Balboa Park Museums

Explore the 20 Balboa Park museums and cultural centers in beautiful San Diego Balboa Park, the center of cultural attractions in San Diego, CA.

Imagine going to a museum and seeing just what you like. Science... art ... Comic Con... model railroads? That's the beauty of the museums in Balboa Park. So many to choose from. You get to choose what interests you. And you may even get to go for free.

Updated December 18, 2024 by San Diego Beaches and Adventures

Free Tuesdays Balboa Park Museums

San Diego Balboa Park Botanical Gardens

If you are locals or active military, check out the calendar below for free museums for Balboa Park Museums Free Tuesdays. For other free or fun San Diego California activities, check out Upcoming San Diego Events.

Free Museum Tuesday Schedule

List of Balboa Park Museums

February San Diego Museum Month

San Diego Balboa Park

Balboa Park Museums Ticket Discounts

Reuben Fleet Science Center Museum in Balboa Park

Which is the best San Diego museum in Balboa Park? It depends on what you enjoy. My favorite is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, with its interesting interactive exhibits and IMAX movies.

Can't decide which one? Visit more than one. The park offers several special deals on tickets prices, and there are many coupons and discounts available.

Stay for the Day pass – visit your choice of 4 of 16 museums in one day for $56 ($35 for child ticket age 3 - 12). San Diego Zoo and Comic Con Museum are not included. Available for purchase at the Balboa Parks Visitors Center, or online.

Balboa Park Multi-Day Explorer Passport - offers one admission to each of the 16 museums or attractions, good for seven consecutive days. Pricing is $67 for adults, $43 for children.

Other Discount Tickets and Coupons - There are many Discount Tickets and Coupons for individual museums or attractions for San Diego museums in Balboa Park.

For more information about Balboa Park, including address and directions, see San Diego Balboa Park

Balboa Park Free Tuesdays
Free Tuesday in Balboa Park Museums

Here is the free Tuesdays museum schedule for Balboa Park museums. Be sure to bring your ID to get in free. The schedule is subject to change, and not all museums participate. Some museums do not allow strollers inside on resident free Tuesday for safety reasons, so call to check before you go if you plan to bring a stroller. Note: if the Tuesday is a holiday, check first to see if the free Tuesday rules apply.

Free to San Diego City & County residents, Active Military & their families.

First Free Tuesday Balboa Park Museums

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

Model Railroad Museum

Natural History Museum (does not include special exhibits)

Second Free Tuesday Balboa Park Museums

San Diego Air & Space Museum (not valid for special exhibits)

The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park

Comic-Con Museum – Excluding November and December

Third Free Tuesdays Balboa Park

San Diego Museum of Art (not valid for special exhibits)

Mengei International Museum

Japanese Friendship Garden

The Old Globe – Except in January and September, free one-hour Behind-the-Scenes Tours available.

Fourth Free Balboa Park Tuesdays

San Diego Automotive Museum – Except in September and December

Japanese Friendship Garden (March only)

Fifth Tuesday

Normal museum prices in effect.

Note: The Timken Museum of Art is always free, making it one of the popular Balboa Park museums.

San Diego Balboa Park Museums

photo credit Chris Martin

Centro Cultural de la Raza, Balboa Park, 2125 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 235-6135 centrodelaraza.com

Comic Con Museum, Balboa Park, 2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 546-9073 www.comic-con.org

Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 238-1233 www.fleetscience.org.

Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (formerly San Diego Art Institute), 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park (619 236-0011 icasandiego.org.

Japanese Friendship Gardens, Balboa Park, 2215 Pan American Road. E, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-2721 niwa.org

Marston House, 3525 Seventh Ave., San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 297-9327 sohosandiego.org/marston

Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 239-0003 www.mingei.org

Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 238-7559 https://mopa.org

Museum of Us (formerly San Diego Museum of Man), 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 239-2001 museumofus.org

San Diego Air And Space Museum, 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park (619) 234-8291 www.sandiegoairandspace.org

San Diego Automotive Museum , 2080 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park (619) 231-AUTO (2886) www.sdautomuseum.org

San Diego History Center 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park San Diego, CA 619-232-6203 sandiegohistory.org

San Diego Mineral and Gem Society 1770 Village Place, San Diego, CA www.sdmg.org/

San Diego Model Railroad Museum, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 696-0199 www.sdmrm.org

San Diego Natural History Museum (the NAT), 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park (877) 946-7797 www.sdnhm.org

The San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 232-7931 sdmart.org

Timken Museum Of Art - A free Balboa Park museum! 1500 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 239-5548. www.timkenmuseum.org

The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park, Balboa Park, 2115 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 239-2300 www.veteranmuseum.org

Women's Museum of California (619) 939-5234 www.womensmuseumca.org

World Beat Center, Balboa Park, 2110 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 230-1190 www.worldbeatcenter.org

February is San Diego Museum Month

February is San Diego Museum Month, and it should be back again for 2025 in San Diego. What a great time to visit some San Diego museums. Approximately 60 local museums, monuments, historical sites and gardens offer half-price admission. Pick up a FREE Museum Month Discount Pass at a local library starting February 1 2025, or download online. The pass is good for half-price admissions for up to four people to participating local museums, including some of my favorites: Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, USS Midway, and San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Gardens).

Just pick up your free museum pass from February 1 - Feb 28 2025, and get half off admission to the best museums in San Diego. Participating museums typically include (list subject to change):

Adobe Chapel

Barona Cultural Center & Museum

Birch Aquarium at Scripps - one of our favorites!

Bonita Museum & Cultural Center

California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum

California Surf Museum - a must-see for surfing bums (Oceanside)

Coronado Museum of History & Art

Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum

Gaslamp Museum and William H. Davis House

Heritage of the Americas Museum

Japanese Friendship Garden

Junipero Serra Museum