San Diego has so many great family spots, but this place has become extra special to our family…read more We first visited after the pandemic reopening because a friend recommended it, and somehow those simple play dates slowly turned into a huge part of our lives. My older son discovered his love for art here through Paint + Clay Studios, summer camps, and Artopia workshops with the incredible Teaching Artists. My younger one is basically in his dream world every time he runs through the immersive exhibitions and explores every corner. It's one of those rare places where kids can just fully be curious, creative, and themselves.

What an INCREDIBLE place. This is a hidden gem I didn't know about until literally today, and I've…read morelived in the area for 3 years now. This is the best place to take your kids for an entire day of fun and adventure. My favorite part of the entire place was the clay art station where you can get as much clay as you need and create whatever you want. Anything you make can be taken home. They also have a materials lab where you can create things out of cardboard and other recycled materials. 1000% recommend this place for families

We had such a fun day at the Fleet Science Center in San Diego!…read more Location: Right in Balboa Park, which is already such a beautiful area to walk around with tons of things to see and do. There's also a really pretty water fountain right in front that the kids loved running around and playing near--it made the whole experience feel extra special and "vacationy." Prices: Adults are $24.99 and kids are $19.99, and kids 2 and under are free! Honestly, totally worth it for how much there is to do--so many hands-on exhibits that kept the kids entertained the whole time. Ball Pool: Hands down the BEST part for the kids! They could have stayed there forever--super fun, interactive, and just pure joy watching them play. Parking: Parking was $16 for all day. We were able to park right in front, which was super convenient. It can get busy, but it worked out great for us. Pay at the kiosk!! They are super strict with parking so beware! Dome Theater: This was definitely the highlight! The dome theater is AMAZING--such an immersive experience that both kids and adults will enjoy. It really feels like you're inside the movie. Don't skip this! Kid City: The only downside was that Kid City was closed when we visited, which was a bit of a bummer since we were really looking forward to it. But even without it, there was still plenty to explore and enjoy. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely recommend bringing kids here. It's educational, interactive, and just plain fun. We'll definitely be back--hopefully next time Kid City is open!

The Fleet Science Center is a nice science museum with a handful of exhibits that spindle children…read morewould enjoy. We were attending a Girl Scout sleepover, and the Fleet staff was horrid to us. The man in charge was not amicable in any way and was continously rude to us throughout the night and following morning. They gave us a set schedule and constantly deviated from it - to the point that they told my 4th graders if they didn't stop eating breakfast they would be barred from attending the movie that was included in our paid program. He was attempting to be intimidating and one of my girls was extremely uncomfortable. For context, breakfast was scheduled for 8am and the movie scheduled for 845am per our written schedule. The man was forcing us to the theater or to miss the movie - at 824am. We had been so mistreated from arrival through the night that when a morning shift employee offered to open the door and help me carry something, I became overwhelmed with appreciation and thanked him for being kind. I let him know he was the first employee to show us any kindness and that we appreciated him. The experience we have had has left us completely floored, and we do not plan to return to a business that chooses to employ such a rude, non-inclusive, unprofessional staff with zero customer service skills.

We found the museum fascinating fun for an afternoon. Nathan was so knowledgeable and helpful from…read morethe moment we walked through the door. Just a 15 minute drive from the cruise port to the museum.

Fantastic! Everybody will enjoy this hands on experience and the staff made it Great!!!read more

Amazing museum! I learned a lot and really got to take time to read a lot of history…read more I love reading about DeVinci and his pursuit of aviation. I love reading about the space shuttle program. Great place for all aerospace enthusiasts.

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!

This is always a fun time. If your expecting a quiet museum trip, this is not your museum. It is…read morealways filled with kids and loud. However it's really meant to be that way, very interactive and fun. There are currently 4 levels. LL, 1, 2, and 3. 4 is currently under construction. LL is fossils. 1 floor is gift shop and kids rooms. 2nd floor is dinosaur and local animal habitat. 3rd floor is gems and library. There is enough stuff in here to keep you busy for a couple hours. Lots of San Diego native stuff and facts about where we live. I will say to me it's a little small and everytime something is closed. But still fun to go, I would just aim for a free day if your a local or if your a visitor it's worth to learn about San Diego and natural history.

