How to Visit Museums for Free in San Diego

If you reside in "America's Finest City"; or in any part of San Diego County, you will want to explore the wealth of museums located in the heart of the city's famed Balboa Park. Balboa Park is where you will find the San Diego Zoo, as well as nearly 20 museums ranging from art to science. The free museum offer is valid for all San Diego County residents as well as for all active military personnel.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Museum calendar
• Internet access

1. Free up your schedule on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday a group of San Diego museums offer free admission. No advance tickets or reservations are needed. Sometimes parking can be an issue, so arrive early to ensure you can find a space. Also call or check online for park hours the day you visit, they change seasonally.

2. Visit Balboa Park on the first Tuesday of the month and you can visit these museums for free: The Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum which also houses an IMAX theater, but the films are an additional fee; The Centro Cultural de la Raza, which focuses on things of Mexican heritage; the Model Railroad Museum that has toy trains and railroad history from the Western U.S. and the Natural History Museum.

3. Visit Balboa Park on the second Tuesday of the month and you can visit these museums for free: The Museum of Photographic Arts; the Museum of San Diego History and the Veterans Museum which is housed in an old military church and honors our service men and women. San Diego has a very strong military presence, and this museum occasionally hosts special events to honor military personnel of merit.

4. 
    
   Japanese Friendship Garden

   Visit Balboa Park on the third Tuesday of the month and you can visit these museums for free: The San Diego Art Institute which displays art by local San Diego painters, not to be confused with the San Diego Museum of Art that showcases classic art from around the world; the San Diego Museum of Man; the Japanese Friendship Garden where you can get a great cup of tea and check out the koi pond and one more art museum and the Mingei Museum of art which has a plethora of folk art.

5. 
    
   House of Sweden

   Visit Balboa Park on the fourth Tuesday of the month and you can visit these museums for free: the San Diego Air & Space Museum; the San Diego Automotive Museum the San Diego Hall of Champions dedicated to sports and the fascinating House of Pacific Relations International Cottages which are several small cottages that share traditions from around the world. Each cottage represents a country. This is a particularly fun place to visit at holiday time, as they showcase the different ways each country celebrates Christmas.

6. Be aware that if Tuesdays are bad for you, fear not, these museums and events are always free: the Timken Museum of Art is free daily and the Spreckels Organ concerts are free every Sunday afternoon from 2 to 3pm. They play a variety of music types and are sometimes accompanied by choirs, soloists or various other musicians.

Tips & Warnings

• Arrive early so you can find nearby parking.
• Food and beverages are not allowed in most museums, so finish up before entering.
• If you do not reside in the area, museum passes are available for purchase, see Resources below.
• Don't try to see all the free museums in one day. This is an ongoing program so you can come back another Tuesday to catch what you have missed.

Resources

• San Diego's Balboa Park
• Museum passport prices

[pacumeme]

on 9/10/2008 cool