San Diego History Center

This museum provides a stroll through history. The museum shows the toys, cars, stage coach, and people in San Diego History. I liked exploring the evolution of the cow boys through México, Hawaii, and California. The museum entry, exit are accessible within the museum complex. The venue has adequate space and is accessible Accessible restrooms are outside museum with 2 grab bars and more than 5ftx 5 ft space Accessible van parking in free parking lot that entails a short walk to venue with no steps

Nice visit here. Be sure to watch the Balboa history video. They can turn on the closed captioning, upon request. Nice collection of art and displays of San Diego's history, particularly the Balboa Park. A few areas for kids that they would enjoy. No admission charge but appreciate a cash donation. Worth a visit!

Very well maintained and equipped history centre. It is inside the Balboa Park and every hour there is a documentary film playing giving information about how Balboa park was formed. Very impressive.

Amazing, educational, beautiful and definitely worth checking out. Found out so many things about the making and building of Balboa park and the city of san diego itself. Every last person who works here and or volunteers here were absolutely off the charts. Extremely helpful and courteous. There is so much to check out here. Just make sure you plan ahead of time because its alot to check out and take in.

One room focuses on history on an architect, one room on San Diego history, one room on Jewish history, another on the San Diego Zoo and finally a small alcove on Black history. All in all, everything is well laid out. You can start on the left as you enter and walk through everything except the zoo and the alcove. They are easy to get to though as you continue.

First, I really appreciate the staff and the volunteers who have created an incredible museum. Thank you! I came here a few years ago and it was basically the history of San Diego from the White American perspective. That's been condensed and moved to the back corner of the museum and the rest is devoted to BIPOC exhibits. While I appreciate this change, I think maybe it's swung too far in the other direction and just seems to really have jumped on the "woke" bandwagon. It might be worth trying to present a somewhat less politicized history.

It is free to enter. We enjoyed the show it was so informative.

Really fun, I love walking through the time events the Hands-On ones Superfund to guess the smells and the sounds they even have an LGBT area

The San Diego History Center is a hot spot for native San Diegans and tourists who want an insider scoop to the development of this beautiful city. The exhibits they possess are very different from one another and the Center makes it a point to include all aspects of inception. The topics range from: the Spanish occupation, the sale of this land to the U.S territories, a multitude of art inspired by this city, an entire exhibit dedicated to Women's rights/voices, old devices such as a "whiskey prescription" pad from the prohibition that I found very hilarious and covered the deep roots that Mexican-Americans have to our city's history. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed with how much they had to offer due to my excitement, but that's just because I love history. The exhibits are very easy to follow. They offer display cards that are very useful; Especially, if you're anything like me and have a tough time trying to decipher what you're looking at. I really liked that they included all types of voices when making the exhibits come to life, giving a full perspective that is sometimes not focused on in other museums. I do however wish there were more in the Reconstruction Era, but what it did include was very insightful and directly correlated with everything else I have learned in my US History class at San Diego City College. All in all, I really recommend coming down to the History Center, my experience was so enriching, and I had the opportunity to walk around, enjoy the sunshine and had the pleasure of running into a dear friend of mine while touring Balboa Park. This place is indeed magical and there is so much to do, it's amazing as a destination for anything really whether it's: something to check off on your dossier while visiting, a cute place to have a picnic or somewhere to walk around with friends and family.

Admission is donation-based, and the museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Founded in 1928 by businessman and civic leader George W. Marston, it sits on five acres, and visitors can also tour his former home, now a museum. The staff was very welcoming, and the space was exceptionally clean. I learned a great deal about San Diego's history, including early Black arrivals, housing discrimination, Chicano Park, border history, Logan Heights, women in law, and more. There's even an interactive children's area. This is a fantastic place to visit, and I highly recommend stopping by!

Always great to visit - more people need to know about it! Walked in while strolling around the park today, made my donation. Went to their two new exhibits: La Neighbor, about an early 20th C. settlement house in Barrio Logan that became a community center; and Aloha Vaqueros, about cowboy culture in Baja California and how it was exported to Hawaii in the 19th C., leaving a culture there of cattle farming. Both super interesting. I love the SDHC. And their revenues have been down since COVID so please go visit and donate! There's a ton to learn about our city and the world there.

