San Francisco’s Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years

This is the second of two books that local historian James R. Smith has written about the vanished scenery of Playland at the Beach, an amusement park in San Francisco. Playland at the Beach, in the Richmond District near Ocean Beach, the Cliff House, and the Sutro Baths, was a holiday destination for generations of San Franciscans. An amusement park with rides and a midway entertained visitors for nearly a century in various guises. Full of vintage pictures, this coffee-table sized book tells the story of Playland at the Beach from its heyday in the 1940s and 50s through its slow decline and destruction in 1972. The book also includes maps and a timeline of the area. Several of those who recall visiting Playland at the Beach include their reminisces, and the politics of Playland’s decline and destruction are shared in detail.

This book would be a great read for San Francisco old-timers who remember Playland at the Beach and want to revisit it or share it their memories with family and friends, or for those who love old amusement parks and their history.