For nearly 60 years, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has been part of the fabric of Fisherman’s Wharf. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our current San Francisco attraction. But our love for San Francisco hasn’t changed one bit.
And we’re not closing the doors just yet. We expect our final day to be sometime before the end of the year, and we’ll share the exact date once it is finalized. Until then, we are open and ready to welcome guests, so there is still plenty of time to come see us, say hello, and experience a little of the unbelievable. There aren’t many attractions that get to measure their history in generations, but Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has always been a little different. On February 2, 1967, Ripley’s invited San Francisco to the ‘official unveiling’ of what it called the city’s ‘newest and most unusual attraction.’ Nearly 60 years later, I think we delivered the odd, the unusual, and just plain weird.
Our San Francisco attraction shares a remarkable legacy with other longtime Ripley’s locations, including St. Augustine, our first permanent Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attraction, which recently celebrated 75 years, and Myrtle Beach, which marked 50 years. In the attraction business, nearly 60 years is pretty unbelievable.
But the Ripley’s story in San Francisco actually goes back much further than 1967.
Robert Ripley began his professional career here in 1909, working at the San Francisco Bulletin. His time exploring the city, including trips to Chinatown, helped spark his curiosity about people, places, and the unusual that would eventually take him around the world, visiting more than 200 countries.
Ripley’s would return to the city decades later, exhibiting ‘Believe It or Nots!’ at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in both 1939 and 1940.
And Ripley’s Believe It or Not! wasn’t our only act in town. Over the years, we operated another attraction at Fisherman’s Wharf that began as the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, later became World of the Unexplained, and eventually became the Guinness World Records Museum. Adjacent to these attractions was our successful magic shop, another memorable part of Ripley’s history at the Wharf.
Quite a cast of characters has walked through our doors over the years. King of Pop Michael Jackson, Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown are just a few of the famous faces who have visited us. Our connection with the DiMaggio family went even further. The family served as our landlord for the Guinness World Records Museum just a half block away, with much of that relationship handled through Joe’s brother, Dom DiMaggio, himself a Major League Baseball star with the Boston Red Sox.
Some of our favorite memories aren’t about famous names at all. In the 1970s, we hosted groups of local children at the attraction free of charge, giving young people who might not otherwise have had the opportunity a chance to experience a little bit of the unbelievable for themselves.
But the real stars of our nearly 60 years in San Francisco have always been our people. I want to personally thank the hundreds of team members who have contributed to our success and built lasting relationships over the years, especially our team today, including Michelle Leiva and Karla Santos, for their loyal service and leadership. As we move through this transition, we are offering support to our team members as they prepare for what comes next.
I also want to thank the Sabella family, our longtime landlords and a family whose history at Fisherman’s Wharf stretches back nearly a century. For decades, A. Sabella’s was one of those special places that helped make the Wharf the Wharf, welcoming generations of San Franciscans and visitors with great food, warm hospitality, and a touch of elegance. We’re grateful for the Sabella family’s friendship, partnership, and the many years we’ve had the privilege of sharing this special corner of San Francisco with them.
And remember, we’re still open, with our final day expected sometime before the end of the year, so there is more fun to come before we bring down the curtain.
We’ll be offering a select group of exhibits with special ties to San Francisco for sale, giving guests a rare opportunity to take home a piece of Ripley’s history and a little piece of the city, too.
Among the pieces being considered are a Golden Gate Bridge created on the head of a pin, toothpick renditions of the Golden Gate Bridge by a local artist, Joe DiMaggio’s crutches, a chicken-wire portrait of Janis Joplin, and other only-at-Ripley’s curiosities. And stay tuned for a little nostalgia pricing along the way.
While we’re saying goodbye to this location, we’re not necessarily saying goodbye to San Francisco. With Ripley’s, you never know. We might just be back!
To every team member, past and present, who has been part of this remarkable run, thank you. To our neighbors and friends at Fisherman’s Wharf, thank you for nearly 60 unforgettable years. And to the millions of people who have walked through our doors, we have been honored to have you as our guests.
Sincerely,
Jim Pattison Jr.
President of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment
