Struggling SF tourism takes another hit — top attraction closing after almost 60 years

You better ‘Believe’ it.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is closing after nearly 60 years.

The long-running tourist attraction announced Tuesday that its doors will shutter by year’s end — but did not give a specific closing date or a concrete reason for the closure.

“It really wasn’t one single challenge or event that led to the decision,” Suzanne Smagala-Potts, a Ripley’s spokesperson, told SFGATE.

“After nearly 60 years at this location, we took a broader look at the attraction, the changing landscape of Fisherman’s Wharf and what makes sense for Ripley’s moving forward. Ultimately, we decided the time was right to close this location.”

Ripley’s is one of many businesses to depart the struggling waterfront area in recent years. For many years, Fisherman’s Wharf was a top attraction in San Francisco, which has lately battled multiple challenges to its status as a premier destination.

The neighborhood’s San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum closed in August after struggling to recover following the pandemic. Several staple eateries in the district have also closed in recent years.

Originally opened in 1967, Ripley’s houses over 400 artifacts and a 2,000-square-foot mirror maze. A global chain of attractions, it’s known for its collection of bizarre, rare items.

The company plans to sell several items with special ties to San Francisco, including a Golden Gate Bridge made on the head of a pin, toothpick versions of the bridge by a local artist, former San Francisco Giants star Joe DiMaggio’s crutches and a chicken-wire portrait of Janis Joplin, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ripley’s has a long history in the City by the Bay. Founder Robert Ripley, a California native, once worked for the the San Francisco Bulletin. In 1939 and 1940, Ripley’s exhibited at the Golden Gate International Exposition, held on Treasure Island.

In a statement released Tuesday, Ripley’s President Jim Pattison Jr. teased that the museum could one day reopen.

“While we’re saying goodbye to this location, we’re not necessarily saying goodbye to San Francisco,” Pattinson said. “With Ripley’s, you never know. We might just be back!”

Meanwhile, The Port of San Francisco has launched the Fisherman’s Wharf Forward program, in an effort to revitalize the historic area. The project will bring upgraded public spaces to the wharf, as well infrastructure to protect it against earthquakes and rising sea levels.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! currently has two other locations on the West Coast — Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, and the coastal town of Newport, Oregon.

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