As someone who grew up in my grandmother's house, where you could find everything from one of the first teddy bears to a newspaper from when man landed on the moon, I've had a great appreciation for people who love their passion so deeply that it becomes what they surround themselves with.
Gregangelo, the namesake of the museum-home, is a Whirling Dervish, an entertainer, and a visual artist born and raised in San Francisco. And most importantly, the whole reason this whimsical place exists.
Having grown up in the city's Chinatown, he has spent his life championing the city's creative spirit.
A leader in San Francisco’s Counterculture and LGBTQ+ movements, he and the art within these walls were born in response to the AIDS epidemic. A self-proclaimed 'Connectatorium,' he aims to use this space to do what he can for working artists and creative people who keep the world vibrant and alive.
The Gregangelo Museum is open to everybody as a place to face their joy, grief, and everything in between head-on, making it mean much more beyond your typical museum experience.
What Can You Do at the Gregangelo Museum?
When telling local friends I wanted to visit the Gregangelo Museum while in San Francisco, even they had never heard of this hidden gem.
I'd truly only discovered it because of my time perusing the Atlas Obscura website as part of the Adventurers Program. So if you're looking for a REAL hidden gem in the city by the bay, this is it!
A San Francisco Landmark and Legacy Business, the Gregangelo Museum is much more than just a house with art inside it. It invites you on an immersive journey, much like Alice's adventures in Wonderland.
Depending on what you're interested in, they have several ways to experience the museum.
Immersive Art & Garden Experiences
Riddle of the Sphinx (outdoor tour)
Into the Rabbit Hole (indoor tour)
Artalks (lunch and BTS tour)
Mysteries and Meals (indoor and outdoor tour)
Twice Upon a Time (combo tour)
A Night at the Museum (after-hours tour)
Untold Secrets (ringmasters tour)
Shows
Haunted Doll House (paranormal play date)
Enchanted Fairy Garden (kids' experience)
The Velvet Experience (burlesque show)
Echos from the Past (immersive magic show held at the Haas-Lilienthal House)
Experiences
The House Remembers (immersive tea experience held at the Haas-Lilienthal House)
Savvy Sensory Soirée (immersive dining experience)
Tea in Wonderland (tea experience)
Mystical Insights (fortune telling)
Beauty Blueprint (hairstyling and makeup)
Since I was visiting on my last day in San Francisco before heading down south to head back home, my friend and I attended the Artalks (lunch and BTS tour), which took place at 1 pm.
Truly, I had zero idea what we'd signed up for, other than knowing we'd be fed lunch, which was vegetarian and a bonus for my friend who's been vegetarian for several years.
My recommendation: check out their website, which includes photos and summaries for each option. That will give you more insight into which experience is best for you.
Do note that monthly shows feature local talent, and the museum is ever-evolving, so even if you've visited before, you won't have the same experience twice.
What is the Artalks Experience?
The concept of the Artalks experience is to offer an authentic, up-close, and personal behind-the-scenes encounter with the museum's staff and visiting artists. Matched with a meal, this once-a-week event is where art, conversation, and cuisine collide.
This event began as private gatherings for artists only; however, post-pandemic, the public was invited to join this exclusive behind-the-scenes gathering.
What Can You Expect at the Artalks Experience?
My friend and I arrived and immediately spotted the house thanks to its whimsical decor of tilted grandfather clocks, a mirrored door, colorful orbs, and a vibrant assortment of flowers.
Ascend the short set of steps, and you're immediately engrossed in a kaleidoscope of color at the mosaiced entrance.
No matter which way I looked, I found some marvelous detail I hadn't seen before.
Step past the sphinxes into the home, and it's like being transported into a blend of Wonderland, Aladdin's lamp, and a circus tent with magic lamps scattered around, a genie floating in the corner, and 'drink me' bottles perched on tables.
The sound of a piano playing scores it all as you move further in and see a man tickling the ivories as you're encouraged to sit in a room with Egyptian decor.
The song concludes, and the man himself, Gregangelo, appears to introduce you to the home, the experience, and this week's speaker.
