San Diego, CA

USS Midway Museum
DESCRIPTION: An aircraft carrier that served America from World War II to Desert Storm, the Midway provides a dynamic and enriching experience from boiler to bridge; a visit to the Midway instills a greater appreciation for courage, freedom, and service to country; features: access to engineering, flight simulators, mess deck, berthing spaces, hangar deck, and flight deck

ADMISSION: $17 adults, $13 age 62+ and students w/ ID, $10 retired military, $9 ages 6-17; ticket booth closes at 4p

DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p

ADDRESS: 910 North Harbor Drive at Navy Pier  MAP

PARKING: nearby paid lots

TRANSIT: Blue Line or Orange Line to America Plaza Trolley Station‎, walk 2 blocks west on Broadway, then 1 block south on Harbor Drive

PHONE: 619-398-8252

WEBSITE: http://www.midway.org

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Downtown
DESCRIPTION: Located in three buildings downtown, the first modern structure, built in 1993, is adjacent to the San Diego Trolley tracks; the second structure is located in the historic 1915 Santa Fe Depot baggage handling building attached to the Santa Fee train station, which hosts Amtrak; the third structure is in a completely new building attached to the baggage handling museum building; permanent art by Richard Serra and Jenny Holzer are also featured around the new properties; collectively the museums represent more than 30,000 square feet of new program space, outdoor exhibition facilities and an artist-in-residence studio

ADMISSION: Adults $10, Military/Seniors $5, age 25 and under enter free compliments of QUALCOMM; also free every Thursday at 5p-7p

DAYS & HOURS: Sat-Tue 11a-6p, Thu-Fri 11a-9p

ADDRESS: 1100 & 1001 Kettner Boulevard  MAP

PARKING: garages nearby

TRANSIT: Blue Line or Orange Line to America Plaza Trolley Station‎

PHONE: 858-454-3541

WEBSITE: http://www.mcasd.org

San Diego Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1922, on the site of the fine arts building for the 1915 Panama-California International Exposition in Balboa Park; tenahnced construction began in 1924; today, iit is the region's primary venue for fine art holdings in nineteenth- and twentieth-century European art, American art, and large scale sculpture; their galleries also offer opportunities for inter-cultural learning, introspection and connection; recently featured a critically acclaimed exhibit of Latin American portraits; the achitecturally distinguished museum is the subject on ongoing conservation efforts

ADMISSION: Adults $10, ages 65+ and Military $8, Students w/ ID $7, ages 6-17 $4, ages 5 and under enter Free

DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Wed & Fri-Sun 10a-6p, Thu 10a-9p

ADDRESS: 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park  MAP

PARKING: lots in Balboa Park

TRANSIT: none

PHONE: 619-232-7931

WEBSITE: http://www.sdmart.org

Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
DESCRIPTION: A masterful collection of photographs from many genres in its permanent collection and frequent traveling exhibitions; the museum expertly reminds us that photography helps us to ponder history, see other cultures, and find refuge in beauty; it is always working; aiding art and science, confirming facts, identifying people and places, or encouraging our moral imaginations; includes a research library available by appointment

ADMISSION: Adults $6, ages 65+, Active Military $8 and Students w/ ID $4, ages 11 and under enter Free

DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sun 10a–5p

ADDRESS: 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park  MAP

PARKING: lots in Balboa Park

TRANSIT: none

PHONE: 619-238-7559

WEBSITE: http://www.mopa.org

San Diego Museum of Man
DESCRIPTION: The only fully accredited anthropological museum in the region recently expanded its Ancient Egypt exhibit, which includes mummies; also features rare exhibits of the Kumeyaay Indians and Southwestern art; over 46,000 children participate in the museum’s education programs each year

ADMISSION: Adults $10, Active Military, Students w/ ID, ages 62+ and 13-17 $7.50, ages 3-12 $5, age 2 and under enter free

DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sun 10a-4:30p

ADDRESS: 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park  MAP

PARKING: lots in Balboa Park

TRANSIT: none

PHONE: 619-239-2001

WEBSITE: http://www.museumofman.org

Timken Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION: Houses the Putnam Foundation Collection of European old masters American art, and Russian icons; artworks range from 13th-century altarpieces through to 19th-century still lifes by Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian painters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Petrus Christus, Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Veronese

ADMISSION: free

DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sat 10a-4:30p, Sun 1:30p-4:30p

ADDRESS: 1500 El Prado, Balboa Park  MAP

PARKING: lots in Balboa Park

TRANSIT: none

PHONE: 619-239-5548

WEBSITE: http://www.timkenmuseum.org

Mingei International Museum
DESCRIPTION: “Mingei” is a transcultural word meaning “art of the people”; founded in 1974 this museum exhibits daring explorations of traditional and contemporary folk art, crafts and designs from cultures around the world, note the exhibits for Ethiopia and Brazil

ADMISSION: Adults $7, $5 Seniors, $4 ages 6-17, Students and active military $3, ages 5 and under enter free

DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sun 10a-4p

ADDRESS: 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park  MAP

PARKING: lots in Balboa Park

PHONE: 619-239-0003

TRANSIT: none

WEBSITE: http://www.mingei.org

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla
DESCRIPTION: The permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, includes more than 4,000 works created after 1950, representing media and genres that range from painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, film, and installation; MCASD is known for collecting works by emerging artists, mid-career artists, and major figures in contemporary art

ADMISSION: Adults $10, Military/Seniors $5, age 25 and under enter free compliments of QUALCOMM; also free every Thursday at 5p-7p

DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Tue & Fri 11a-5p, Thu
 11a–7p, Sat-Sun
 11a–5p

ADDRESS: 700 Prospect Street  MAP

PARKING: on street, but can to difficult to locate a space

TRANSIT: none

PHONE: 858-454-3541

WEBSITE: http://www.mcasd.org