Amusing America is the story of participatory commercial amusements in American cities - San Francisco in particular - and how they changed American life. This free attraction at Fisherman’s Wharf invites residents and visitors to take a roller coaster ride into history. From the Gilded Age of the 1800’s and ’90s to World War II new entertainment like world’s fairs, amusement parks, Ferris wheels, dance pavilions, arcades and swimming baths changed the way Americans lived. The Musee Mechanique is one of the world’s largest privately owned collections of mechanically operated musical instruments and antique arcade machines, featuring everything from turn of the century hand-cranked music boxes to modern video arcade games.