We love the Balboa Park Air & Space Museum. Take advantage of free resident Tuesdays, or visit if…read moreyou have WIC or CalFresh benefits its very cheap tickets. When you walk in, you're greeted by an impressive atrium filled with plants, planes, and a water feature, it's an awesome welcome. There are so many aircraft for kids to see, explore, and climb into. The museum offers a very educational experience, and you can easily spend a few hours here. We highly recommend it whether you're visiting San Diego or a local resident.

Whenever we visit a new city, we always try to check three things off our list: visit a museum, do…read moresomething on the water (if applicable) & catch a sports game. The San Diego Air & Space Museum was our museum pick for this trip & it was a fun, educational morning! My husband is a retired Army veteran & enjoys planes, aviation history & anything military-related, so this museum was right up his alley. We could have spent hours exploring all of the exhibits, aircraft, artifacts & historical displays. One of the highlights of our visit was meeting a super outgoing docent shortly after we walked in. Somehow, he kept magically popping up throughout the museum during our visit, sharing fascinating tidbits & fun facts about whatever exhibit we happened to be looking at. You could tell he genuinely loved being there & his enthusiasm made the entire experience even more engaging & personal. (My apologies for not remembering his name. He was an Air Force B-52 pilot & bonded with hubby over their shared military service.) Another really cool aspect of the museum is its location directly in the flight path of the airport. Planes were flying overhead every couple of minutes, which honestly added so much atmosphere to the visit. Hearing & seeing aircraft constantly overhead while walking through the exhibits made the whole experience feel extra immersive. The vintage Pacific Southwest Airlines stewardess uniforms on display were awesome! The museum does a great job balancing serious aviation history with quirky, interesting pieces of airline culture & design history. This was definitely a worthwhile visit - whether you are an aviation buff or just looking for an interesting & interactive museum experience. We both had a great time!

Yesterday I experienced an outstanding tour with Scott Smith. He did a remarkable job sharing the…read morehistory and his abundance of knowledge of the Midway. It opened my eyes to many details that I was not aware of and painted a very clear picture of the volume of men and women that have served our country through many generations. I am grateful to have had that experience and to be able to share that history with my Grandchildren and future generations. Scott was a fabulous Docent.

If you think you understand the size of an aircraft carrier, go stand on the USS Midway. That's…read morewhat I thought! You do not understand the size of an aircraft carrier. This thing is basically a floating city. At its peak, thousands of people lived and worked aboard, and there is an ACTUAL FULL ASS RUNWAY on the flight deck. You can walk through the ship, see where people lived, worked, ate and slept, and then walk upstairs and find yourself standing next to fighter jets. The ship is named for the Battle of Midway, the WWII battle where the United States sank four Japanese aircraft carriers and turned the tide in the Pacific. I don't know how many miles you could walk on this thing, but it's several. Fascinating!

The Japanese Friendship Garden was easily one of the prettiest and most peaceful stops during my…read moretime in San Diego. If you enjoy walking around, taking in beautiful scenery, and getting some great photos along the way, this place is absolutely worth visiting. The garden is very walkable, and there are gorgeous views around seemingly every corner. As someone who loves photography, I had my camera working overtime. Between the landscaping, bridges, waterfalls, plants, and all of the little details throughout the garden, there are so many great opportunities for photos. The koi pond was probably my favorite part. The koi were BEAUTIFUL, and I could have stood there watching them swim around forever. It was easily one of the most relaxing parts of my visit. A fun fact I learned is that the garden opened in 1991 and was created as an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama, Japan. The garden continued to expand over the years, including the addition of a grove with around 200 cherry trees in 2015. So there is actually quite a bit of history and meaning behind all of the beauty. Definitely a 5 star experience for me. Peaceful, gorgeous, easy to explore, and an absolute dream if you enjoy photography. I would gladly come back, especially during cherry blossom season!

We visited during our trip to San Diego & oh my goodness, it was absolutely amazing…read more This is such a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. Located inside Balboa Park, you can tour the museums in the area, but don't forget to stop and take a moment to smell the flowers at the Japanese Friendship Garden... There were so many beautiful birds, butterflies, koi, and plants I've never seen before. The grounds were very clean and well manicured. Pricing to get in was about $60 for a family of 4 (including student pricing for our children) which may be a bit steep if you have young children with thin patience.. however, if you are able to come in and find your Zen for a couple hours, this is the spot to do so. They offer free crafts for visitors- when we were there they were doing an origami workshop, which seemed very fun. However, our kids weren't up For it- so we did not participate. Would definitely visit again in the future!

