Fort Mason Center

San Francisco, being a maritime city, has a storied history of being a military town. An important outpost on the Pacific, San Francisco became an important disembarkation point during the World Wars. One relic of The City’s military past is Fort Mason.

Fort Mason Centre

Fort Mason is a 13-acre complex of renovated military buildings on the north coast of San Francisco located at Marina Boulevard. Formerly the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, located in the Marina District along San Francisco Bay, Fort Mason served its purpose as an army post for about 100 years. Today, the Fort Mason Centre is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and has become a hotbed of arts and culture in The City.

The Fort Mason has two distinct areas: The first is an upper area situated on a cliff which is often times called Fort Mason, and a lower area, situated towards the west of the upper part and along the waterfront, which is called the Fort Mason Center. Fort Mason was named after Richard Mason in 1882. Richard Mason was a former military governor of California.

After many of buildings and amenities were established in the 1800s, the facility of “Fort Mason” was transformed into a logistical and transport hub for military operations for the Pacific. During the Second World War, the Mason Centre became headquarters of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation. It was responsible for the management of the network of shipping facilities that spread across the Bay Area.

However, in recent times, Fort Mason Centre has been repurposed as the center for arts and culture. This came to be in 1977 to create a cultural education and recreational complex where people could learn to appreciate art in an atmosphere of fun and excitement. Fort Mason is now administered by the National Park Service and hosts over 1.2 million annual visitors.

There is so much to do at the Fort Mason Center, from ongoing special events, art exhibitions, and fairs. The Center also hosts dozens of non-profit and art organizations as permanent residents who help preserve this historic U.S. Army fort.
Fort Mason is open from 9 AM to 5 PM every weekday. Every Friday between March and October sees a popular food truck gathering called ‘Off the Grid’ so if you a looking to grab an evening meal, check out Fort Mason in the evening during these months.
Learn more about events at Fort Mason here: https://fortmason.org/events/

Travel Inn San Francisco

Travel Inn San Francisco is located nearby many top attractions in San Francisco. Offering clean and comfortable rooms at budget rates, Travel Inn is one of the best value hotels in San Francisco. Travel Inn is just minutes from Fort Mason so it is a logical lodging choice if you are in town for a special event at Fort Mason. Book your accommodations directly at https://www.travelinnsf.com/