I suppose it depends on when you go whether or not you appreciate the specifics being shown. I went in July 2024 and the entire exhibit was devoted to woke presentations. I'm all in favor of wokeness, but when it dominates the entire museum that's a bit too much for me. That is a lot of San Dieghoi history I was interested in and almost none of it was on display. Also, who wrote the cards that explain what you're looking at . The cards are poorly placed and written in such small type you can hardly read them. Very big disappointment.

Random stop while we were roaming around balboa park during the 4th of July. What drew us in was the signs that said their was a showing on the history of balboa park. We walked in and learned it was a 30 minute documentary on the history of balboa park was created. Best part is this center is free for all to visit! It is run off of donations, please leave at least $5 donation to keep this place running. It's a great center for everyone to enjoy. It's a small center with a few exhibits compared to the museums but I found it quite charming and educational. The mini documentary was really good we learned a great deal about San Diego's history and balboa park came to be what it is today. The center had a focus on the LGBT community for their current exhibit. They also had an interactive children's area as well. Overall I thought the staff was wonderful and friendly. The exhibits were nicely put together and executed well. I would recommend stopping in giving a donation and taking a tour around. There is a gift shop towards the front too.

We enjoyed this center very much. One of the major highlights of our visits to Balboa Park. Definitely check it out and the explorer pass can be used for this.

While visiting Balboa Park, I noticed a sign for an LGBTQ exhibit at the San Diego History Center so my wife and I checked it out. There is no set admission, but they ask for donations. Don't be cheap, throw a few dollars in the box on your way in. The exhibit was very well done and highlights both the good and the bad in the LGBTQ community over the years. I appreciated how interactive it is and the setup at the end where you can share a video.

Glad that a place like the San Diego History Center exists because the work they do here is terrific! You are learning about the history of San Diego through multiple lenses, each from the exhibits here. My boyfriend and I came here to visit half an hour before it was closing and that was not nearly enough time to check out all the exhibits here. Each of the exhibits are unique from one another, teaching you about San Diego's history through different cultural interpretations. For example, you do learn about the origin of San Diego, but you can also learn in a different exhibit about Japanese-Americans who settled in San Diego. Pretty cool concept. The main issue I have is that with the exhibits that I did see, there was not as much information as I thought there would be. Much of the information too seemed to be written for a young audience; at least, in the exhibit about the birthplace of San Diego. It reminded me of an exhibit you'd see at a children's museum. Not much substantial information. Such was the case with the other exhibits I walked through. I even asked one of the docents about where a particular exhibit was that was on the map and she confessed to not knowing where it was. She just told me to walk around the corner until I found it. Okay... Overall, it's a fine museum that has some historical artifacts and information on San Diego. Admission is free, too, which is nice. I just expected for a historical center there to be much more information for some of the exhibits rather than surface-level kind of content.

Trying to kill some time before seeing a movie at the Science Center's IMAX theater, we stumbled across this little museum. The San Diego History Center is tiny but still has some good information about the history of Balboa Park and the surrounding San Diego area. Although there's a great film about the history of Balboa Park, the rest of the Museum is just a tad boring. My son did like the art, old stagecoach, and cool Model T. I thought the exhibit about the SD Zoo's history was pretty interesting. There's also some good information about Joan Embery's long career at the SD Zoo and a brief overview of a few of the zoo's most popular animals. If you're a local, the San Diego History Center might be more interesting. I did think the film about Balboa Park's history was really good. Although some the exhibits might have been a bit better in the past, I didn't think the current exhibits were really fun or truly unique.

On the second Tuesday of the month locals get free admittance here. Exhibits were interesting and made md realize my generation (the 80s babies) now have materials here conisdered museum worthy (like cassette tapes and boom boxes). SMH.

San Diego History Center is one of a kind museum that explores San Diego post-colonization. It's "free" but they recommend a $7 donation whenever - could be cash or paid through a machine in the museum. They have a 30 minute video of San Diego's post-colonization history of the person who decided to build San Diego, how it was used in World War 2 and how residents of San Diego feel about San Diego now. Other exhibitions showcase the LGBTQ movement in San Diego. Other parts showcase an interactive sections for colouring, culinary tools and cans used in the 60's and 70's.

Its OK, but nothing to write home about. The main attraction here is the 30-minute film about the history of Balboa Park. Admission is FREE, but they "suggest" you make a donation. I put $6 (for two persons) in the jar, as the movie was worth that amount.

