Zeum Carousel
Categories: Local Flavor, Active Life [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA4th & Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 820-3346
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Good for Kids: Yes
23 reviews
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
"oh what is there to say about telegraph except that you have to go there at least once in your life. it's that memorable."
21 Reviews for Zeum Carousel
Really? How is this fun? But the kids seem to love it almost as much as the nannys and the craftsmanship and artistry of the horses and carousel is great. Working relics of by-gone eras are far too rare these days so enjoy this one while you can.
During the WP Scav Hunt, we needed a photo of a Merry Go Round.
[D + A run from SFMOMA to Zeum Carousel..]
*gasping for breath...*
D + A : Hi, Can we.. *breathe* just take.. *breathe* a picture with the horse?
Attendant : Sure.
D + A: Cool, we'll just wait for it to stop..
*stares in to space*
[elevator music for 5 minutes.. So, you'll get your $4 worth of a ride...... take that as you will....... ]
[Finally, it stops. D runs and hops on a horse.. *spankity spank, snappity snap* and off we run. And by run, I mean stagger.]
Hooray for the free ride....... they let me sit on the horse and take a pic for free!
Boo.. for me being out of shape...
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I spend so much time looking after one particular four-year-old that his mom and I joke that he's my boyfriend. Sadly, if "boyfriend" is defined as a male with whom you spend a lot of time, and like a lot, and do things like go to parks and ride carousels with, then yes... he is my boyfriend. Don't judge, he's very cute.
One time, the carousel operator let us take a second ride for free, probably because we make such a cute couple. My gentleman friend decided to stay on his armored horse, because naturally he wants to be a knight when he grows up. I believe I rode a giraffe.
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I took my friend dan and his little girl to the SFMOMA for the " take your time" exhibit.
Only i arrived on a wednesday. A brand new member of the museum, i'd forgotten that it is closed on wednesdays.
And so we went to yerba buena park. And we walked through the MLK memorial... and gemma ( the 2.5 year old) was so enchanted by the water that by the end we had to drag her out of playing in the pool at the top * just her hands in the water*
then we went to the carousel. you get two rides when you get a ticket ! We changed horses and camels and dragons, and we had the most most most fun .
I want to go back on my own as soon as i can grab another kid so i have an excuse. Otherwise i'd feel kind of dorky - you know?
My very first 'first date' involved a carousel ride.
It was perfect. 'Gallant' was my date's middle name as he suavely waved me through the turnstiles towards the gleaming menagerie of horses, giraffes, zebras, ostriches and other exotic creatures. I selected a grandly gold-leafed tiger, he chose the zebra next to me. As the music volume rose and we whisked madly around, he caught the brass ring and handed it to me. I thought we would be together forever...
The following week, I knocked him into a mud puddle under the jungle gym during recess and the romance was over.
I still love carousels, though, and the Zeum carousel would make a fantastic addition to any date scenario. This beautiful creature has survived several potential disasters - the 1906 earthquake (which it missed by still being on the East Coast), a fire that destroyed the rest of the amusement park in which it was first installed and finally the closure of Playland. It doesn't have the brass ring option - evidently it's way too dangerous for children nowadays to lean out across the void on a semi-fast moving object to snag a small metal ring - but the circus music still brings back memories.
Take my word for it - whether your 'date' is 5 or ... whatever - a carousel ride is never out of style.
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Was just reminded to review this! What a pleasure this carousel is... My boyfriend and I used to get free passes to ride it after teaching a free kids' workshop at Zeum once a month, so I spent many a Saturday afternoon whirling around in the airy sunshine. The horses are all stunning, but the giraffes and camels are pretty great, too. Make sure to pick a ride that goes up and down rather than being stationary (look up to see if the pole has a straight or movable attachment at the top).
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What's not to like about a gorgeous, glass-enclosed carousel right in the heart of downtown San Francisco?
I took my 3 year old for a couple rides here last weekend after our father-son outing to the aquarium... and not only does he love any carousel, I think he got a special kick out of watching the cars and traffic circling on the streets below us.
Minus one star for the relatively bumpy ride (I should know, I ride lots of carousels. Really.)
Extra credit for the giraffes, lions and a few other interesting animals. I find the horse-only carousels a little dull.
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Oh one of the highlights from the Yerba Buena Free4All was FREE ride on the carousel at Zeum!! We didn't think it'd be free, but one of the worker at Zeum said it was so we hussled over there. Regular price is $3pp for 2 rides.
I got a horse, get one that goes up & down otherwise it's boring. Can still make u dizzy though, it goes fast in 5 minutes.
I asked if we could ride it again, and the worker said as long as u get back in line. That's sweet. So ran to get in line again. Picked a camel closer to the mirrors 2nd time. Still fun!
Recommended if it's FREE or if someone else is paying!
I loved it...until I went around for the ump-teenth time and started to feel a tad queasy. The air was whipping around my head like a whirl-wind and my hair was in my mouth and eyes. Still, the carousel deserved five nostalgic stars at that point...UNTIL...
KRISTINA: (cough, gag, cough) BAAAAHHHHHHGGHGHHGG...I think I swallowed a bug!
