Children’s Creativity Carousel

Lots of exciting new things with Robots and updated claymation. Always a fun way to spend time with the family.

A joyful antique carousel on the corner of 4^th and Howard. $ 4 for 2 rides (if not a museum customer). Fun bobbing animals, and bigger coaches for parents and tiny tots.

My 18 month old loved it and he get to ride twice on weekdays with same admission fee

While in SF solo with mister baby, I had a mission to find a carousel. This location was ace as it is in walking distance for wherever you are in the financial district.
If you have a museum pass, they’ll knock off some $. For the cheapest option, you can hop on and ride 3 times. The carousel is clean with many different characters to ride on. There’s a place to park your stroller, but bring your bags just incase on with you (this was recommended by the attendant.)
The ride time isn’t very long but it captivated all of the kids on the ride. I held 4 month old Mister baby on a horse and his eyes beamed with joy. Worth. every. penny.

Certainly if I had a small child along on my downtown shopping trip, this would be a MUST stop! Who would expect a beautifully restored classic carousel to be located in the heart of the financial district, right in front of the Yerba Buena Arts Center?
Housed inside a protective glass enclosure the carousel is modest in size, making it less intimidating for small children. I saw some truly delighted faces whirl past on gaily painted steeds.

This is an awesome carousel, built over a century ago, and it’s been all over the place. Great for kids, and adults can ride with their kids for free (provided they remain standing). It’s about 100 meters to a giant, padded playground and close to Yerba Buena Gardens

Great spot for the toddlers! The space is very open filled with an abundance of natural light. All of the activities are laid out well which never feels overcrowded unlike other children’s museums around the Bay Area. Be sure to check out the music concert room at the top floor. Kids can dress up like rockstars and sing in front of a green screen. They can choose a background and song to make a music video! No additional costs, but on the day we went there was tons of requests for Taylor Swift.
Pricing is $ 12 per adult/​children over 2. Since we are members of The Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, we received 50% off our admission. Steal!
Admission to the museum also gets you a dollar off discount at the carousel! $ 3.00 instead of $ 4.00.

Always a hit with the kiddoes.
If you think the price is high, compare it to the small dinky carousel at Pier 39 that makes my kid’s eyes water because he’s getting dizzy. At least here you can ride twice and I feel like its for a good amount of time.

This is now called the LeRoy King Carousel. We went to the grand reopening ceremony and that LeRoy is quite a guy!
How cool it is to have an original 1906 Looff carousel right in the heart of San Francisco. Not just any Looff carousel but the original carousel that spun at Playland At The Beach for 58 years.
It was recently completely restored and is absolutely beautiful down to every detail, from the shiny lacquered hardwood floors to the polished gears and rods that run so smoothly once again. The only thing missing is the old band organ.
You might walk right by it, but don’t mix this historical machine up with a cheap Pier 39 merry go round because this is the genuine thing. And it’s worth a ride by both the little kids and the big kids.

We came here while friends were visiting and their little boy really wanted to ride the merry go round — so ok, I went along for a ride too! It’s two rides for $ 4, and adults can ride along beside their children for free. I think the ride might need a little bit of a paint job, but it’s a smooth ride, not too fast and they are easy to get on. The ride was just long enough, and we had a good time! All the kids seemed to have a good time too!

nothing much special about the place but not bad to kill some hours with your kid, it depend how old they are

Empty on Sundays around lunch time and rides are 2 for 1 for $ 4.

On our recent trip to San Francisco, this indoor carousel (a historic treasure) was perfect for my 2 year old son on a rainy Sunday afternoon…
I was surprised that it was only $ 3 for two rides! I think in LA, we usually pay $ 3-​$ 4 for one or $ 5 for two.
The Children’s Creative Carousel is 107 years old and for over 50 years, it was a main attraction @ the SF amusement park, Play land @ the Beach. It was restored and moved many times and finally bought by the city in 1998 and installed @ the Children’s Creativity Museum in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
I guess that’s why it didn’t have seat belts.

