The San Francisco Dungeon at Fisherman's Wharf is closed for good

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Dungeon, one of the city's big tourist attractions along Fisherman's Wharf has apparently closed its doors for good.

While the attraction may be closed, nearby venues said there are signs that business is slowly picking up.

As seen in videos from the San Francisco Dungeon's YouTube page, the experience thrilled visitors for more than five years, and it quickly became a fixture of the Wharf. Now, the doors are shut with a sign posted that says the interactive experience is no more.

"We're really sad to see them go," said Randall Scott from the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District. "The Dungeon was kind of a fixture at the Wharf."

Tourists who were out and about around the Wharf on Monday, the city's top tourist destination, said they noticed a difference with some businesses closed and others only open for part of the day.

"There was a time where you could be here all night and there would be places that were open every day," said Michael Hunt from Sacramento. "But now, because of the pandemic, certain things are kind of shut down and closed and going out of business."

Although the San Francisco Dungeon may be closed, nearby attractions like Ripley's Believe it or Not are ready to welcome guests.

Manager Chris Reyna, says it's been slow, but it seems the visitors are returning.

"It's slowly picking up week over week," said Reyna. "We know the mask mandate is going away on Wednesday. So, we are hoping that brings even more people out because I think that stopped some people in the past."

The Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District said overall visitors are up 100% from this time last year, with many of the guests from around the U.S.

"Businesses don't report out dollars and cents," said Scott. "But, you can pretty much translate 100% year over year to probably 80% of the revenue. We don't have the international tourists back yet, but we do see a lot more activity on our website. So, they're looking."

But, not everyone is seeing those customers return as quickly.

Diners at The Grotto had to enjoy their seafood al fresco while the main dining area sat empty.

Baran, the restaurant's manager, said business is still too slow to reopen in the area, and he's not been about to rehire his full staff.

He said after more than a year of lockdowns, he has a message for visitors: "It's time for them to go out, and see that everything is safe and that you can actually come out and enjoy yourself, and Fisherman's Wharf is ready for that." Adding, "This restaurant is ready for that."

Merlin Entertainments, the company that operated the San Francisco Dungeon, has not yet responded to KTVU's request for comment on the closure of the attraction.