Location: San Diego
Top Things to do in San Diego
What to do and see in San Diego, California (CA): The Best Museums
San Diego embodies laid-back California culture, complete with a Boardwalk, surfing communities, and outstanding Mexican food. Breathe in the fresh ocean air at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, then gobble down a fresh fish taco at a La Jolla seafood joint. The naval aircrafts at the USS Midway Museum will have you standing at attention. A free Sunday concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the perfect way to unwind after a Saturday night bar-hop in the thumping Gaslamp Quarter.
Restaurants in San Diego
1. Africa and Beyond
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 27 reviews
Africa and Beyond™ was situated in La Jolla since 1989 and as of June, 2020 has moved online. Africa and Beyond is one of the country's leading galleries specializing in traditional African art - KPBS. They offer the finest collection of contemporary and traditional African art and jewelry .Enjoy a wide array of hand-selected fair trade items and affordable contemporary crafts to extraordinary collector pieces. Each piece is accompanied by information pertaining to its history and function, providing a deeper appreciation and understanding of each inspirational work. This adds another dimension to the artworks' aesthetic beauty and bring it to life in your imagination.An extraordinary cultural arts and shopping experience not to be missed!Let the adventure begin. ..Go Wild!
Reviewed By jillr275 - Grandview, United States
This shop is full of fantastic items and numerous collectors pieces. I visited this shop twice. Well worth the visit.
2. USS Midway Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 24,873 reviews
Located in downtown San Diego, the USS Midway (Museum) was America’s longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Today, the interactive museum is an unforgettable adventure for the entire family as guests walk in the footsteps of the 225,000 young men who served on Midway. Visitors explore a floating city at sea, the amazing flight deck and its 29 restored aircraft, flight simulators, and are inspired in the Battle of Midway Theater, included with admission. Admission also includes a self-guided audio tour narrated by Midway sailors in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, French and German. Visiting Midway is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in San Diego, known around the world as "Navy Town, USA."
Reviewed By NewfiePupLover - Des Moines, United States
We visited the USS Midway on our way to the airport when heading out of San Diego from our Spring Break trip, and I'm glad that we did. Our young kids (8, 8 & 6) enjoyed the airplanes on display and walking through the various decks of the ships, including the internal warfare room, map rooms, etc. The individual audio tour packs (like an iPod) were excellent and allowed each person to listen and learn about all aspects of the ship, the aircraft, personal stories from soldiers who worked on the ship, war stories, etc. There is a great gift shop on the ship, and there is also food available as well as water & soda machines placed throughout the ship. I would highly recommend this site for anyone interested in history, but really for just about anyone of any age. It was a great experience. We were on the ship for about 2 hours, although if you had the time you could spend an entire day looking around and interacting with all of the staff/volunteers and exhibits.
3. Colosseum Fine Arts
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
The mission of Colosseum Fine Arts is the curation of exhibits that juxtapose deceased masters works with those of international emerging artists while discovering and fostering the career of artists and new collectors alike. With a firm dedication to the international community, Colosseum Fine Arts is committed to providing exhibitions with depth and relevance to the human experience. In particular, the goal is the fostering of a greater sense of the aesthetic, the visual arts and varied media while influencing growth in all aspects of the artist and collector. Colosseum Fine Arts Hopes to better foster understanding of the art world and the people in it by the continued dissemination of information through exhibitions and educational events as well as an online resource for the discerning collector, artist and historian alike.
4. Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 44 reviews
A private collection sampling 500 years of cartography. Over 200 items on display, many one of a kind. Free admission, no donations expected and we do not sell anything except the enjoyment of some of the rarest maps in the work and that is at a price of Zero dollars. In addition to our Wednesday and Thursday open days, we are also OPEN the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month 11-4
5. RC Gorman Navajo Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
RC Gorman Navajo Gallery La Jolla features the art of RC Gorman as well as pottery from Mexico, native artisan jewelry, and bronze sculpture. Giclee prints and original lithographs, oil pastels, and serigraphs of RC Gorman available.
Reviewed By padesilva
i stumbled upon RC gorman navajo gallery in la jolla by chance and it’s definitely worth a visit! the art is absolutely gorgeous (i am posting a photo of my favorite piece i saw there by the artist) as is the pottery. the woman who works there (i think her name is jamie?) was so gracious and really took her time explaining the life and the processes of the artist, as well as explaining the differences between prints and giclees. came away with a box of cards but may return for a giclee of my favorite piece!