GAL PAL BECCA: What?! You what?!
KRISTINA: (gurgle, gurgle, cough) I think...I DID SWALLOW A BUG! A BIG ASS BUG! IT'S STUCK IN MY THROAT! AAAAHHHHHHH!
One star off for the unneeded extra protein boost in my carousel ride. Thanks, but no thanks.
(Yes, I take off stars if I swallow a bug. It ain't fair...but neither is swallowing a big ol' bug. NA-ASTY.)
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So the carousel starts and the operator walks out next to us and feigns blowing as much wind as possible to "make the carousel go" - much to the delight of my little one. Huge gondola / boat for those that all want to sit down - warning though - easier to ride a moving creature than sitting on anything stationery...actually got a bit dizzy!
2 rides for $3.00. If you get the juggling operator with big lungs, it'll be even more cool.
Can't believe I haven't rated this yet.
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I used to love the Merry-Go-Round as a child. It was probably because I was such a little chicken as a child that I refused to go on any of the roller coasters at amusement parks. I kept riding on Merry-Go-Rounds even when I was twice the age of the other kids on the ride. I wish I could say I outgrew my fear of carnival rides, but alas, I am still too chicken to go on roller coasters of even the tamest variety.
When I was very small, my mother would board the Merry-Go-Round and sit on one of the benches. As I grew larger, she would not get on the ride with me at all. I begged her to get on one of the horses that went up and down, but she never did. As I grew older, I realized that she probably would have felt silly riding a carousel horse, at her age.
My 10-year-old mentee wanted to ride the Yerba Buena Carousel, so I got us a couple of tickets. At first, I sat on one of the benches, but after she pleaded with me to get on the horse next to hers, I acquiesced.
Okay, so at roughly the same age my mother was when I last rode a Merry-Go-Round, I was around six times the age of the other carousel horse riders. I was the big kid on the little kids' ride.
I liked it. It was pretty cool, pretty nostalgic, pretty fun. I don't think I would have had nearly as much fun sitting on a stationary bench. Maybe when I get a little bit bigger, I can try out some roller coasters.
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My dad used to ride this exact carousel when he was a kid, when it was still at Playland out at Ocean Beach. He remembers being able to catch different smells from different directions as the carousel carried him around in a circle--hot dogs grilling, the salty ocean air, cotton candy being spun, and the Lucky Strikes his dad smoked while waiting for him.
Of course you can no longer experience the same thing (minus the cigs!) since the carousel is now hermetically sealed inside glass, downtown and far removed from its original boardwalk setting. Somehow I think that takes away a bit of the fun. Its still a beautiful merry-go-round and the kids seem to enjoy it, but for a better overall experience, head to the Children's playground carousel in Golden Gate Park.
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OK, it's been a while since I've gone on a merry-go-round... Is it just me, or do these suckers go really fast?? Ugggghhhhhh.
This one was nice -- a good selection of animals that go up-and-down, it's clean, traditional callipe music, a few bench/car rides for the less adventurous and small of us...
It was weird seeing 4th street traffic instead of sunburned folks in shorts holding cotton candy, but that's urban life for you. I would've liked it if the music stopped when the ride did. ps. The rates are now $3 for 2 rides.
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I agree with Patrick G.: This is a really fun carousel, but it lacks the old school charm of the one at Golden Gate Park. Although it is an original Charles Loof carousel built in 1906, it is housed in a super-modern structure that detracts from its otherwise Victorian character. The ride lasts about two minutes and is just the right speed for the little ones. The price is right too: $2 for two rides. A great addition to any trip to Zeum.
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Wow was this ride the most fun throwback to my childhood that I've had in a while....$3 buys you two rides, which means that you can first ride on the giraffes and then on the camels, giving you plenty of opportunity to try to figure out which animal goes highest....It does get a little bit warm in there - seems they have no air except for a tiny fan that blows on the operator. But it was an AWESOME ride and so much easier to get to than Golden Gate Park......
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Haven't been to the one at Golden Gate, but I've been taking my daughter on this one since she was 5 months old and she loves it. She likes to wave at the hideous fiberglass Jollibee statue down below: "Hi Bee! Hi Bee! Hi Bee!" and so on. Great playground nearby, but definitely to be avoided at times when older kids will be there.
I give this merry-go-round five stars because the worker was so nice and patient. I didn't realize you had to purchase the ticket before getting in line so I got in line with my niece and then we got to the front and he explained we needed to buy tickets. My niece got all upset and I tried to explain that we would get the tickets and get back in line but she wanted to get on the ride so she started making herself weigh a thousand billion pounds. Finally, the guy let us just go on. My niece was thrilled. After we got off, I went and bought the tickets and we got back in line. While we were waiting, she decided to rip one of the tickets.
The guy was really, really cool about the whole thing.
Plus, they had a penny smushing machine so that made my day.
Whhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!
A near perfect ride, but please, why are you playing the Beatles? Bring me some calliope music!
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i like carousels and this makes that area look pretty neat...
:)
i rode it once a few years ago...
Pretty damn good Merry-Go-Round but not as good as Children's Playground.
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