Fans of Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg, probably already know about The Beat Museum, and it’s certainly no surprise that the home of The Beats is now the home of The Beat Museum.

Having moved to San Francisco’s North Beach area from a prior location on the coast, The Beat Museum continues to celebrate the beatnik generation of art, music, and way of life.  The lure of The Beat is probably as strong as it’s ever been.  It’s been 50 years since Jack Kerouac published On the Road, and it is arguably more popular today than it was when originally published.

The Beat Museum is located at 540 Broadway (at Columbus) in San Francisco’s North Beat area (map it).

It is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 am – 10 pm.  Closed on Monday.  Depending on your interest in the topic, and your love of book and music, allow anywhere from one to two hours to visit the museum.  If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself caught up in something where you least expected it.

A schedule of events at the museum can be found here.

If you don’t know who the Beats are, or what the genre entails, consider reading some of the classics of the genre.  Think smoky coffee houses, poetry readings, and lots of black clothing.  Or, watch a re-run of Dobie Gillis, and focus on the Maynard G. Krebs character. 

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