The Solo Scale:

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If you’ve been to Hollywood Studios, you may have taken a stroll through their museum, “One Man’s Dream”. Here’s a secret not many know. There’s a better Walt Disney museum out there, and it’s in Presidio Park in San Francisco.

There’s plenty of parking nearby, but you can also take in a ride share or a taxi. Alternately, you can take a hop on/hop off bus tour and walk from the nearest stop (Palace of Fine Arts). That makes it a really fun adventure in the afternoon after a morning of sightseeing through the city. Walking through Presidio to the museum was actually a highlight of my trip and the journey made the museum visit even better. In the park, you’ll be able to get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge — that is, if the fog lets you.

Upon arriving, you’ll buy your tickets — one for the main museum and one for any additional exhibitions. While I was there, that happened to be Cats & Dogs. This is in a separate building, but it’s not too far. There’s a playful little touch in their wayfinding of using colourful little decals on the ground to guide you there. From here, if the clear day provides, you’ll get a view of Alcatraz in the distance!

The exhibit was pretty large considering it was a temporary space. There were multiple interactive areas (like being able to recreate Lady and the Tramp!) and colouring spaces for kids. In between were drawings, vintage posters, and exhibits on the real-life inspirations. It was a well-kept two-story space with lots to see, and things that even die-hard fans might not know about. It also wasn’t very crowded, meaning I could spend as much time as I wanted near the incredible exhibits.

As for the Walt Disney Family Museum itself, where it stands out is in the artifacts you can see. These artifacts include telegrams from Walt Disney to his family during turning points of his life to original sketches and early drawings. The museum itself is built in such a way that the building has life, vibrancy, and kinetic energy in a way that One Man’s Dream in Hollywood Studios can’t hope to have.

Apart from that, this won’t be nearly as busy as a Walt Disney museum in one of the theme parks. You can linger, learning fun facts like that the Disney family immigrated to the US by way of Canada.

Winding your way through the chronologically set-up museum, you’ll go from viewing exhibits about the family, then about Walt’s time in the movies, and then on to the parks. Here, at the end of the exhibit, are early concepts, mockups of Disneyland, and even early proposals for the park.

This will be one of the last things you see — as on the way out, the mood will change. It’s a chronological museum, which means that your visit concludes with the last days of Walt Disney’s life. It’s a fairly somber way to end your visit, but also has an air of completion to it — you’ve now walked through the incredible accomplishments of the Disney family and their lives. For me, I spent around two hours here and I likely could have happily spent more.

To buy tickets and find out what the current temporary exhibition is, visit the Walt Disney Family Museum website here!

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