Pier 39

Pier 39 began as a derelict cargo site littered with abandoned refrigerators before it was reimagined in the late 1970s. Entrepreneur Warren Simmons, a former Pan American pilot, envisioned a vibrant village square that would bring people out onto the water. He overcame significant bureaucratic hurdles and pressure from over a dozen agencies to secure the site. The pier officially opened in 1978, incorporating salvaged wood from other historic local structures to give it a classic maritime aesthetic.