3 Best Museums in San Diego, CA

“2026 Update: USS Midway Museum is a historical naval aircraft carrier museum. The museum was the first in a 3-ship class of large carriers that featured a powerful air group of 120 planes and an armored flight deck. USS Midway Museum is a ship house that has an extensive collection of aircraft, and many of the aircraft were built in Southern California. The museum has 4,500 crew members, 212,000 horsepower, 80,000 haircuts annually, 43,000 pounds of laundry weekly, and 3.4 million gallons of fuel. USS Midway Museum has approximately 200,000 sailors who served aboard the carrier, which is known for its naval aviation. The Museum features a range of facilities, including hosting over 700 events annually, more than 13,000 members, and over 400 active-duty Navy retirements, re-enlistments, and changes of command. They host about 50,000 students on field trips and 5,000 children in their overnight program annually. ”

“2026 Update: San Diego Air & Space Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum. The museum is divided into many galleries that emphasize the contributions San Diego has made to aviation. The Museum is home to famous aircraft such as the B-24 Liberator and the PBY Catalina, which was first flown in the atmosphere. San Diego Air & Space Museum features a special exhibit at the front of the museum and several early aviation exhibits hanging from the ceiling. The museum displays some of the most notable creations, including various flying machines, a life-sized hang glider, and Da Vinci’s own notes detailing the inventive process. The museum's modern jet and space age gallery launched space for the original GPS constellation, which consisted of 23 operational spacecraft and 2 on-orbit spares. ”

“2026 Update: San Diego Natural History Museum is the second-oldest scientific institution west of the Mississippi and the oldest in Southern California. George W. Barnes, Daniel Cleveland, Charles Coleman, E. W. Hendrick, and O. N. Sanford is the founder of the Museum. San Diego Natural History Museum features a personal collection of a mammalogist and ornithologist. Frank Stephens donated over 2000 bird and mammal specimens to the Society in 1910. San Diego Natural History Museum also features a state-of-the-art Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater with a 56' screen and a 4k Christie Laser projector to display the exhibitions and programs for user convenience.”