A Funday Sunday Adventure! It takes a lot to get me downtown on a weekend if it's not for a great…read moremeal or a baseball game. Usually super busy, crowded and some areas very smelly, I'd rather kiss a pig than be there. The WNDR museum caught my eye. Saw some ads and had nothing planned. Checked tickets and availability was wide open for that day. Easy entering the lobby as well as starting our tour whenever we preferred. There were exhibits upstairs and down. Many were pretty cool with mirrors and lights which made for some WOW moments. Other guests generally moved at about the same pace as us. Some stayed in certain areas for extended time, which, at times caused some backlog of movement. Restrooms located adjacent to the snack bar which is just beyond the entrance/ lobby. Easily a great visit for the young and young at heart! I believe the WNDR museum is scheduled to close at the end of August '25.

Really cool museum, small but plenty of exhibits! My kiddo was fascinated! Must buy tickets online,…read morestreet parking or park in the parking structure near by. They have a little cafe, small little store to purchase souvenirs, clean bathrooms. Would definitely recommend!

I came for The Nat at Night. I'm sooo blown away! This museum is very very educational...packed…read morewith a lot of natural history to learn in one or more visit. I loove the interactive activities and how it engages visitors from all ages. Each level has a niiice flow...places to sit scattered around if you wanted to take a pause to absorb the AMAZING things you've witnessed. To add to this natural history adventure, you can interact with the actual researchers who preserve the artifacts in the basement...asking them questions. There's a theatre on the 1st (Main) floor as well as gift shop. I was very fortunate to get on the Rooftop which had a waitlist of over 80 people when I arrived. I'm glad I did since the food and drinks were really good. Based on my positive experience, I highly recommend this museum to the Yelp Community.

Love coming here with my 3-year-old son! We have WIC, so we were able to get in for free for up to…read more4 people, which is a HUGE benefit if you have WIC or CalFresh. There are several floors to explore with lots to see and plenty of fun play areas for kids. My son especially loves all the dinosaurs! They also have little scavenger hunts in several of the exhibits, which is a fun way to keep kids engaged while walking through. It's educational without being boring and easily keeps us entertained for a few hours. Definitely a great place to take younger kids!

Attended my first -art and wellbeing experience this weekend. Diana was the most amazing docent…read more She walked us through some breath work and some great impressionists. This is a small event and lovely way to spend an hour at the museum. Just grab a ticket to the museum and check in at the booth up front and the experience begins. Diana spent time talking about breathing and grounding your self. While you are given a notepad and pencil to write notes and try to recreate the art. Don't worry you don't have to share tour impressions or art. The experience was located in one room and after we explored the rest of the museum and it is interesting at how different you look at the works in front of you when you are relaxed and in the headspace to experience . Bonus shout out to the museum which is over 100 years old and continues to bring the community together to enjoy and experience the art. I did not take any pictures because I was enjoying the moment.

The SD museums of art is at the balboa park amongst other museums and beautiful outdoor flowers,…read moresceneries, etc. there were many tourists out that day including school field trips, groups, etc. I used the gocity pass to check in at the front desk and then I was able to enjoy the museum. It is two stories big offering stairs and elevators. They have security on each art room/ theme area. I was able to observe many paintings that were diverse and unique. Some are antiques kept there for everyone to admire. They have clean restrooms available as well. Bring comfortable shoes because there is pretty to walk around. Staff were very nice and checking went smoothly as well. The sticker you are given can be used all day long to come back to the same Museum. Most museums open at 10AM but plenty of people arrive earlier. I took public transportation to get up there and that was easy.

Second year (2019) I've been to Wonderspaces and I had a blast with my best friend but I enjoyed…read morelast year's more. Adult admission this year was $27, which I think increased from last year. If you have a school ID, I strongly recommend to use it! It becomes $20/person +$1 fee when ordered online. It was extremely packed in this area on a Saturday, so plan accordingly. We paid $10 for parking at the lot that's about a less than 5 min walk away. This might be the Millennial in me talking... but there weren't as many photos ops, in my opinion, compared to the other years. There were a few exhibits that I would have liked to see and we signed up for the wait list on the tablets, but it said there were over 100 people waiting, we never got a text back, and then ended up leaving. It seemed like there were a lot of people just waiting around the common areas and I'm assuming it's for those exhibits. On the plus side, it was indeed fun. They serve red and white wine (right under $9), which we ordered and made the trip a blast ;) The exhibits that we did see, especially with the lights and colored yarn, were awesome. I just didn't favor the one in the dark room where you hear a bunch of cars crashing over and over...it got me paranoid... but hey it's art. The confession wall was interesting and sometimes even funny. Overall, it was a fun experience and have no regrets in going! Every employee was super friendly and willing to answer any questions

