Whenever I'm walking through Balboa Park, if the Timken is open, I always make a stop here…read more This is a small art museum, and admission is always free! Just recently we were there right before Christmas and they had the most extraordinary collection of handmade ornaments. We were there once before when they had a concert of different people playing the piano and it was stunning. Absolutely lovely to walk around and enjoy the art while you listen to the beautiful music. My favorite painting in the Timken is a gorgeous French piece from the 1700s. I stopped by to see it every time and I always see something new in it. There is also a great collection of early American art, and one day when we were there a docent was giving a talk about the different pieces and the meanings behind them.

Such a lovely, well-curated museum!…read more The Christmas decorations as we walked in are beautiful and welcoming. The rooms are small but thoughtfully laid out. It wasn't crowded so we were able to take our time in admiring the details and history of each wonderfully preserved art piece. It's definitely worth the stop and time to appreciate the Timken Museum!

My wife and I decided to go here on Memorial Day and it was such a great experience!…read more It was very spacious, the wind was crisp , and it smelled amazing . If you haven't visited this garden , I recommend you do ! Also , Students / 55+ / military receive a discount .

I wanted to love it like I loved the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park is San Francisco…read more Layers. Color. Amazing. Go look online. Balboa Part iteration just wasn't it. Pretty but also ho-hum when you grew up with something so magical. Also, the parking g sucked!! Not only do you have to pay, but there is one single machine to pay. Huge and pack lot. There are better ways to spend the afternoon....which I hate saying because at my core, I like a park/museum situation and look to those venues fir food times in any city where I'm a tourist.

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.

Lovely space with cool off-hour events. Went to poetry reading and would love to participate in…read moretheir poetry Monday meetings! Mingei is one of my favorite stops in Balboa Park. It's not a huge museum, which honestly makes it easy to enjoy in a short time without feeling museum fatigue. Exhibits are thoughtfully put together and focus on the artistry and craftsmanship of everyday objects, which feels both accessible and surprisingly inspiring. We spent time with the exhibits and then wandered through the gift shop, which is easily one of the best museum shops around, full of cool books, ceramics, jewelry, and gifts you won't find everywhere else. The space itself is bright, modern, and welcoming, making it a great place to slow down and appreciate beautiful things. There's a cool restaurant downstairs too.

The Mingei Internation Museum is so cute!…read more Although we didn't pay the admission for the upstairs exhibit, we thoroughly enjoyed all the colorful Armadillos on display on the first floor. We then spent some time browsing through unique items at the gift shop. There is large cafe on the opposite side. There are additional interesting displays (behind glass), right outside the entrance. We may check out the upstairs at our next visit.

Accessibility: there are no restrooms inside here; you have to go to another building to find one…read more There is an elevator once you come inside that takes you down to the bottom floor where the museum begins. It is all flat ground from there. Experience: this museum is FREE, which is awesome! You can leave a cash donation if you want to support the artists and museum. The exhibition I saw was on the fact that humans are destroying the planet, and it was interesting but definitely not kid friendly (this time). I think other times they have more kid friendly exhibits. I do recommend checking this place out! It's good to support local museums and keep them in business.

Free, so worth a visit. Very minimal. Nice staff.read more

A gem of a museum nestled within the beautiful classic architecture of Balboa Park. I love this…read morespace.

Very nice environment and displays. It took some doing to reach someone to confirm their location…read more I had originally gotten the wrong impression that they're inside the San Diego Museum of Art. I mistakenly got that wrong idea because there are mentions online stating "MoPS@SDMA" and because my phone calls to a phone number listed online (on the mopa site or yelp) as MoPA reached a recording saying "SDMA." I eventually Googlemap'd 1649 El Prado and saw a photo of Casa de Balboa, which set me straight that MOPA is inside the *Casa de Balboa* building. And the San Diego History Center I resorted to calling ended up confirming that was right. Parking was a bit confusing. I could have parked closer to the building if I had realized that the narrow road near the Reuben H Fleet after turning in from Park Blvd was in fact a two-way street I could have driven down. The art piece I went there in particular to see was The Tamarind Letter by artist Lenore Simon. It is in the Artists Guild show that will be on display until March 9, 2025. I feel that the piece helps educate/remind folks about the journey of women in the arts.

Last day for this week of summer camp! If you're ever curious about enrolling your little in the…read moreNatural History museum of San Diego's Summer camp, you should totally do it! It's absolutely wonderful and the program, staff, activities and curriculum is exceptional! The kids had fun, learned a ton and had such wonderful behind the scenes special tours and opportunities. It really was the most fun week of our summer so far! And we have two more weeks of SDNat camp to attend in July! Take it from me, this organization is the best for their summer camp programs! **For parents of Neurodivergent kiddos who need one on one support, the museum has a process of vetting you so you can become a volunteer and act as an aide for your child. Contact the volunteer management team for more information on that. But that's why I'm in this picture at the camp...

Such an amazing place to learn about history, geology, animals, nature, and even dinosaurs! Their…read morelife-size dinosaurs are fascinating!. My son was amazed at how real they look! We started in the basement and worked our way up to the 4th floor. Please come early to see the entire place cos the museum is humongous! We spent 2 hours and felt like it wasn't enough haha we're definitely coming back!! We learned a lot from this visit. Please checkout their mini games with one of their staff at 3rd floor and win prizes! My favorite part was the Washed Ashore. Must see! The museum is part of the Museums For All program. They offer free entry to EBT/SNAP or WIC cardholders. Just bring the card and ID. ENJOY!

One of my favorite museums I've been to in SoCal. The two…read moremost outstanding exhibits in my opinion are the one regarding border crossing in Arizona and the one about secrets. Both exhibits stand out in different ways-- The border crossing exhibit sheds light on how many lives were lost in one small area in Arizona while the secret exhibit is interactive and elicits all sorts of emotions from the reader. Definitely recommend this museum and will be returning within the year as tickets are good for a year

Amazing museum! Right now they have a new exhibit on Race: Power, Resistance, and Change, which is…read morean absolute must-see. The original Museum of Man here (the name before Museum of Us) used to contribute racist ideas when it opened in the early 20th Century, by spreading ideas of the "scientific inferiority" of non-white peoples. But today's Museum of Us is committed to reversing that history - and now the museum tells a much more complete picture of who we are today! The Race exhibit is SUPER cool and I learned a ton. They also have a BEER exhibit right now and one about the history of the border. An absolute must-see for tourists - or for those of us who live here and haven't seen the exhibit yet! (& I had a yummy meal after at the Craft Cafe in the Mingei - but Panama 66 is steps away too and also delicious!)