Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf will close by the end of the year, ending nearly 60 years at one of the city’s best-known tourist districts.
Company president Jim Pattison Jr. said Tuesday in a letter that the final operating date has not yet been set, but the closure is expected to be completed before year’s end. The company said the decision was based on broader changes at Fisherman’s Wharf and Ripley’s future direction, not a single event.
The museum opened Feb. 2, 1967, at 175 Jefferson St. and became a longtime draw for visitors with about 400 oddity exhibits and a 2,000-square-foot mirror maze. As part of the shutdown, Ripley’s plans to sell select San Francisco-related items, including a miniature Golden Gate Bridge made on a pinhead, a crutch belonging to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and a portrait of Janis Joplin.
The San Francisco location will close, but other Ripley’s museums in places such as Hollywood and Newport will remain open. The move comes as Fisherman’s Wharf continues to reshape its commercial mix after the pandemic; Madame Tussauds closed there in October 2024.
Source:KTLA
