Wells Fargo Museum
Wells Fargo Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located in the heart of San Francisco's financial district, the museum depicts Wells Fargo's important role in the California Gold Rush, San Francisco history, stagecoach travel in early California and the settlement of the American West. Visitors of all ages can enjoy fun interactive exhibits which include a stagecoach "ride experience," operating vintage banking machines, a working telegraph, videos and authentic artifacts such as an original 1868 stagecoach, historic coins, currency, maps, and photographs. The museum store features a variety of Wells Fargo branded gifts, collectibles and apparel. Guided tours are available with advanced reservations and admission is always free.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Financial District
The Financial District lies just east of Chinatown but can seem a world apart given it’s San Francisco’s version of Wall Street. The rush of business people make up a hectic weekday and add to a frenetic pace of life, but visitors who spend a few hours walking the narrow streets will be rewarded with fine examples of historic and contemporary architecture, including the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. After business hours, bars and restaurants quickly fill up with happy hour revelers. Stocks aren’t the only kind of market being followed, the Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero is a gourmet food emporium and farmers market that will satisfy anyone working up an appetite.
How to get there
- Montgomery St • 6 min walk
- Montgomery St • 6 min walk
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4.5
214 reviews
Excellent
119
Very good
77
Average
13
Poor
4
Terrible
1
Arun K
Nagpur District, India3,374 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
The two floor museum depicts the history of Wells Fargo business from early Gold Ruh days to Silicon Valley.
The historic carriage, gold weighing scales, old gold coins , currency notes & communication instruments on display are worth watching.
Awesome place for history lovers !
The historic carriage, gold weighing scales, old gold coins , currency notes & communication instruments on display are worth watching.
Awesome place for history lovers !
Written 29 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff H
San Francisco, CA9 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
A hidden jewel in downtown San Francisco! We discovered it on a rainy afternoon. Wonderful historical artifacts which really tell the story of SF from its origins to recent times. Displays about Stagecoaches and the 1906 Earthquake were especially interesting. Docent/curator Joycee added lots of insight and really made it a wonderful visit!
Written 5 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deborah4967
Philadelphia86 contributions
We stumbled across the Wells Fargo History Museum on a rainy weekday in the Financial District of San Francisco, and made a whimsical decision to go in. What a surprise! This free-admission museum is in the Bank's entrance lobby and mezzanine and is chock-full of hands-on history, and is only open weekdays from 9 to 5. There are Gold Rush maps and artifacts, audio and video exhibits about stage coaches - their construction and role in development of the American West and American culture. There are letters and boxes that were carried by the Wells Fargo coaches, and an exhibit about anti-theft practices and how they tracked down stagecoach robbers -- plenty of stuff for children to touch and learn from. There is also a wonderful exhibit about how San Francisco handled and survived the 1906 earthquake. We spent two hours there and would have stayed longer, but we were starving and headed over to explore the restaurants at Belden Place.
Written 21 November 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara W
Hitchin, UK111 contributions
Feb 2020
Very interesting museum about the history of the gold rush, banking and stage coaches. Lots of information and items to look at. Well worth a visit.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Larry O
18 contributions
Aug 2019
The museum opens at 9 AM while most others open at 11 AM so it's a good choice for early attendance. The museum is not only free but provides free souvenir money with your pictures in addition to a modest souvenir counter. The museum has a good deal of historical memorabilia including stage coach and old calculators. It is surprisingly entertaining, especially considering the free cost.
Written 17 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Montreal_native
Edmonton, Canada1,558 contributions
Mar 2020
Past by randomly and the stagecoach caught our eye. Its free to walk around and they had some pretty interesting displays about the history of Wells Fargo and San Francisco. Worth a look if you have the time.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cary M
Honolulu, HI522 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
An interesting museum. It is quite small so don’t expect much. It is very informative. If you’re in the area it’s worth a visit. Given the space it is well done with a great insight of the “old days”. The staff is friendly and is willing to answer any questions you may have.
Written 20 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Citallwic
Columbia, SC8,764 contributions
Nov 2019
This is a wonderful little museum. Lots of fun, and it's free! When you've finished in the lobby level (selfie in the stagecoach, handling lines from the drivers seat, etc.) be sure to go to the second floor and see the exhibits up there. They aren't as eye catching and entertaining as the lobby exhibits, but they're very interesting. I particularly liked the gold history exhibit up there. I took the stairs and didn't think to ask if there's an elevator.
Incidentally, the correct name of this place is Wells Fargo History Museum.
Incidentally, the correct name of this place is Wells Fargo History Museum.
Written 6 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gabe H
Northern Virginia, VA171 contributions
Oct 2019
Just east of Chinatown, this is a fun history of stage coaches, banking, San Francisco, and Wells Fargo. Some interactive experiences. Very nicely done for a small museum. Definitely worth it if you are in the area. Also photographing is permitted.
Written 11 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rickmen
82 contributions
Sept 2019 • Couples
Wandering through the financial district I came across this free small museum. I appreciated the displays and gained some insighted to the origins of Wells Fargo and SF in general. The stagecoach was a treat.
Written 3 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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