MUSEUMS
A taste of the arts in San Diego… don’t forget ‘Free Tuesdays!’
MCASD - Get Directions
20 minute walk from the hostel
At Museum of Contemporary Art in Downtown, experience contemporary art in a historic setting - the Jacobs Building, formerly the Santa Fe Depot baggage building - and view site-specific installations by artists Jenny Holzer and Richard Serra. At MCASD in La Jolla, take in the fabulous ocean view from the Edwards Garden Gallery, or lunch on the patio at the Museum Cafe. The La Jolla location also houses the Museum’s X Store, filled with a selection of contemporary art books, apparel, and innovative design objects.
MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS - Get Directions
Located in Balboa Park
Since its founding in 1983, the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) has been devoted to collecting, conserving and exhibiting the entire spectrum of the photographic medium. The Museum’s endeavors consistently address cultural, historical and social issues through its exhibitions and public programs.
MoPA is one of the few museums in the country dedicated exclusively to the photographic arts and film, presenting works of some of the world’s most celebrated photographers and cinematographers.
SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART - Get Directions
Located in Balboa Park
The San Diego Museum of Art, the region’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, provides a rich and diverse cultural experience for almost 250,000 visitors annually. Located in the heart of beautiful Balboa Park, the Museum’s nationally renowned permanent collection includes Spanish and Italian old masters, South Asian paintings, and 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculptures.
In addition, the Museum regularly features major exhibitions from around the world, as well as an extensive year-round schedule of supporting cultural and educational programs for children and adults. Exhibition text is always in English and Spanish. The Museum’s research library offers access to an extensive collection of art history publications.
USS MIDWAY - Get Directions
25 minute walk from the hostel
Imagine experiencing life at sea aboard one of America’s longest-serving aircraft carriers. Visitors to the USS Midway Museum enter a floating city at sea and walk in the footsteps of 225,000 Midway sailors who served our country and upheld the American ideals of strength, freedom and peace.
The USS Midway Museum is an unforgettable adventure. Guests can spend the day exploring more than 60 exhibits with a collection of 25 restored aircraft. The self-guided audio tour, narrated by Midway sailors, brings the carrier’s history to life. Those who dare can “take to the sky” aboard one of three flight simulators.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM - Get Directions
Located in Balboa Park
The San Diego Natural History Museum traces its roots to an enthusiastic group of amateur naturalists, who formed the San Diego Society of Natural History in 1874. Today, the museum features fascinating exhibitions and a new giant-screen Dolby digital 3D theater showing films with a focus on the natural world. The museum’s award-winning exhibit design team creates exhibitions on the unique and biodiverse southern California region. In addition, the museum hosts several traveling exhibitions each year which teach visitors about our natural world as it is today and as it was in the past.
SAN DIEGO AIR & SPACE MUSEUM - Get Directions
Located in Balboa Park
Aviation history is truly a remarkable story, and it all unfolds at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Your journey through the history of flight begins as you stand beneath a model of the Montgolfier brothers’ hot air balloon of 1783 - the first manned vehicle in recorded history to break the bonds of gravity and lift humans above the Earth.
The Museum’s display of space age technology, like the desire to journey to the stars, may never be finished, for it represents an adventure which the human race has truly just begun.