We went here and to the model railroad museum. They are both In the same building. This was a much better use of our money. It's by donation only. I would have rather paid $30 for this and donation to the railroad museum. They had some interesting exhibits here and it was presented in an interesting way that made you want to read all the information. I really liked the lgbtq timeline. I learned some interesting things that I can't believe happened so recently such as the hunting and prosecution of gays. Recommend a visit here if you are in balboa park

Being a local, I figured a good way to spend my staycation was going here to learn more about my own city. I was thoroughly impressed with my visit to the San Diego History Center. This is a great place for people from all over to learn about the diverse history of San Diego - both past and present. The museum was fairly large and there are a lot of different rooms and exhibits to check out. Expect to be here over an hour if you immerse yourself in it. During my visit, they had "The Border: A Line that Divides" exhibit. This showed the evolution of the San Diego-Tijuana border crossing throughout the years. They also had "The 1915 Expo" in showing the commencement of Balboa Park and the events that put San Diego on the map. I believe this exhibit started last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the event. My favorite exhibit was "The Love Behind the Roar" which demonstrated the San Diego's zoos beginnings and it's growth into the major attraction that it is today. It also has a section dedicated to their conservation efforts as well. They have a theater (I believe it's called the Thornton Theater?) in which a different show plays every hour on the hour. The Balboa Park history short video shows at 11am, 1am, and 3pm. Episodes of the old Zoorama shows at 10am, noon, and 2pm. This museum is good and intriguing for people of all ages. They also have a children's center for the kids as well. Regular price for this museum is $10 or free for locals on Free Museum Tuesday (usually 2nd Tuesday of each month). This is one of the lesser known museums in Balboa Park but turned out to be pleasantly good. Worth a visit.

A really intriguing look into the past of San Diego. They had a wonderful 30 minute video on the history of Balboa Park and all the changes the area went through over the years- thank you to the Committee of One Hundred for saving the historic buildings and culture of Balboa Park. They had an inspiring LGBTQI display that really shows the hardship and struggles the community has gone through over the years up until today. They have a section about the first women who came to San Diego. It was a great look into the past of how San Diego was created and how it grew into the massive city it is today and how much history Balboa Park has. A must see, to learn more about San Diego and see how it came to be.

Not bad...I learned a lot about San Diego when I came here. For example Mr. Horton Plaza was a really cool dude back in the late 19th century. The Wells Fargo Bank operated in a coach. Yah, just walk up to the ATM lady in the coach and she would exchange your checks for real cash. But on a serious note, it's a decent place to learn some background on San Diego and how real estate has developed in the past century and a half. Nice cool pictures and some old ledgers and record books. They have some old school clothing. Kinda looks like costumes but they're the real deal. They also have some old school board games. Stuff you have never heard off. Neat stuff. Tip: Admission is FREE for SD residents every second Tuesday of the month. Regular price is 5 bucks. They have discounts for military, students, and seniors and you save a buck.

What better place to shop than Balboa Park? I mostly wanted to post a review about the GIFT SHOP at the Museum of San Diego History, but of course the museum itself is definitely the main attraction. This gift shop is a great place to stop in and buy gifts for friends and family of all ages. The shop features quality Tiffany and Craftsman reproduction lamps, Art Deco jewelry, wonderful books on San Diego, art history and nature parks, posters, magnets, canes, decorative pillows, toys and more. Seriously people - this little gift shop is a hidden treasure and I encourage you to check it out. You don't have to pay admission to the museum. The Museum of San Diego history is ALSO worth seeing. I've seen many amazing things here like a history of wedding dresses, a vintage San Diego streetcar, a giant map of San Diego you can walk on, and amazing photographs of what our fair city looked like when downtown was full of (real)sailors and the bay was brimming with tall ships. Check their website for current exhibits. Support the city you love - go check this place out and make a donation.