Just visited this week. Probably our fourth visit in five years as our son is a big fan of Natural…read moreScience Museums. As of this writing, they're currently under construction raising the roof (no fourth floor access) and renovating the first floor. Currently, access to the building is on the second floor. They are part of the ASTC Travel Passport Program, so if you have an out of town membership to a participating program, you can get free admission here. My favorite part of the museum is a 7.5 minute "film" by a small Airstream RV. It shows the silhouette of two kids in a tent and the adventure covers all the animals they might run into out in the desert. Other things I found interesting were: The fossilized leg and hip bones of an Ankylosaurus that was found locally in Carlsbad. Different preserved animal specimens like a full anaconda skin, a whale vertabrae, a spotted skunk, and a thorny oyster. They're currently working on a fossilized Bison skull and neck Assorted skeletons and models of larger animals. A small section on minerals A giant pendulum I would consider this a medium sized museum where most families would spend around 1.5-2 hours there.

I have so many fond memories of Balboa Park and I look forward to making more, from Halloween…read moreparties at the San Diego Air and Space Museum and my friend's wedding to exploring Spanish Village Art Center for the first time, visiting the Botanical Building, going to the Japanese Friendship Garden, discovering the museums, and experiencing December Nights. San Diego wouldn't be the same without this beautiful landmark!

Word to the wise, do your research and know where you're going beforehand. Unfortunately we just…read moredecided to come spur of the moment and didn't really know what we were doing. So apparently there are a lot of parking lots which are not free, $10 unless you're a native and have a pass. We found one lot, called lower inspiration that's free for 3 hours. Also, we didn't realize how big that place is, with so much to see! There are museums, places to eat, the zoo, a playground for kids and I'm sure so much more. The museums are not free, they do sell passes or individual tickets. It's a nice place to spend a day or even a few hours.

Fun to look for all the little Easter eggs!…read more Quite a large space in the basement full of model railroad of different gauges. We enjoyed talking to the volunteers about the pieces and landscape. Kids loved it.

Fun place to visit if you are into trains. They have a variety of trains and exhibits. You can…read moreleave and come back. Price is high unless you are getting in for free.

It's a nostalgic place, run by volunteers, a hidden gem, street parking near Little Italy, for KIDS…read moreof ALL ages. However, it is a museum so the trucks the upstairs have restricted access and hours are limited to Th, F,S,S. Surprise in the back, there is an extensive collection of fire engine toys with books, puzzles, and child size firefighting turnout gear-for hands on fun. Best, is the admission price and priced right cool SDFD T-shirts. Also can be a venue for private events.

The man working this morning was extremely kind and informative!! My friends and I loved taking a…read morewalk around :)

Who in their right mind leaves a review less than 5 stars for a museum that allows us to walk in…read morethe shoes of the brave soldiers who came before us? Midway is anything BUT mid. Great success!

Quite worth the $40 if you are into this stuff. The price may be a bit high for museums but there…read moreare lots to see in the different levels of the ship. Guided tours are also included with the bridge of the ship. The best part is going on to the top deck on a nice day. You can probably occupy a few hours of hunger does not get you first.

What a gem in National City! Christopher gave us a fabulous tour of the farm animals and was so…read morekind to let our little toddler feed the goats and admire all the creatures that live here. She loved hearing the chickens and turkeys and watching the goats, emu, pig and lamb. A highlight was picking some delicious tomatoes right off the vine. We are grateful for the experience and welcoming volunteers. If you visit, be sure to bring a cash donation to help this special place continue to run.

Cute place ! A hidden little gem ! Had no idea this place even existed !…read more Went here for a children's Bday party ! They had a cute little set up and even had a jumper ! I'm assuming you have to rent one your self ! I did see a few animals , not as many as I had hoped for ! But I did enjoy checking out the fruit trees ! The trees are beautifully maintained . The bathrooms are in the back decently kept and good size !!