6. Spanish Village Art Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
Located in Balboa Park, this center is home to many art galleries and working artist studios. Presently we house over 250 local San Diego Artist who create and demonstrate their artwork daily such as: paintings, photography, art tlass, pottery, metal arts, fiber arts, paper arts, enamels and more. There are five guilds on site: Art Glass, Potter's, Wood Carver's, Enamel and Sculptors. We offer classes for all ages and summer camp for kids in our beautiful historic courtyards. Open Daily 11am to 4pm. Free WiFi. Open to the public and pet friendly.
Reviewed By Bidule005 - France, null
In San Diego, we spent one afternoon in Balboa park, which is a beautiful 1,200 acre public park, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We were amazed by le Spanish Village Art Center, with its very colorful cobblestones and its typical Spanish square surrounded by many interesting galleries and small shops of artists and craftsmen! Altogether, Balboa park is a paradise in San Diego, with many activities for families and children!!!
7. Scripps Memorial Hospital Sculpture Parks
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
8. Maritime Museum of San Diego
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,748 reviews
Welcome aboard our floating compilation of adventure and history! Admission to the "Maritime Museum of San Diego" grants you access to one of the world's finest collections of historic sea vessels. Once on board our museum ships, you will find that we offer something for people of all ages. You not only get to explore our ships and submarines, the museum displays permanent and temporary exhibits on art, maritime history, commerce and exploration. Historic bay cruises run daily and can be added on to the price of admission for an extra nominal fee. There is no better way to spend the day than on the bay!
Reviewed By robertcF7289TB
The San Diego Maritime Museum is a national treasure right here in America’s Finest City. Literally, the museum has been ranked as the best in the USA and among the top five in the world. One of the major reasons is that so many of the vessels are kept in sailing condition. You can take rides on a replica of a historic Spanish galleon (the San Salvador), California’s official state tall ship (the Californian), a hundred year old luxury yacht (Medea), or a vintage harbor pilot boat (the Pilot). You can tour the oldest actively sailed tall ship (the Star of India), and if you ate lucky, you might be able to sail on her. The Museum has educational exhibits including many ship models that have been made by expert craftsmen on board the historic Ferryboat Berkeley, which serves as the Museum’s headquarters. Become a member and all the ships are open to you and your family.
9. Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,899 reviews
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium features more than 60 habitats of fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. An interactive museum showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, Earth and ocean science.
Reviewed By brodger - Philadelphia, United States
This is not an aquarium with dancing dolphins and masses of fish--it's an educational and research facility with excellent exhibits for public consumption. One side has a first rate series of well-labeled tanks for the PNW and tropical environments and wonderful seahorses (the aquarium has a successful breeding program with daily tours) and the other side has educational exhibits, primarily for children (my opinion, anyway). In between, outside of the exhibits, there are open tanks and volunteers so kids can feel sea cucumbers and the like. Great views. There's a very good gift shop and a snack truck outside the ticketed area. I got there by public bus -- and it's a steep walk of about 1/3 mile to the aquarium. There is parking if you have a car.
10. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 534 reviews
The San Diego Model Railroad Museum was established in January of 1983. SDMRM has been a resource for model train aficionados, artist, architects, engineers, and families in San Diego for over 30 years. We spark curiosity in San Diego’s youth with educational programming that includes developmental milestones like critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving via our tailored school workshops and summer camps.
Reviewed By blw_at_longwood - Richmond, United States
Many of us have had some experience with model trains, but this takes it to a completely different level! The display, which is really that of a club and not a museum per se, has both quality and quantity. The modeling is top notch, with not one but MANY scenes from Southern California railroading faithfully reproduced. As anyone who's ever done this can attest, it can be tough to keep such things running smoothly, but trains - huge trains, ones that stretch completely out of sight - run perfectly. There's also mind-blowing quantity. A model railroad that fills a garage can be an amazing thing, but this is two full floors of railroading, on a scale that is unrivaled. Railroaders or model railroaders in the know about famous Southern California rail landmarks such as Tehachapi Loop or Chatsworth will recognize the sights instantly. It was like railfanning the real thing, but with a lot less walking! There are actually a number of railroads in the museum. During my visit there were quite a few young kids and they all seemed to be having a grand time. If you or your kids have any interest in trains at all, it's hard to go wrong here.
