Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Really.
Living nearby, I can spend a day there playing at the Musee' Mechanique, an incredible collection of antique and relatively new (Asteroids!) coin-operated amusements.
*The USS Pompanito, a gato-Class submarine from WWII that is relatively unaltered unlike the butchering that the U-505 in Chicago got.
* The USS Jeremiah O'Brien, one of two remaining operating Liberty Ships. be sure to go on a "steaming day" when they run the steam powered reciprocating engine.
*Alcatraz is interesting in that it's still run by the National Park Service and they have avoided sensationalizing it.
*Bay Cruises. San Francisco is a beautiful city when viewed from at least a mile away and a loop under the Golden Gate Bridge is a thrill that you should put on your bucket list.
My touristy guilty pleasure is getting a calimari cocktail from a sidewalk vendor so I can eat the tentacles in front of my wife.
There's lots to do when you ignore the t-shirt and souvenier shops.