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San Diego Natural History Museum

Like any natural history museum, this one has a lot of big dinosaur skeletons. Exhibits on the local ecology and geology are also prevalent throughout the museum, as well as a massive Foucault pendulum in the entrance hall. There are also many changing exhibitions and a giant-screen theater.

Address: 1788 El Prado
Hours: Daily 10AM-5PM
Price: $19 adults, $17 seniors/students/military, $14 youth 7-17, $11 children 3-6, free for children 2 and under
Website: sdnhm.org (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: San Diego/Balboa Park-Hillcrest, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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San Diego Junior Theatre
One of the oldest youth theater programs in the country, the Junior Theatre holds many live performances.
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San Diego History Center
This museum has a large collection of artifacts and exhibits showcasing the history of the city. If you don't want to pay to enter the museum itself, you can just walk into the building (which contains three separate museums) and look at some historical photographs on the walls of the atrium.
Daily 10AM-5PMFree, by donation
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Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
This popular science museum is filled with dozens of interactive exhibits of interest to children, young adults and grown-ups too. There's also an IMAX theater in the building, one of the world's first.
Mon-Thu 10AM-5PM, Fri-Sun 10AM-6PM$20 adults, $18 seniors, $17 children, free for children under 3 (theater admission separate)
SeeBalboa Park-Hillcrest
Museum of Photographic Arts
Dedicated to the art and history of photographic arts, with works from famous photographers such as Ansel Adams. The museum also holds changing exhibitions and a theater that plays art and cult films.
Tue-Sun 10AM–5PM (open Thursdays until 9PM)$8 adults, $7 seniors/veterans, $6 students, free for children under 12/active military (theater admission separate)