Bring to the Walt Disney Museum for Kids

Camera

Photography is allowed without flash. Find an exhibit you want to read but your kid is running past it? Snap a pic for later so you can read it when they go to bed! Besides this survival tip, the museum has so many cool pictures taking opportunities that you don’t want to miss. One of my favorite places to see the Golden Gate Bridge!

Food and Drinks

No food or drinks are allowed inside the museum exhibits except for capped water. So bring snacks for before and after the museum main exhibits if the cafe menu (above) might not do the trick for your kids.

Stroller/Carrier

The entire museum is stroller friendly. There aren’t many “interactive” exhibits where kids would want to play and touch things for a long period of time, so you might be able to keep your kid in the stroller the entire time if you want to.

Exhibits and Galleries Highlights at the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco

There are more exhibits and what we listed here, but here are our favorites! (Henry is 3 and Andrew is 14 months, just for reference.) For all of the exhibits – check out their website here. We usually spend about an hour at this museum, and the kids go through it pretty quickly.

The museum takes you through Mr. Disney’s early beginnings of his career, and throughout his entire career until his death. It’s just so inspiring to know that one man (with a lot of help from friends and partners) dreamed up an amazing world and made it a reality. Knowing this before you go will give you a good start since you may not get all of this when you are there with your kids. Below are just our impressions of our room. I highly encourage you to check out their website to learn about what each gallery teaches you before you go – because when you are there with kids, you probably won’t be able to read and comprehend everything beyond what your kids see.

The beginning of Walt Disney’s Career

This is the first room of the exhibit. The kids liked the car, and this is a great place to snap some pics of exhibits to read for later, as you will see the humble beginnings of a huge empire. The humbleness of Mr. Disney was refreshing to see.

The Elevator

The most “Disney ride” like thing at the museum. 🙂 You get to press a gold button to be transported to Hollywood.

The Black and White Room

It’s not really called that but that’s how I remember it as. It’s an awesome place to explain how the animations are made. Henry loved watching the moving screens among the still pictures.

The Magical Room of Movies

Again, not really called this but this is one of our favorite rooms. You look up at all the great works of Disney, and Henry likes to point out the ones he knows. Comfy seating to marvel at the amazing works too.

The “oh I’m still in San Francisco” Hallway

Just when you thought you were transported to the world of Disney, you walk out onto this gorgeous bright hallway with the view of Golden Gate Bridge. It always catches me by surprise and reminds me that I’m still in San Francisco, not in Disney. Lol

The “Nope, I am still in the magic of Disney!” Room

This room is just magical. Love the spinning globe, the miniature replica of Disneyland and inspiring quotes all around. Definitely, take pics of the words written in this room to take it all in later.

The Remembering Walt Disney Room (the last gallery)

First time I came here, without my kids, I cried. I cried because I was so inspired and wanted to accomplish great things. It’s amazing what one man accomplished in his entire lifetime – and this museum does such an amazing job showing that. If your kids are old enough, this is a great place to reflect on that!

Special Exhibits – The Holidays

There are special exhibits down the stairs when you get out, and we love coming here for the holidays! They do something a little different each year, but usually has a miniature town with trains. Check out what they have going on here.

Classes & Camps at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Classes starting grade 3. Field Trips start from TK. We can’t wait for Henry to be old enough to learn animation from the best of the best!

Nearby the Walt Disney Museum in the Presidio, San Francisco

Presidio Main Post Lawn

On Sundays during the warmer seasons, and Fogust too (fog-August), Presidio Picnic is a must! A kid-friendly picnic on the lawn with food trucks and frozen adult beverages. It’s a great time!

Other days, this huge lawn is so much fun to run around and play any lawn games. It’s right outside of the museum, so no need to repark.

Presidio Bowl

This is also walking distance – about a 5-minute walk from the Museum. They take reservations online, so highly recommend making one before you go! There is also a parking lot right in front.

Presidio Officers Club

We love this place. They have a free nature and heritage museum where kids can touch stuff! 🙂 They also have a kids playroom where they can do crafts that they have open here and there. They have amazing K-12 school programs too!

Palace of Fine Arts and Crissy Field

All this is about within a mile or so of walk/scoot/stroll/drive. Great place to stroll around or play on the beach.

Trails of Presidio

So many miles of trails to explore. One of our favorites and pretty close to the Disney Museum is the Tennessee Hollow Trail, which leads you to the Julius Kahn Playground. It’s a fun playground with amazing views!

Have you been to the Walt Disney Museum with kids? Tell us what you thought of it!

Disclosure: Part of this post is sponsored content, which means we received a discount or free admission. However, all opinions are of our own, and none were provided or influenced by the companies or individuals that sponsored me and my family.