Pier 39 in San Francisco With Kids: Sea Lions, Carousel, and Waterfront Fun
Visiting Pier 39 with kids? See the famous sea lions, ride the carousel, play on the musical stairs, visit the aquarium, and enjoy San Francisco Bay views.
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Pier 39 is unabashedly touristy. It is packed with souvenir shops, restaurants, attractions, street performers, and people taking pictures of just about everything.
And you know what? It is also a lot of fun.
If you are visiting San Francisco with kids, Pier 39 is one of those places that is worth embracing for exactly what it is. You can watch dozens of sea lions sprawled across the docks, ride a beautiful two-story carousel, play on musical stairs, wander through the shops, grab something to eat, and enjoy some fantastic views across San Francisco Bay.
Or you could easily make Pier 39 part of a larger day along the waterfront, especially since the Aquarium of the Bay is right here and the Alcatraz ferry terminal is just a short walk away at Pier 33.
You do not need an entire day for Pier 39 itself. But I would absolutely carve out some time for it on a family trip to San Francisco.
Is Pier 39 Worth Visiting With Kids?
Yes, especially if this is your first trip to San Francisco.
Pier 39 is probably the definition of a tourist trap, but that does not mean you should skip it. Sometimes tourist attractions become popular because they really are fun.
There is no admission fee just to walk around Pier 39, so you can spend as much or as little as you want once you get there. Families can come specifically to see the sea lions, wander around for a while, and leave without turning the visit into a major expense.
Of course, spending money here is extremely easy.
There are restaurants, snack stands, souvenir shops, specialty stores, attractions, and plenty of other opportunities for someone in your family to suddenly decide they desperately need something they had never heard of five minutes earlier.
But you do not have to shop your way through Pier 39 to enjoy it.
For us, some of the most memorable parts were the simplest ones: watching the sea lions, playing on the musical stairs, seeing the carousel, and looking out across the bay.
See the Famous Pier 39 Sea Lions
The sea lions are probably the most iconic thing to see at Pier 39, and they are also one of the best free attractions in San Francisco.
Walk toward the waterfront side of the pier and you will find viewing areas overlooking the floating docks where California sea lions regularly gather.
And there can be a LOT of them.
When we visited, the platforms were covered with sea lions sleeping, sunning themselves, climbing over one another, and occasionally arguing about who had claimed which spot.
Kids could stand here for quite a while watching them.
This is also one of those experiences that feels surprisingly removed from the shopping and restaurants just a few steps away. You have this incredibly busy tourist destination behind you, and then you look over the railing and suddenly there are dozens of wild sea lions hanging out in San Francisco Bay.
You do not have to pay for an animal encounter or make a reservation.
Really, just walk over and watch.
The number of sea lions at Pier 39 changes throughout the year, so every visit can look a little different. But if they are out in force, this is absolutely one of the highlights of the pier.
Ride the San Francisco Carousel
The San Francisco Carousel is one of the prettiest attractions at Pier 39.
This is not a basic little shopping-center carousel. It is a gorgeous double-decker carousel covered with lights, decorative details, and scenes inspired by San Francisco.
Even if nobody in your family wants to ride it, it is worth stopping to take a look.
For younger kids, though, this is an easy attraction to add while you are exploring the pier. There are traditional horses along with more unusual carousel animals, and the two-story design makes it feel much more elaborate than the average merry-go-round.
The carousel also fits the atmosphere of Pier 39 perfectly. Everything here is colorful, busy, slightly over-the-top, and designed to be fun.
It is exactly the kind of thing kids are going to notice as soon as they see it.
Play on the Musical Stairs
One of my favorite little surprises at Pier 39 was the musical stairs.
At first glance, they simply look like a staircase painted to resemble piano keys. But as you walk up and down the steps, the stairs actually play musical notes.
Naturally, kids figure this out immediately.
Instead of simply walking up the staircase to get from one level of the pier to another, suddenly everyone is bouncing back and forth trying to play different notes.
It is such a small thing, but this is exactly the kind of unexpected detail that makes Pier 39 fun with kids.
There are plenty of attractions in San Francisco where you need tickets, reservations, or a carefully planned itinerary. The musical stairs are the opposite. You stumble across them while wandering around, the kids play for a few minutes, everyone laughs, and then you keep going.
Sometimes those end up being the things kids remember most.
Browse the Shops, Grab a Bite, and Enjoy the Pier
A big part of Pier 39 is simply wandering around.
There are shops selling souvenirs, candy, clothing, toys, gifts, and all kinds of San Francisco-themed knickknacks. If you are looking for something to bring home from your trip, you will have no trouble finding it here.