Visiting San Diego over the weekend can lead to several exciting things, the immersive art…read moreexperience was definitely not immediately the experience I was looking for, but certainly an experience that was truly appreciated. If you have a couple hours to explore more than just your visual sense then I recommend stripping down and diving into the latest of the Marina's art venues. A few of my favorite exhibits include: "Experiment 2.C" takes you high above the clouds. "We Are All Made of Light" places you deep into space as you may imagine life among the stars to be. "Rainbow Room" allows you to live among the different colors and textures of life. "Where Thoughts Go" provides you with a VR experience of hearing other's intimate thoughts and life experiences and sharing your own before drifting away. The collection of art displayed and your experience with each is immeasurable, unforgettable and definitely worth visiting over and over again. Looking forward to seeing more this.

I have an unabashed affinity for conservatories, I confess I watch Bridgerton just so that I can…read moremarvel at the conservatories they unveil for their summer time dance galas. Anyway, the botanical building in Balboa park, Sand Diego though made of wood lath is nonetheless considered a conservatory and reputedly the only wood lath conservatory in the world and also one of the largest of its kind globally. As soon as one enters, they are greeted by the intoxicating smell of fecund moist earth. The eyes will adjust to the relative coolness. The wood lath structure allows the breeze to flow through but cuts down the harsh sun creating a dappled sanctuary. I felt like a little child let loose in candy land, the display is a feast for the senses with monsteras, philodendron, ferns, orchids, begonias, cycads etc in every corner. One side had majestic soaring plants reaching the ceiling while the other side felt bare in comparison. The lily pond greeting one at the entrance also houses turtles, pink lotuses, frogs and fish. Overall a must visit for people who have a thing for plants or even-otherwise.

This is a nice little area if you want to walk around and look at some plants. They also have some…read moreflowers and a little water fountain as well inside the Botanical building. We came here during my wife weekend birthday getaway and she wanted to come to Balboa Park. I parked at a parking lot nearby this building and just walked here. The weather was kind of cloudy and humid but once get inside, it felt nice. My wife and I been here before when we first started dating so it was nice to bring our daughter with us this time.

I like Birch Aquarium and always enjoy exploring the exhibits, especially sitting and watching the…read morehuge main tank, it's so relaxing. They've made some nice renovations recently, and we love the outdoor touch pools, penguins, and beautiful ocean views. My biggest complaint is the price. You can easily see everything in about 2 hours MAX, so full price admission feels pretty steep. We go more often because through CalFresh/WIC you get discounted tickets, and they also have great veteran discounts. Parking can be tough, and there aren't many handicap spots close to the entrance. If you're visiting from out of town, it's definitely worth pairing with a day exploring La Jolla, but I wouldn't plan on the aquarium being a full-day activity.

This is a smaller aquarium, but it was a lovely one to visit. We picked the Birch aquarium as one…read moreof the spots to visit using our City Pass & it was quick and easy to get inside. There is a short walk from the parking lot to the aquarium, but the walk itself isn't that bad. There are two sides to the aquarium to explore, an outside area where you can see some adorable as can be small blue penguins and another outside area with touch pools. The area with the touch pools has a gorgeous view of the beach & ocean as the aquarium sits up higher so you'll have a great view for photos. We thought they had a great selection of sea life to view. They had several different types of Jelly fish & several different species of Sea horses. I absolutely loved seeing the Sea Kelp Dragons, they are so cool to see. The bathrooms were clean, the gift shop was nice, and all of the staff we interacted with were friendly. I would say we were here for 45 minutes altogether?

Came here on a slow Wednesday afternoon because we found free tickets from the library…read more Just a heads up, right now the parking is $10 for four hours at certain lots. Anyways, this museum was pretty entertaining. Plenty of things to see and do that we'll keep you entertained for a few hours. They have the history of beer, a section dedicated to people's secrets, and relics from different countries. Across the open area is the cannibal exhibition. It has an eerie feeling in some areas but I would recommend walking through it.

This is the second museum that we booked through San Diego Discover and Go using our library card…read more The place is absolutely incredible! We enjoyed each exhibit and learned a lot about history, race, power, and the way of life of those before us. The ticket includes entry to the other museum across the street which showcases the history of cannibalism. It's a very interesting place! I love the mini interactive activities they have too. Head on to Balboa Park if you're looking for fun places to visit with family and friends!