I took my students here for a field trip/ guided tour and it was so interesting to learn about all the different neighborhoods in SD. I really enjoyed how the tour started with the American Indians who first cultivated the land here and then we learned about the different districts, how they came about & the type of people/ minorities that settled there. Midway through the permanent exhibit there are costumes for you to put on and take pictures with - that was a crowd pleaser. There is also a temporary exhibit right now: Portraits of a Proud Community. This exhibit is a compilation of black & white photographs, focusing on the rise of the middle-class African American community in SD. The best part of this exhibit is the table where people could write their thoughts on a post-it and stick it onto the table. One squiggly, handwritten post-it read: "It makes me feel good about myself." I assume a young child wrote this. We need more exhibits like this to teach young children about empowerment, to give hope, and validate identities. Kudos to the SD History Center!

I was disappointed by this place. I thought there would be more straightforward information about San Diego history. It was pretty lacking in history that is specific to this area. They had some random vintage and antique items that were used all throughout the United States (such as a stagecoach, Ford Model-T car, typewriter, rotary phone, calculators, etc) that really was not relevant to San Diego history. There was an exhibit on Jewish culture. There were a few pieces of artwork that were of interest, and actually pertained to local history (a print of a painting of missionaries and Native slaves building Mission Trails dam). In addition, the staff were weird and abrasive. One of the areas was under construction, but there were no signs saying keep out, nor was it closed off, so I entered the area and a museum employee (caucasian woman with a shortcut, red hair, and glasses) rudely yelled at me and my kid to get out of the area. I was standing close to her, so the yelling and harshness was uncalled for. My child was playing with blocks and some weird guy employee (Caucasian male 40ish partially bald light brown curly hair with glasses) kept bothering us and making is feel uncomfortable and told us he had to organize the area. Well, I don't see why he couldn't wait until closing time. I felt harassed. Then a woman with blue lavender silver hair was giving me dirty looks. I would not recommend this place at all. I would not recommend donating any money to this place at all, either. There needs to be an oversight committee on how the donor money is spent. Because clearly, it is not being utilized properly.

My wife and I were in San Diego in vacation and in Balboa Park and we saw that there was an exhibit on San Diego Beer in the history museum. We had a AAA card, so we got a buck off the $8 entry fee. The exhibit was really cool, it showed how beer was made and stuff, which I already knew, but I loved the history of how San Diego became a top 5 craft beer city. There are now 65 breweries in San Diego County, and they make awesome beer! We got through the exhibit in about 45 minutes, $8 is a little steep, but it was a great exhibit!

I love the multi-cultural approach the SDHC takes to presenting different aspects of San Diego History. I've been going here since I was just in elementary school and it is one of my favorite museums in Balboa Park. As a resident, I go on the second Tuesday of the month to enter the museum for free. If you want pioneers, wild wild west, gold rush, and stagecoaches, go to Old Town. This is not the museum that only concentrates on San Diego's early 1800 establishment. San Diego history or the history of any American city is never straight forward and I appreciate how the SDHC embraces this idea. This month, they had an exhibit showing the history of San Diego's prominent Jewish community and its contributions and development in our beautiful city. The museum also had a small but insightful exhibit on the internment of the Japanese-American Nissei population during WWII. My only issue with the museum is that the exhibits themselves are fairly disorganized. I would think that a history museum would organize their exhibits in a linear, logical, or chronological order. Rather, the exhibits here are scattered and seem to jump around in points or topics of history.

This museum is nestled in Balboa Park and gives you a quick, wonderful introduction to aspects of San Diego. The space is small, so there aren't a lot of exhibits. The exhibits currently on view feature the zoo, Jewish artists, the Border.

The architecture of this 1,200 acre park is beautiful. It's an art and cultural park with lots of history about how it came to be. This place holds a lot of nostalgia for me, being a family vaca go-to as a kid. While most of the grounds themselves are kept up as I remember, many of the museums are not. The RHF Science center is probably the most disappointing for the money. It's in serious need of updating and repairs, however I will say the Omnimax theater; a newer addition is pretty cool. The Museum of Man, the Museum of Natural History and the San Diego history museum were my favorites, really interesting and well worth the admission price.

Fun, donation suggested museum. My kiddo had so much fun here. So much history displayed with beautiful banners and interactive displays that are engaging for kids. We must have spent 2 hours here. He colored, colored & colored (3 educational, zoo inspired coloring stations, puzzles, displays, area with wooden blocks, dress up area & lots of play food. Current exhibits are of the zoo (celebrating 100 years.) Not sure if there is a permanent collection but the had a lot of information on the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition. They have so many wonderful pictures of what San Diego used to look like, that you can purchase online.