There are also plenty of places to eat, ranging from quick snacks to sit-down restaurants. Some are better than others, and I would not necessarily come to Pier 39 specifically because I thought I was going to have the best meal of my life.
But if you are hungry while you are here, you certainly will not have trouble finding food.
I also would not plan a visit around one particular store or restaurant unless there is somewhere you especially want to try. Businesses can change over time, and part of the fun of Pier 39 is simply seeing what is there when you visit.
Depending on the day, you may also encounter street performers and other entertainment as you walk through the area.
This is really the heart of the Pier 39 experience. You wander, browse, snack, people-watch, and stop whenever something catches your attention.
Visit the Aquarium of the Bay
If you want to turn your Pier 39 visit into a bigger family outing, the Aquarium of the Bay is right at the pier.
We visited the aquarium during our San Francisco trip, and it makes a very easy combination with everything else here. You can spend time inside seeing marine life and then walk outside to watch the wild sea lions lounging on the docks.
The aquarium focuses heavily on animals found in Northern California and San Francisco Bay, so it also fits nicely with the waterfront setting.
I would especially consider combining the two if you have younger kids or if the weather is chilly, windy, or otherwise not cooperating. Pier 39 gives you plenty to explore outside, while the aquarium provides a substantial indoor attraction.
I have a complete guide to visiting the Aquarium of the Bay with kids if you want to know what to expect before you go.
See Alcatraz from the Waterfront
One of the coolest things about walking along the Pier 39 waterfront is looking out across San Francisco Bay and seeing Alcatraz Island.
You can get some very good views of the island from this part of the waterfront, even if you are not planning to visit.
If you do want to tour Alcatraz, the ferries do not leave directly from Pier 39. The official departure point is nearby Pier 33, so it is easy to combine an Alcatraz visit with time around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.
I have visited Alcatraz on a previous trip, although we did not tour it during this particular visit to San Francisco. If you have enough time in your itinerary, I definitely think it is worth considering.
Even if Alcatraz is not on your schedule, though, make sure you look for it while you are at Pier 39. It is such an unmistakable part of the San Francisco Bay scenery.
Tips for Visiting Pier 39 With Kids
Pier 39 is an easy attraction to visit because you really do not need much of a plan.
If you are only coming to see the sea lions, walk around, ride the carousel, and explore a little, I would allow roughly one to two hours. Add more time if you are eating a full meal, shopping extensively, or visiting the Aquarium of the Bay.
Bring layers even if the rest of San Francisco feels relatively warm. The waterfront can be windy and considerably cooler than you expect.
I would also treat Pier 39 as part of a larger waterfront day rather than a completely separate destination. It pairs naturally with the Aquarium of the Bay, Fisherman’s Wharf, and an Alcatraz tour from nearby Pier 33.
And do not feel like you have to spend a fortune to have fun here. Seeing the sea lions, walking around the pier, playing on the musical stairs, and enjoying the bay views do not require purchasing a ticket.
Of course, if your kids spot the carousel, a snack, and six souvenir shops along the way, your results may vary.
Is Pier 39 Worth Visiting?
I think Pier 39 is absolutely worth visiting on a family trip to San Francisco.
Is it touristy? Extremely.
Will you find souvenir shops, crowds, overpriced snacks, and attractions designed specifically to separate tourists from their money? Also yes.
But there are also sea lions piled onto floating docks, a beautiful double-decker carousel, musical stairs, street entertainment, views across San Francisco Bay, and a generally festive atmosphere that makes the whole place fun to explore.
You do not need to build an entire day around Pier 39. In fact, I would not.
Instead, work it into a bigger San Francisco waterfront day. Visit the Aquarium of the Bay, watch the sea lions, explore the pier, and perhaps continue along the waterfront toward Pier 33 for Alcatraz.
Sometimes a tourist trap is popular because tourists genuinely have a good time there.
Pier 39 is one of those places.
More San Francisco and Bay Area Family Travel Ideas
Planning more time in the Bay Area? Here are a few more family-friendly places and itineraries to add to your trip:
- California Academy of Sciences – An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum all in one.
- Exploratorium – One of San Francisco’s best hands-on science museums for curious kids and teens.
- Bay Area Discovery Museum – A playful, creative children’s museum in a beautiful setting near the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Muir Woods National Monument – Walk among towering coastal redwoods just north of San Francisco.
- Muir Woods and Sausalito Day Trip – An easy way to combine the redwoods with lunch and waterfront time in Sausalito.
- Golden Gate Bridge – Tips for visiting one of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks with kids.
- 3 Days in Yosemite National Park – A family-friendly Yosemite itinerary that works especially well as an add-on to a Northern California trip.
