During a recent business trip, I found myself with a free day in San Francisco.  What better way to spend a few hours than a visit to the Walt Disney World Family Museum?   The museum is located in the Presidio District of San Francisco. 

I picked up a rental car from the airport and headed out towards the museum.  The navigation system gave me a route through the city streets, but it wasn’t too hard to follow.  I had a done a bit of research before the flight to determine that I would need to pay for parking once I arrived at the museum.  What my research didn’t tell me was that the mall in front of the museum would be filled with families enjoying the Presidio Picnic, which is an outdoor event offered on Sunday.  Luckily, just as I arrived, someone pulled out of a parking spot and I was able to park.  You can pay for parking, by the hour or for the whole day, by visiting one of several kiosks nearby.  I opted for the whole day since I didn’t know how long I would be in the museum.

I headed across the mall and into the museum.   I paid the entry fee ($25) and headed into the exhibits.  I was told that you can take pictures, but to leave the flash off. 

Each gallery told a different story of Walt’s life.  The first gallery was the story of Walt’s early life.  A lot of this gallery was dedicated to his family and his early life on the farm.  It also included memorabilia from the time Walt Disney spent in France during World War I, such as a replica of the ambulance he drove.

The next few galleries detailed the development of Walt’s early professional career, including the development of Laugh-O-Gram Studios and the loss of Oswald the Rabbit.  There are lots of original sketches containing Mickey and Minnie.

To me, one of the most interesting galleries was the work that Walt Disney Studios did during the Second World War.  The studios turned to help the war effort with a number of cartoons, some of which aren’t exactly family friendly. 

The galleries show the growth of the Disney company along with the development of the animated movies, including Snow White.  The museum has a great layout and is easy to navigate.  One of the gallery transitions affords you this view of the surrounding area, including the Golden Gate Bridge:

The last section of the museum details Walt’s love of trains, his involvement in the World’s Fair, and the development of Disneyland.  Here is a diorama of what eventually became the Carousel of Progress.

There are original sketches and letters detailing the design of Disneyland as well as a huge scale model of the park.

As I’m sure you can guess, the museum ended in a gift shop.  I ended up getting some gifts for Nancy and the girls.  The museum took me about an hour or so to go through, but I’m sure I could have spent a few more there if I had slowed down and taken more time.  I felt like I moved through the museum a bit too quickly and didn’t get a chance to soak it all in.  The museum has a wide variety of exhibits to enjoy, even for people who already know a lot about Walt Disney or the Disney company.  Lots of original art work, sketches and models are spread throughout the museum. 

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