🎠 National Carousel Day—also known as National Merry-Go-Round Day—spins into action every year on July 25th! From galloping horses to gracefully carved endangered animals, these magical rides bring out the kid in everyone. Whether you’re a fan of the lions, zebras, or classic ponies, there’s always a favorite waiting for you. So hop on, hold tight, and let the music carry you round and round—it’s a timeless ride the whole family will love!

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Children’s Creativity Museum in Yerba Buena Gardens

LeRoy Carousel

Children’s Creativity Museum in Yerba Buena Gardens

Open Friday through Sunday from 10am-4pm

The historic Looff Carousel at the Children’s Creativity Museum – renamed in 2014 in honor of San Francisco Redevelopment Commissioner and civil rights advocate LeRoy King - is the crown jewel of Yerba Buena Gardens. It transports children (and children-at-heart!) to a bygone era characterized by the rush of organ music and a thrilling, imaginative ride.

The carousel is $5.00 per person or $3.00 for members (or with paid museum admission).

- Each rider must pay for a ticket.

- Children 2 and under ride for free.

- Free for Museums for All families

Any person under the height requirement of 42'' requires a paid adult chaperone.

Children’s Creativity Museum in Yerba Buena Gardens

Tilden Regional Park

Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round

Tilden Regional Park

Looking for an unforgettable weekday adventure? Join us every Thursday and Friday, starting this April, for Family Fun Days at the historic Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round!

🕒 Hours: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

🎟️ SPECIALS:
✅ Parents/Chaperones Ride FREE with a child’s ticket
🌭 $2 Hot Dogs – The perfect treat for a day at the park!
🎨 Creative Art Activities – Let your little ones explore their imagination!
🏆 Classic Lawn Games – Enjoy cornhole, ring toss, and more!
📸 Fun Photo Cut-Outs – Capture the memories with our adorable themed backdrops!

Make it a picnic day, relax under the trees, and let the kids experience the magic of the carousel!

Tilden Regional Park

Koret Children's Quarter and Carousel

Herschell-Spillman Carousel

Koret Children's Quarter and Carousel

Three carousels have been housed in Golden Gate Park near the Koret Children’s Quarter since the playground opened. The current carousel was built in 1914 by the Herschell-Spillman Company and operated at amusement parks in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, before it was installed in Golden Gate Park in 1940 after a stint at the World’s Fair on Treasure Island. It was shut down in 1977 and restored, reopening in 1984. The carousel’s 62 colorfully painted menagerie animals include a dragon, camel, and goat as well as horses, frogs, dogs, roosters, and pigs. Painted panels inside the carousel depict Bay Area landscapes.

To reserve the picnic area adjacent to the carousel and playground, please call (415) 831-5500.

Koret Children's Quarter and Carousel

San Francisco Zoo

Dentzel Carousel

San Francisco Zoo

The Zoo’s Carousel, named to honor Bay Area philanthropist, Eugene Friend, is one of the last machines constructed by Gustav's son, William H. Dentzel. Built in 1921, it showcases the lavish, expensive, intricately detailed, hand-carved wooden artwork that disappeared during the Great Depression of the 1930s (modern carousels are made of cast metal and fiberglass). The Dentzel Carousel came to the Zoo in 1925 from the defunct Pacific City Amusement Park in Burlingame and was one of the Zoo’s first attractions, as well as the first “animal attraction” that visitors saw and heard as they passed through the former Sloat gate entrance. The Carousel’s two chariots and 50 animals, which include horses, giraffes, ostriches, tigers, lions, pigs, rabbits, cats and a reindeer, are embellished with whimsical details and jewels that individualize each of them. This rare menagerie Carousel is one of only 14 in the world, and is one of only seven Dentzel Carousels remaining in the United States.

Take a closer look at the Carousel on your next Zoo visit and you’ll be looking back in time. A treasured symbol of what links the past with the present, it’s something to cherish for the future.

San Francisco Zoo

Oakland Zoo

Conservation Carousel

Oakland Zoo

Do you want to ride the tiger? The ostrich? Or maybe the elephant? Enjoy a leisurely ride with some amazing animals on the Conservation Carousel.

Oakland Zoo

PIER 39

Handcrafted in Italy, the San Francisco Carousel is intricately hand-painted with famous San Francisco landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Lombard Street, Alcatraz and the popular California sea lions at PIER 39, making it the only carousel in San Francisco (that we are aware of) that has artistic renderings of the city.

The carousel features 1,800 twinkling LED lights and 30+ animals to ride. Throughout the ride, patrons hear traditional organ music and see PIER 39’s bustling promenade.

Bay End of PIER 39, Level 1

PIER 39

California’s Great America

Carousel Columbia

California’s Great America

Famed for its beauty and detail, and dramatically framed by the fountains inside the reflection pond, Carousel Columbia has become the perfect family photo for millions of California’s Great America guests. The golden spire that points to the sky is the perfect signature for the world’s tallest carousel.

California’s Great America

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Seaport Carousel

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

This mini-version of the all-time classic fair ride carousel will charm and delight your favorite little lion tamers. Unlike a traditional horse design, this merry-go-round has beautifully carved animals from all over the animal kingdom, including an elephant, tiger, and a zebra or two! So hop on your favorite jungle animal and ride this smooth and slow-paced carousel, sized down for younger riders. Some animals gently rise up and down, while others stand still for a more stable ride. Round and round you go, on a calmly-paced ride scaled down for little hands and feet.

At night, the carousel turns bright with old fashioned golden lights, casting a truly magical glow. There’s a reason the carousel is one of the most popular rides in the history of amusement parks. Round you go to the music, enjoying for the first time, a sure favorite for a lifetime.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Children's Fairyland

Flecto Carousel

Children's Fairyland

The Flecto Paint Company donated this bright carousel in 1997; it was completely refurbished and rededicated in 2016. Children must weigh no more than 60 pounds and be between 38" and 54"; no adults allowed.

Children's Fairyland

TrainTown

Iron Horse Carousel

TrainTown

TrainTown's amusement rides are all railroad themed. They are painted in railroad colors and fitted with train attire. Iron Horse Carousel - 44" to ride alone, all heights OK with adult

Prices: $3.75 per coupon or 5 coupons for $14.75

*One coupon per person, per ride, including babies of all ages & adults accompanying their children

TrainTown

Billy Jones Railroad

W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel

Billy Jones Railroad

The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad is committed to providing a great experience to children and adults alike. Ride aboard a real steam engine as it goes through beautiful Oak Meadow and Vasona Parks. Go round and round on 106 year-old carousel.

Billy Jones Railroad

Pixieland Amusement Park

Watch your child's eyes light up with excitement as they ride their favorite horse to the finish line.

Pixieland Amusement Park

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Keep-Around-Carousel

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Hold on tight and giddy up! This ride features many creatures, both fantasy and real endangered animals that we want to keep around for future generations.

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Howarth Park

Howarth Park Carousel

Howarth Park

The whimsical carousel houses 30 horses, two chariots and over a thousand lights! All riders under 42 inches in height must be accompanied by an adult. One adult may stand next to their child to hold on to them for free. Maximum weight on a carousel horse is 200 pounds. Carousel is ADA accessible.

Howarth Park