LeRoy King Carousel
The Verdict
"Carousel hand-carved in 1906 by Charles I.D. Looff, who built Coney Island's first carousel in 1876. About 65 wooden animals inside a glass pavilion at 221 4th Street in Yerba Buena Gardens; sat at Playland-at-the-Beach for nearly 60 years before the city bought it in 1998. $4 a ride, daily 11am to 5pm."
What you need to know
A 1906 Hand-Carved Carousel in SoMa
The LeRoy King Carousel at Yerba Buena Gardens was built in 1906 by Danish-American carver Charles I.D. Looff, who built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. Each of its roughly 65 animals (horses, dragons, cats, reindeer, and others) is hand-carved and hand-painted. The carousel was originally intended for an amusement park at Van Ness and Market, but the 1906 earthquake and fire derailed those plans. It spent years at Seattle’s Luna Park and then nearly 60 years at Playland-at-the-Beach before the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency bought it in 1998 and installed it at Yerba Buena Gardens.
What to Expect
The carousel is housed inside a glass-walled pavilion at the edge of the Yerba Buena Gardens children’s area, visible even when closed. A ride takes about three minutes and costs $4. Adults can ride too.
It pairs naturally with other Yerba Buena attractions: the gardens themselves, SFMOMA across the street, and the Children’s Creativity Museum next door.
Visiting
Address: 221 4th Street, Yerba Buena Gardens, SoMa
Hours: Daily 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (hours vary seasonally)
Cost: $4 per ride
Best time to go: Weekday afternoons, when the line is short or nonexistent.
What to know: The carousel is inside a climate-controlled pavilion, so weather doesn’t matter.
Getting There
Transit: BART or Muni Metro to Powell Station, 5-minute walk. Muni 30-Stockton or 45-Union stop nearby.
Parking: 5th & Mission garage or Moscone Center garage. Both are within a block.
Walking: In Yerba Buena Gardens, adjacent to SFMOMA, the Metreon, and Moscone Center.