Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye

Fisherman's Wharf hotel with games to borrow and bikes to rent, a good base for school-age kids.

An alley of murals under a canopy of hanging umbrellas, near the wharf. Ten minutes and a good photograph.

Free exhibition hall by the cannery with a huge Fresnel lighthouse lens and ship models. Twenty minutes, and warm when the fog is in.

Original comic strip and animation art in one small gallery near the wharf. Quick to walk, and a fair trade for a kid who draws.

Wharf hotel with a heated pool, a games room, and outdoor space for kids to burn energy.

Wharf hotel with an in-room fridge and two-queen rooms for families with little ones.