{"id":6558,"date":"2021-07-20T14:16:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T14:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/?p=6558"},"modified":"2021-09-21T23:48:37","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T23:48:37","slug":"san-diego-museums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/20\/san-diego-museums\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Local: San Diego\u2019s Best Museums"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/search\/North+America\/United+States\/California\/Greater+San+Diego-timeshares\">San Diego<\/a> isn&#8217;t just about beaches. This Southern California city is one of the state&#8217;s best cultural destinations, with an array of museums that provide new perspectives on the past, present and future. The diverse range of these attractions is unmatched. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/search\/North+America\/United+States\/California\/Greater+San+Diego-timeshares\">During a single vacation<\/a>, you can travel backwards into prehistory or ascend into space. You can explore a massive aircraft carrier or see Impressionist masterpieces. It can be hard to narrow down your options in the city. But we\u2019ve done our best to give you some recommendations for the best San Diego museums.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>San Diego Travel Tip:<\/em><\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiego.balboapark.org\/attraction\/single\/1357\/113\">Go San Diego All-Inclusive Pass<\/a> gives unlimited entry to over 55 attractions, activities, experiences, and tours for one low price.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>USS Midway Museum<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-700x467.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6560\" width=\"834\" height=\"556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-700x467.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 700w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-250x167.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 250w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-768x512.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 768w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-1536x1024.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 1536w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-2048x1365.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 2048w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/uss-midway-120x80.jpg?v=f8d397f5c7583976ad1e545627398db1 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 834px) 100vw, 834px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have visited plenty of museums in your day. But how many museums located on a four-acre historic aircraft carrier have you visited? The USS Midway was the longest-serving U.S. Navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century, once carrying 4,500 shipmates across the oceans.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, it\u2019s docked permanently in downtown San Diego, serving as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midway.org\/\">USS Midway Museum<\/a>. The museum lets visitors of all ages explore the ship via interactive exhibits (flight simulator, anyone?) and self-guided audio tours narrated by former Midway sailors. Oh, and check to see if you\u2019re in town for regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midway.org\/exhibits-activities\/special-days\/top-gun\/\">Top Gun movie nights<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What Else To Do Nearby:<\/strong> Stroll through the historic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiego.org\/articles\/downtown\/historic-gaslamp-quarter.aspx\">Gaslamp Quarter<\/a> in downtown San Diego, where modern architecture blends seamlessly with Victorian-era buildings. The Gaslamp is home to some of the city\u2019s very best gastropubs, craft brew hot spots, rooftop bars, and stylish shopping options.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The New Children\u2019s Museum<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The mission of downtown San Diego\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkplaycreate.org\/\">New Children\u2019s Museum<\/a> is to unlock the potential of kids\u2019 imaginations through art and the creative process. But your kid won\u2019t be too busy thinking about such a lofty goal. They\u2019ll be too busy having the time of their life as they discover whimsical art installations that invite interaction. Climb through the Wonder Sound, a labyrinth made of 18,000 hand-cut wooden shapes. Climb into the Whammock!, a 3-D textile environment that looks like a giant hammock. A visit to Wobbleland is like being shrunk down to insect-size, as toddlers play with oversized food sculptures. The only thing your kids won\u2019t like about the New Children\u2019s Museum is having to leave at the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What Else To Do Nearby: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/seaportvillage.com\/\">Seaport Village<\/a> is a nice escape from the bustle of downtown, with cobblestone pathways that offer panoramic views of the harbor, plus eclectic shops and tasty treats \u2014&nbsp;ice cream, cookies, popcorn, and beyond.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:12px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/search\/North+America\/United+States\/California\/Greater+San+Diego-timeshares?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=internal&amp;utm_campaign=san-diego-museums\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-700x327.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6561\" width=\"840\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-700x327.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 700w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-250x117.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 250w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-768x358.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 768w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-1536x717.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 1536w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-2048x956.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 2048w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-diego-rentals-120x56.jpg?v=b932d2347fb015573d5ac1758864342b 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:9px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Museum of Us<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Located in the astounding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.balboapark.org\/\">Balboa Park<\/a> (home to 16 world-class museums), the <a href=\"https:\/\/museumofus.org\/\">Museum of Us<\/a> is indeed about \u2026 us! The museum\u2019s unique exhibits illustrate the vast diversity of human culture, illuminating unknown corners of the past. You\u2019ll learn about the Kumeyaay Nation, the native Californian people whose ancestral homelands reside on the Balboa Park grounds. In the Race: Are We So Different? exhibit, you\u2019ll uncover the roots of race and racism \u2014&nbsp;and find productive ways to move forward. You\u2019ll also want to climb to the California Tower, an iconic San Diego landmark, which offers 360-degree views of the surrounding city from an eighth-floor observation deck.