The Beat Museum
The Beat Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
The mission of The Beat Museum is to spread the values of The Beat Generation--tolerance, inclusiveness, and having the courage to live your own individual truth. Our first floor contains our book shop and gift shop, as well as the entrance to the Beat Museum. The second floor contains six rooms of exclusive Beat era memorabilia.
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Neighbourhood: North Beach
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4.5
129 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
51
Average
11
Poor
1
Terrible
4
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Cindy V
2 contributions
Aug 2021
Admission to this museum is $10 ($5 for seniors). This is a pretty small museum and there really isn't all that much on display. Lots of books behind plexiglass (the spines of the books are visible) and some books for sale. My husband needed a rest room and we were told there was no rest room in the museum. We were told to go to a restaurant, or a public park a few blocks away, to find a rest room.
Written 10 August 2021
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.
B d A
Athens, Greece1,006 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
Another serendipitous misreading. Heading along Broadway for dinner in North Beach we came across some organizational commotion. We stepped into a limited space event directed mature populace with some books on display. We selected 2 and had difficulty in getting the operator to pay. With apologies and some delay he appeared for that with fine wordage for the books we had selected. Excellent paracommunicational opportunity and a shrine for the beat, collections, books of Americana in that context, including a fine on on Stein by Lisa Ruddick
Written 5 May 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.
Jota2015Ce
Madrid, Spain9,686 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Small music store with a small museum dedicated to the Beat generation. In addition to vinyl, they sell posters, magazines and some rarities. The owner is very friendly and is always willing to give you any information you need.
Written 26 May 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.
Torte_Sue
Vonore, TN1,529 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
My husband and I grew up with and love the works of many of the Beat Generation. Even though we were a bit younger, these writers had an immense influence on the writers of the 60's and later. So we thoroughly enjoyed paying the few dollars ($8 pp but I later learned there is a senior rate of $5) to go into the museum and see photos, placards, letters, handwriting, first editions, and items from Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, et al. There are a number of exhibits on others from the time period as well and we saw some on the Beatles. The car that
Neal Cassady drove that became part of Kerouac's On the Road is on exhibit.
The front is a shop that sells used books, new books, the usual kind of mementos, as well as an assortment of magazines from the era (there are a lot of Playboys for example). I enjoyed the display on books that had been banned at various times and places-including Black Beauty!
It's just a fun place to relive memories for us over 60's! I understand that there are programs held here as well but we were just here on a visit. We enjoyed visiting with the young man working there. I wish I had asked him to turn the video on for us to watch. I only later learned about it.
I see that one reviewer said that the museum promotes drugs and sex. I certainly did not get that impression. Drugs and sex were presented only in relation to explaining some of the writers' lives. If you get offended easily, then maybe this isn't the place for you but it's not in the face pornography for goodness sake. I guess that is why we need displays on book banning. The attitude is still alive!
Neal Cassady drove that became part of Kerouac's On the Road is on exhibit.
The front is a shop that sells used books, new books, the usual kind of mementos, as well as an assortment of magazines from the era (there are a lot of Playboys for example). I enjoyed the display on books that had been banned at various times and places-including Black Beauty!
It's just a fun place to relive memories for us over 60's! I understand that there are programs held here as well but we were just here on a visit. We enjoyed visiting with the young man working there. I wish I had asked him to turn the video on for us to watch. I only later learned about it.
I see that one reviewer said that the museum promotes drugs and sex. I certainly did not get that impression. Drugs and sex were presented only in relation to explaining some of the writers' lives. If you get offended easily, then maybe this isn't the place for you but it's not in the face pornography for goodness sake. I guess that is why we need displays on book banning. The attitude is still alive!
Written 31 May 2015
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.
Élise M
1 contribution
Jul 2018 • Family
I was rudely 'ask' to leave because I had a talkative baby (not loud just a constant flow). The owner dislike children in general. He doesn't give a damn about them (his words, not mine). Please don't go there. Don't encourage this kind of behavior towards women and children.
Anyway, the bookstore is quite ordinary, not like the City lights. Some of the archive in the museum are doubtful.
Please again don't go there. My baby and I were verbally abused. The other employe was just as shocked.
Anyway, the bookstore is quite ordinary, not like the City lights. Some of the archive in the museum are doubtful.
Please again don't go there. My baby and I were verbally abused. The other employe was just as shocked.
Written 3 July 2018
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.
Mike D
Southington, CT13 contributions
Aug 2014 • Solo
I must have spent about 2 hours in this little museum which is housed in what otherwise would be a hip apartment, at least I began to almost feel as though I lived there after a while. Perhaps it is the decor which includes an old 1940s era sofa and other furniture from the beat generation that made the place so inviting. I even heard of someone actually spending the night there once! In order to fully appreciate the museum one should read some of the history which is printed along with the display of photographs, books and other items. Sometimes films are also shown in a small room which are also very educational. When I got home I decided to read up on Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg and many other writers of the so called "Beats". The museum has books for sale, some of which are collector items or you can go across the street to City Lights Bookstore which is quite an historic Beat landmark in itself. As a final note, I also got to meet Jerry Cimino, the curator of the museum, for a brief moment. He is a very friendly and knowledgable person and does a great job with the place. He really got me hooked on Kerouak and the whole Beat "scene".
Written 11 January 2015
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.
Daunrussell
York55 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
Fairly small museum, but packed with documents, photos and, of course, books. The main focus is Kerouac and Ginsberg, but the whole movement is represented here in the fascinating collection. The Kerouac film is worth watching, and there's a great book store, both new and second-hand. one of the real treasures, though, is the guy who runs the place, who is full of knowledge and enthusiasm - make sure you stop for a chat. I had only read the Beats back in my teens, but this spurred me to go back to books that I hadn't read for years, and to read more widely, which is definitely a Good Thing (I'd forgotten how goof Ferlinghetti was). My hadn't read any before, but was still fascinated.
Written 6 December 2016
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.
Charles H
Eugene, OR742 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
For an aging hippie this place is a must. It is one of the most interesting places to visit in all of San Francisco. You won't find your usual mixture of tourists here, it is a very different kind of museum, exceptionally well done. Make sure to chat with the curator, he is a wealth of beat knowledge
Written 11 December 2014
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.
Gail L
Melbourne, Australia7 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
We only have a few days here and on my husbands birthday we decided to go to Haight Ashbury and the Beat Museum. Haight Ashbury was cool but by far the highlight of the day was The Beat museum. Quaintly uncommercial and very informative. A fantastic bookshop with some rare books and other items for sale. Unmissable for lovers of Kerouac et al.
Written 5 October 2014
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.
SilverStar-7
Berkeley, CA123 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
We stumbled on this while waiting for a restaurant down the street to open. It was a nice surprise. They have done a nice job laying out the history, poetry, and music of the time. There are two floors of information, posters, and if you are one of the younger baby boomers, this will remind you of the shows you saw on TV as a kid. Fun facts and interesting videos. Worth a stop.
Written 13 September 2014
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.
Parking lot nearby? Closest BART station?
Written 10 November 2016
Maybe the Embarcadero Station is the closest. I would google Bart stations.
Parking is a problem. We prepaid online for a parking space at a parking lot on Broadway. It was within walking distance to the museum and City Lights Bookstore.
But if you have a large SUV, they will want to charge you extra!
Written 11 November 2016
Am I able to go in just to shop or do I have to pay admission for that?
Written 10 October 2015
When we were there, only the museum had a fee. \You can be in the store portion and see the Hudson without paying
Written 11 October 2015
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