The iconic Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in San Francisco's Fisherman’s Wharf announced on Thursday its last day of service and its plans to celebrate its nearly 60-year history before officially closing its doors.
The museum will welcome its final guests on Dec. 1, nearly two months before it officially reaches its 60th anniversary, mesmerizing families and tourists in San Francisco.
“We’ve had nearly 60 unbelievable years at Fisherman’s Wharf, and we want these final weeks to be a celebration,” said Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment. “Whether you visited us as a kid, brought your own kids years later, or have somehow never made it through our doors, we hope you’ll come see us one more time.”
After last month's closure announcement, a Ripley's spokesperson explained that the closure didn't stem from "one single challenge or event that led to the decision,” but rather from the company's view of the "changing landscape of Fisherman’s Wharf" as it decided to close the location.
Ripley opened its San Francisco location on Feb. 2, 1967, and it became one of the company's longest-running attractions, second only to Ripley’s first permanent Believe It or Not! attraction in St. Augustine.
"Nearly 60 years later, I think we delivered the odd, the unusual, and just plain weird," Pattison said in his September announcement.
In hopes of embracing the museum's whimsy, Pattison announced that every Thursday leading up to its closure, the museum will set prices at $19.67, "a nod to the year the attraction first opened its doors at Fisherman’s Wharf."
Playing on that theme, the museum will also lower prices to $1.50 on its final day of operation.
"On December 1, guests can experience Ripley’s Believe It or Not! San Francisco for the same price they would have paid nearly 60 years ago: just $1.50 for adults and 75 cents for kids," the announcement reads.
In addition, the company announced that fans of Ripley's Museum or its San Francisco-themed exhibits can start bidding on items from a "selection of exhibits, artifacts, and oddities from the attraction through a special silent auction."
Items Ripley announced would be on sale include a pinhead-sized replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, Joe DiMaggio’s crutches, a chicken-wire portrait of Janis Joplin, toothpick renditions of the Golden Gate Bridge, and a 1989 Emmy connected to the World Series earthquake broadcast, to name a few.
People interested in purchasing these items can bid on Ripley’s San Francisco auction site, which will remain open through the San Francisco location's closing.
Over the years, Ripley's San Francisco location has welcomed icons such as Michael Jackson, Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. The company also operated several other attractions at Fisherman’s Wharf, including the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, which later became World of the Unexplained and eventually the Guinness World Records Museum.
"While we’re saying goodbye to this location, we’re not necessarily saying goodbye to San Francisco. With Ripley’s, you never know. We might just be back," Pattison said in his September announcement.
The closure of Ripley's Fisherman's Wharf museum added to the growing number of iconic locations and signs to be removed from the area. Earlier this year, residents watched workers take down Alioto's sign, another Fisherman's Wharf staple.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ripley's San Francisco Museum set to close in December