A small, but fun two-​story carousel. $ 3 for one or $ 5 for two. My son loved sitting in one of the benched seats, although I must be getting old b/​c I got very dizzy. But all that counts is that he had a lot of fun. The second story must be fun for older kids!

This carousel is so beautiful!
I came here for a photoshoot with my team (with photographer Emily Nguyen and makeup artist Terry Alabata), and the workers at the carousel didn’t mind that I had my makeup and wardrobe styling done on location. It was also early on a weekday, so not a whole lot of kids around.
I love how whimsically beautiful this place is, with a wide assortment of animals to choose from, including giraffes and a dragon. The carousel music is also induces nostalgia, and I overall had such a great time.
The photos we got from the shoot can be found here:
Emily Nguyen’s blog post:
My modeling Facebook album:

Some grownups are big kids
Some grownups are kids who have never grown up
I’m definitely in the second group and after our visit here, I think I can put Dorothy C into the second group too
On my recent trip to SF, Dorothy kindly took me and my teddy bear, Teddy to SFMOMA on her annual pass. We were on our way over to the museum from lunch at Tin on Howard when we came across this carousel
Haha, I don’t think we even needed to exchange a conspiratorial look between ourselves before heading over for a ride
This carousel has an interesting history, which is on a board for all to read. Carved by legendary carousel maker Charles Looff in 1906, it has moved through various parks in cities as far apart as Seattle and Long Beach before being purchased by the City of san Francisco, restored and installed in its current location
$ 3 buys 2 rides and Dorothy and I had a good look at the many varieties of animals on show in between rides. Teddy had some ahem close encounters with some of them!
Great way to find the kid within!

I loved merry-​go-​rounds as a kid. This place was very nostalgic for me!
I always pass by this place whenever I’m in the area but I never go. The other day, I went by with some friends and we decided to ride. It’s $ 3.00 for two rides… which I thought was expensive but oh well. The good thing about it is that when you get your ticket stub and you use up one of your rides, they can rip it in half and you can keep that half for another time you plan to visit.
It’s not common to see a cute carnival type ride in a city like San Francisco so I like that this carousel was built for kids – well, the whole Zeum area in Yerba Buena is pretty much for kids.
The carousel is interesting because they have a poster that tells you what sorts of figures (angels, devils, eagles, etc.) you can find around the carousel. You have to walk around and stare at each horse for that though.
They have a good variety of horses (and some giraffes, a lion, and dragons) for you to choose from. The cooler ones like the lion and the dragons don’t move up and down though.
The ride itself is just like any other carousel ride but it feels really short. Good thing they give you 2 rides for what you pay!
Anyway, I think this place is good for people who have kids. Otherwise, it’s more for nostalgic reasons or for tourist pictures.

One of my favorite places to go when we are in the city. The carousel brings back nostalgia. The carousel is large and well-​maintained. It’s opened every day 11AM-​6PM. $ 3.00 gets two rides that you can do back to back or save for later in the day.
There is a large selection of movable and non movable animals and chariots.
My kids also love the rides.

What child doesn’t like a merry-​go-​round? Problem is, when cities build an area for kids, they often don’t think about installing a carousel. So when a parent finds one, it’s a real treat.
When San Francisco built out the bare top of the Moscone Center, one of their adds was the same carousel that had been at Playland. After a 15-​year stop in Long Beach, it was returned to The City at the prime corner of 4^th & Howard, in a place geared toward the younger set (Zeum, small playground, ice rink).
It’s a fun one for kids, too. We were there one summer afternoon, and I saw that all the kids loved riding it, including our kid. $ 3 for two rides is a good price, especially in San Francisco.
With the parking situation, it’s hard to justify a trip out here just to ride a merry-​go-​round. But if you and your children happen to be in the area, this is a must-​ride.

My niece and nephew love riding on this carousel.
May I join you and be a kid again? Don’t mind if I do :)
Ride round and round for the audience of parents with strollers, anxiously waving to their children on board and snapping photos.
Seat belts are required for all the munchkins to ride, and the attendants go around checking that each child is buckled in tight.
My niece prefers the up-​and-​down horses, giraffes, and tigers. My nephew prefers the chariots.
The attendants are friendly, and the lines are speedy.