While I wasn't entirely sure what exhibits they have, I figured San Diego History Center is pretty self explanatory right? Currently their temporary exhibits are about the zoo, a San Diego architect named Irving J. Gill, a collection of paintings by three local Jewish artists, and a small little hall about the Border. My favorite was the architecture exhibit. Of the paintings I thought the ones by Maurice Braun were lovely and Harry Sternberg's were weird so I loved them. The Zoo exhibit was full of information about the history of the zoo, most of which I already knew since I use the internet. But I suppose it's fun to see a few rare pictures and is great for people who are less nerdy about researching the zoo. Why isn't this just at the zoo? Good question, but then again why read about a poor bear that's been dead for 50 years if you could just go see the living bears? That's what makes it history. The celebrity guest log was an odd treat and tells you a little about the people who signed it. Roseanne Barr can't spell monkeys, Bob Hope thinks he's signing for a fan or something, and Brooke Shields was excited to be married to that meth addict tennis player. Embarrassing! I assume this page was the most glitzy assortment in the whole log. It'd be more fun to have laminated photocopies of all the pages that you could flip. They do have a touch screen tv that did let you go through different trivia bits and pictures in chronological order over the 100 years of the zoo which was fun. There's a kid section which had a nice little assortment of different animal poop for comparison but was mostly just stubby tables which would be perfect for field trips. Sadly the elephant poop was one of the unfortunately missing items. Some kid probably got a little too grabby but hopefully they bring it back. Apart from that area and a few pictures of the zoo it doesn't seem like the kind of place to bring your small children unless they're the rare kind who like to stand very still and read a lot quietly. Not going to lie- I love that because I don't have children. Sure a couple of moms were pushing around strollers but their kids were too young to do anything but poop and sleep. I can't complain too much because I did get in for free on Residents Free Tuesday so my only complaint is about the limited collection on display. They've got this sign that says they've got thousands of items in their collection. On the day I visited there were quite a few blank spaces where an item should have been, though based on the description placard I don't think I was really missing much. All the exhibits are confined to the first floor but I look forward to future visits after they've finished whatever construction project they're currently working on.

Last night was our first time to the SD History museum in Balboa Park. We came for the "History Happy hour" which is the last Friday of each month, thru Nov. 1, and it was a great event. It included beer samples , BBQ, live music from Charlie Imes (which was great), admission to the "Bottled and Kegged" exhibition about San Diego's craft brewing business, and viewing of the documentary, "Suds County USA" about the micro-brew movement and home-brewing in San Diego, featuring lots of interviews of local brewers and music from local bands. For more info on the exhibit or the happy hours, check out the History museum's website, and for the movie, you can check out the sudscountyusa website, and even purchase it online for less than $10 A very unique night out in San Diego!

This museum surprised me, in a positive way. The thing about local museums and sites is that it's so rare for locals to see these features of their own city, as they're such classic traveler destinations. So maybe it's because I'm a new resident of this city, but I really appreciated getting an enriching knowledge of San Diego's history. I have a feeling that many residents really aren't really familiar with how this city was shaped. They have a smaller area with a rotating exhibit, and then a permanent exhibit as well. The rotating exhibit that I saw was focused on the early retail experience of San Diego, specifically the Marston Co Department Store and its clothing history. Strong features of this museum include an arts section for local artists' history, an old trolley train and a giant map you can walk on... I think this would be the kid-friendliest part. But I imagine kids might find the historical component a little dull. I also really liked that they had another little section of the museum reserved for local elementary school students' projects about various civil rights histories. That was a really cool and surprisingly informative treat.

Stumbled upon the SD History Center as my traveling companion and I were exploring Balboa Park. We stopped on a whim because we heard that there was a special exhibition on the history of San Diego Craft Beer. After spending several days in the area sampling numerous brews at local breweries it was great to get some of the history behind the craft beer movement in the area which dates back to before Prohibition. We were also lucky as this was the last weekend that this exhibition was on view. We loved that exhibit plotted the history of the homebrew movement in San Diego and accurately demonstrated that the craft beer culture in the San Diego area is truly a collaborative culture. That was something that we were able to experience first hand during out time at all of the breweries we visited. I also loved the fact that many of these brewers started as home brewers working with established breweries before venturing off on their own. It was like "Six Degrees of Brewing". This was an exhibition that could be enjoyed by those with either an extensive or limited beer/brewing knowledge. My only fault of the museum is that it was much smaller then I thought it was. I wished there were more exhibits on the history of San Diego and some of its other cultural aspects. I guess their rotate their exhibits but for a city so rich in history there was a lot more that I think the museum could have offered this out of towner.

