Introduction
Art to Zoo!
Mr. Woodward's Gardens
Cliff House
Suiting Everyone
Sutro Baths
Splish Splash!
At The Chutes
Moving Pictures
De Young's Delights:
The Midwinter Fair
PPIE:
The City That Knows How
Chutes At The Beach
Chutes At The Beach
Playland At The Beach
Goodbye To All That
Select an image from the ferris wheel to enter the exhibit
Amusing America is the premiere exhibition of the San Francisco Museum
and Historical Society, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library with
support from the California State Library.
Amusing America is the story of participatory commercial amusements in
American cities—San Francisco in particular—and how they changed the way
Americans lived. From the Gilded Age of the 1880s to World War II, amusement
parks, world’s fairs, arcades, seaside resorts and dance pavilions brought
Americans together from all walks of life to share in new forms of leisure
and new social relationships.
Visit the Museum website!
This online exhibit is a fond look back at some of
San Francisco’s favorite entertainments and amusements.
Amusing America is curated by Ink Mendelsohn, San Francisco Museum and Historical
Society.
The online exhibit was created by the
San Francisco Public Library.
All images courtesy of the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public
Library unless otherwise noted.
This project was supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library
Services under the provisions of the Library Service and Technology Act,
administered in California by the State Librarian.
