San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Proposes Entrance Fee Increase

Date: October 22, 2014
Contact: Lynn Cullivan, 415-561-7006

San Francisco, CA — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will reach out to community stakeholders, gather input from neighbors at a public open house, create an online comment forum, and use social media to discuss possible fee increases in 2015. The current park entrance fees havebeen in place since 2000.A table showing the current and proposed fees is below:

Current Admission Fee	Proposed Admission Fee
Adult  $5	Adult  $10
Annual Park Pass $20	Annual Park Pass  $40

Entrance fees are waived for persons under 16 years of age or holders of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Senior, Access or Military Passes. These passes can be obtained at the Park.

“We are committed to keeping the park affordable, but we also want to provide visitors with the best possible experience,” said San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Superintendent Kevin Hendricks. “The money from our entrance fee, which is essentially a boarding pass to explore our fleet of National Historic Landmark vessels, helps preserve our cultural resources, improve our public facilities, and provide more educational (and fun) opportunities for our visitors.”

Past park projects accomplished with fee money include developing a California K-8 curriculum-based Junior Ranger program, installing a fire detection system aboard the 1886 sailing ship Balclutha, creating audio/visual programming in the visitor center, repairing lights on Hyde Street Pier, and upgrading public restrooms.

Additional revenue raised by a fee increase would helpimprove access to park resources (including the fleet of historic vessels), develop new education programs, and upgrade informational exhibits/displays.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a strong economic engine for the surrounding area. In 2012, more than 4.1 million park visitors contributed $95 million to the local economy and supported 1,045jobs related to tourism. 

The open house will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, from 4-7pm in the General's Residence, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123 (entrance at the intersection of Bay and Franklin Streets). The proposed changes will be announced on the park’s Facebook and web pages. A description of the proposed fee change, as well as a form to submit comments immediately, will also be available online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/proposedfee.

Following the open house and announcements,feedback will determine how, or if, a fee increase would be implemented.  

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