To say that I immediately felt welcome is an understatement. Gregangelo genuinely lives by his mission of providing a sanctuary for imagination and welcomes conversation throughout the experience.
This isn't some stuffy tour where you're told to be quiet and listen. It's a space that encourages ideas and emotions.
Speed Talks
Our speaker for this event was Erin Mahoney, a dancer-turned-novelist who's using her talents to document others. Her book, Whirlcraft, comprises interviews with several artists, including drag performers, drummers, fashion designers, painters, dancers, musicians, and more (even our host, Gregangelo), who speak about their artistic journeys.
After a brief overview of her background and why she made this book, she took questions from the group, which focused on the pursuit of art. With young and more established members of the creative community there, it was a lovely discussion between the two.
Other 10-minute Speed Talks have featured community members in the arts, culture, or social justice.
Afterward, we headed into the kitchen for a home-cooked lunch that is generally vegetarian, local, and sustainable. They also had a meat option, and everything tasted delicious.
If you thought the kitchen would be just a 'normal' kitchen in this house, you are very wrong, like me. I stepped into Willy Wonka's kitchen, complete with painted cabinets, a mosaic backsplash, and fingers instead of handles on the drawers.
We dined outdoors in the Garden of Innocence since the weather was nice and chatted with others attending the event.
Some had been to the museum before; others were newbies like my friend and me.
Beginning the Tour
It was then time for the behind-the-scenes tour to begin at the home's entryway, where we were encouraged to take a look at the tiny figurines dotted across the pillars and find one we related to.
Honestly, I hadn't given these much notice when I first arrived, as I was more entranced by the mosaics, so I was befuddled when this was requested. But I quickly spotted Harry Potter and chose him as my token for his strength and found family (just don't tell anyone I'm a Slytherin).
After the whole group talked through their picks, we entered the Alice/Aladdin room I described earlier, where we were encouraged to start thinking of our wishes for the past, present, and future.
Moving beyond the feast for the eyes, we were given a scent to smell and encouraged to share which memory it evoked. The range of responses was wide, from sentimental to strange.
As we progressed down a hall toward a keyhole, we entered an ornate blue-green bedroom that represented the past, where we spoke of regrets.
From here we moved into a futuristic room, complete with an alien, where we discussed the present, before finally entering a room about the future.
It was filled with an assortment of shoes, where each of us pointed to a pair we'd choose to represent our future selves' wishes.
The last stop on the tour of this floor is our guides' (and now my) favorite room.
It's a bedazzled bathroom that, honestly, if I had my own home and the time, I would love to recreate. Its colors evoked so much joy in me that I was smiling ear to ear at its whimsy.
It reminded me a bit of my time at Casa Batlló in Barcelona, with how I felt about Gaudí's work.
Behind-the-Scenes at the Forbidden Art Studios
We then descended the stairs into the museum's Forbidden Art Studios to meet the makers, see art in progress, and hear about their upcoming shows.
On the boxes, you can see photos of the performers wearing whatever costume is housed inside.
We met artists building their costumes for event performances, such as those at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park.
As someone whose great-aunt owned a costume shop, I felt completely at home here. Yes, it was cramped, yes, they have it packed with costumes, but it's also a memory box of their expansive body of work throughout the years.
Remember, this museum started in the 1980s; that's nearly 50 years of art history under one roof.
Is the Gregangelo Museum Worth Visiting?
Yes, the Gregangelo Museum is well worth visiting, especially if you are a creative person or at least interested in the arts.
Aside from the obvious aesthetic experience, you'll feel good spending time here because all the staff clearly care deeply about the museum.
They are dedicated to keeping the arts alive in San Francisco by mentoring artists and facilitating "active play" for every guest.
The only caveat I'd give is that the 100+-year-old building isn't wheelchair-accessible yet, so if you have any mobility issues, be aware that steps are required to enter and move around the house before booking. However, they are working to address this, so if this is a concern, check in with them.
Otherwise, San Francisco’s best-kept secret—this quirky and utterly enchanting museum-home that has been transformed over four decades into a 27-room immersive journey—is an epic attraction.