Usually, I hate museums. Spending a day inside looking at old stuff does not tickle my fancy. I have a very short attention span! It's something I became an expert at in college. But to my surprise, I really liked this museum. Full of very interesting history about San Diego. I love how it's not too big, so it's not something I need to spend the whole day looking at. Granted, by now, I've sort've forgotten everything I learned from the museum, I just remember it being very informative.

I've been here twice a few years apart and I was pleased to see this time that the exhibits were totally different. So it's small but they seem to work on showing different things. I loved learning about the history of San Diego from the 1800s to now. The tuna exhibit was actually really interesting, I never would have guessed that San Diego was so important in the development of canned tuna. The museum is only $6 for adults and the price feels right. Since it's so tiny I wouldn't come here just for this museum but if you're going to be in Balboa Park it's a really nice stop. Also I normally never look at gift shops but they had a really good one full of some really cool prints.

An out of town friend was interested in attending the exhibit called The History and Heritage of San Diego's Jewish Community. I tagged along, and was amazed I hadn't found this place before. Great exhibits and helpful staff, and her two kids stayed occupied as well, which isn't the easiest thing to do. We had scheduled an hour, and actually ended up staying close to two hours until the kids were READY TO GO. As a San Diego resident I learned a lot, and also finally made the trek to the Serra Museum (over by Presidio Park, above the 8 freeway, that a lot of people think is the San Diego Mission). The Serra was cool too, and it's a great place to just hang out, with a mixture of historical information and great views, and basically it is a park and an undiscovered treasure. Happy I learned about this place!

As a part of The BIG Exchange I brought my daughter here for our first visit. I love to learn about the history and how families from the East Coast with lots of money and even more money built up the Southern California coast. We enjoyed the period clothing and the giant floor map. The art work through is beautiful. It's a small but mighty museum. We just missed all the great parts of the Tuna Industry of San Diego exhibit - but the next one will be on CRAFT BEER!!! So I'll be sure and go back for that! Museum Gift Shop - tons and tons of things MADE IN CHINA - luckily I found some great old neighborhood photos from Hillcrest, North Park, Mission Beach, Chula Vista and Point Loma - I'm excited to add them to our home. Would be nice if the SD History Center would be mindful to have items in the gift shop that are either locally or US made.

General: Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. $6 Adults $4 Seniors, Students, Military $2 children 6-17 Free on the second tuesday of each month It is in the same building as the museum of Photographic Arts. Across from the Botanical "pool" The museum is mapped in "phases" starting with geographical, and then follows an interesting timeline. There might be discounts listed under "coupons" through the deals link, on the Balboa website: http://www.balboapark.org/deals Pros The exhibitions are large There are interactive activities for children There is a GREAT gift shop and the prices are average There is A LOT of time taken to present San Diego artifacts The limited time exhibitions have a lot to look at and read The placards next to each piece gives a very detailed and well-written description. Cons The main "center" (phase 1) of the museum is very echo-y, because the ceilings are so high... If there are a lot of children- it can get loud. Comments This was the first time I've been in this museum. I kept telling my friend how much my parents should come. There are a lot of artifacts from Californian and San Diego. The gift shop was packed with treasures, it really would be a great place to find unique gifts. When I visited, the current exhibition was "Portrait of a Proud Community: Norman Baynard's Logan Heights 1939-1985." There was an abundance of photographs, and the descriptions were very insightful. I will go back to this museum the next time we're at Balboa. http://www.sandiegohistory.org/current_exhibitions.html

SO, I've been working on a book project for like 4 or 5 years. To say it's coming along slowly is an understatement. Anyway, I'm currently working on a chapter about video games in San Diego during the 1970's and 1980's. The internet doesn't have a lot of reference for me and contacting San Diego papers (like the Reader and the Coronado Eagle) has been an exercise in frustration since they don't seem to respond to any inquiries. As a last resort, I visited the San Diego History Center archive which is in the basement under the main museum. BINGO! The center is old, but well-organized and the staff are all super helpful and friendly. It's $8 to conduct research, but the fee is well worth it due to the amount of attention and assistance you get. Within a few minutes, I'd struck gold and found the photo reference I was looking for. One of the center directors then came over and clearly explained the process and additional fees for using the reference in my work. It was a hot summer day and my wife was sitting outside with our dog, so I didn't get to spend a ton of time here. I can see coming back here and spending hours looking through the photo archives when I get ready to resume writing on other topics!