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What Else To Do Nearby: <\/strong>Balboa Park is, to put it lightly, lush. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.balboapark.org\/explore\/gardens\">many landscaped gardens<\/a> here give you the chance to immerse yourself in nature, with native California plants, lily ponds, rare orchids and more.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:12px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>San Diego Museum of Art<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In need of inspiration? Spend a few hours in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sdmart.org\/\">San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA)<\/a>, also located in Balboa Park. This spot is a monument to human creativity \u2014&nbsp;its collections include more than 20,000 objects from across the globe. There are plenty of pieces by internationally renowned artists, including Georgia O\u2019Keeffe, Henri Matisse, Francisco Goya, John Singer Sargent and many more. But the marquee names are just the beginning of the treasures here. The museum\u2019s collection of German expressionism is unparalleled (including works by including Otto Dix, Gustav Klimt, and Egon Schiele), and the Buddhist sculptures from China and Japan will expand your mind. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sdmart.org\/exhibitions\/\">Check the schedule to see what\u2019s showing during your visit<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What Else To Do Nearby: <\/strong>Located in the San Diego Museum of Art\u2019s Marcy S. May Sculpture Garden, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panama66.com\/\">Panama 66<\/a> is one of the best craft beer bars in the U.S., with more than dozen local brews on tap, plus hand-crafted food and drink and seasonal cocktails.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:12px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>San Diego Air &amp; Space Museum<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The cosmos is within reach at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.balboapark.org\/museums\/air-space\">San Diego Air &amp; Space Museum<\/a>. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, this Balboa Park attraction houses aircraft and spacecraft from all over the world, from a detailed reproduction of the Wright Brothers\u2019 1901 Glider to Apollo 9. Families: don\u2019t miss the new SPACE: Our Greatest Adventure exhibition that takes guests from NASA\u2019s earliest forays into the stars to the future of space exploration in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century and beyond. The exhibition\u2019s four separate zones are packed with one-of-kind artifacts, hands-on educational experiences, and even \u201cselfie stations\u201d so you can tell the folks back home that you visited the Moon, Mars, and the International Space Station.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What Else To Do Nearby: <\/strong>The San Diego Air &amp; Space Museum is all about flight. Afterwards, pay a visit to the original flyers at the San Diego Zoo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/zoo.sandiegozoo.org\/plants\/gorilla-tropicsr-and-scripps-aviary\">Scripps Aviary<\/a>, home to more than 130 colorful African birds.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:8px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/search\/North+America\/United+States\/California\/Greater+San+Diego-timeshares\"><strong>Start planning your San Diego vacation with Redweek.com now!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/search\/North+America\/United+States\/California-timeshares?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=internal&amp;utm_campaign=san-diego-museums\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-700x700.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-700x700.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 700w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-250x250.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 250w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-150x150.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 150w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-768x768.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 768w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-1536x1536.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 1536w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts-120x120.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 120w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ca-resorts.jpg?v=f6397fa8e52830e4c63400958ab979be 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redweek.com\/join?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=internal&amp;utm_campaign=san-diego-museums\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-700x700.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-700x700.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 700w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-250x250.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 250w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-150x150.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 150w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-768x768.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 768w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-1536x1536.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 1536w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad-120x120.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 120w, https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/newsletter-ca-ad.jpg?v=7072b78bbdaf50e01c8ffa19e4b6cec8 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Diego isn&#8217;t just about beaches. This southern California city is one of the state&#8217;s best cultural destinations, with an array of museums that showcase the past, present and future.","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[363,3795],"tags":[3762,3701,3962,3963,3940,3800,3603,3760,3793,3637,3950,3960,3949,3961,3941,3030,3421,3535,3595,3852,3964],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-6558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-travel-guides","tag-california","tag-california-coast","tag-california-timeshares","tag-california-tourism","tag-california-travel-guide","tag-california-vacation-rentals","tag-redweek-rentals","tag-redweek-timeshare","tag-redweek-vacation","tag-redweek-vacation-rentals","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-museums","tag-san-diego-resorts","tag-san-diego-travel-guide","tag-southern-california","tag-timeshare-rentals","tag-vacation-ideas","tag-vacation-rentals","tag-vacation-rentals-by-owner","tag-vacation-sharing","tag-visit-california"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6558"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6577,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6558\/revisions\/6577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6558"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog-origin.redweek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=6558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}