Now is the time to see the History Center, if you want a special treat. You can see original paintings by Dr. Seuss. I learned so much about Theodor Seuss Geisel , the real Dr. Seuss. Did you know he studied with the surrealists in Paris? His amazing animals made more sense after I learned this. The exhibit is at the museum until 12/31/2015.

For Military it's free. I spoke with the Events Coordinator to have my reenlistment into the Navy there and she(Nicole, if I'm not mistaken)had it arranged..it was perfect. Great Exhibits that change throughout the year. DR. SEUSS will be coming to you soon

The San Diego History center is a good place to start when trying to find out about how San Diego was founded and it's role in a developing America. When arriving I noticed that the place, and surrounding buildings, were absolutely gorgeous. Walking inside, I noticed that it was very clean. They did not charge for a ticket, opting to only ask for donations. The part of the museum that focused specifically on San Diego History was smaller than I imagined it would be. I think it is because they also focus on some other exhibits about specific culture's experiences of history (Japanese-American, Italian-American, etc. history in San Diego). So, although small, it still provided good information and insight into the founding and development of America's Finest City. Aesthetically, the museum was beautiful and very spacious. The layout was nice and allowed easy access to every exhibit It definitely helped me learn more about my topic. I feel, however, that they could expand on the history of San Diego in regards to it's role in the US. It was very cool to see how different cultures and backgrounds helped shape the city of San Diego. And the fact that they dedicate certain parts to different cultures was a really cool touch. All in all, I certainly enjoyed my visit and will return in the future..

I am giving this museum 3 stars (deserved 2) because it was only $5. I know I am lame but I was excited to see and learn SD History. I did not get the history from the map of SD on the floor. Worse even was the room of ladies dresses, YES DRESSES!! But wait here's how we get SD history...the ladies who wore these dresses lived in San Diego! Whoa! I totally get it now, ladies from San Diego wore Dior. I feel so cultured now. Check me out!

This museum has potential, but when we attended with nine children, we felt it was overtly political, as well as unrepresentative of San Diego. We left after thirty minutes, not wanting to return.

Just wanted to brag about Joy Soliven, who works in Events & Development for San Diego History Center. I toured the Serra Museum with my fiance and, while we did not ultimately choose this venue for our wedding, Joy represented San Diego History Center very well and left an amazing impression. She is knowledgeable about the grounds and its rich history. Joy was patient with all of my questions and very personable; she is a true asset to San Diego History Center.

Spent the day walking around Balboa Park. It was free Tuesday, and I went to the History Center. SUPER friendly staff. Was greeted, had my ID checked, grabbed a pamphlet, and I was walking through exhibits less than a minute later. The floor plan is very open, and the exhibits flow really well from one to the next. I spent most of my time in the exhibit of the Spanish Conquest of San Diego and the Kumeyaay tribe. It was very interesting, and easy to chronologically follow. There was also a huge exhibit about the SD Zoo and Safari park. Being a San Diego native, this museum was awesome to learn about the city's history. I wish the second floor was open for exhibits though. I got through everything pretty quickly, and wished there was more.

Not bad not bad. Theres some cool things to check out in here onna Free Tuesday. The map of SD County laid out on the floor in one of the rooms is pretty cool. Itsa small spot, but you can spend some time walking through. The SD History Center, is a-ok!

Amazing Dr. Seuss exhibit. Everyone who has appreciated his books as a kid, will love the museum as an adult.

This is a cute local history museum. It's small, but there's a nice diverse set of exhibits, so most people should be able to find something interesting. The huge maps on the floor of one room are fun, and the displays provide a detailed history of the city. I'm easily bored by art museums, so I didn't really get much out of the big art exhibit that took up about a third of the space, but I did like the rotating exhibit about the different neighborhoods in San Diego. Even the gift shop has some interesting things, and we enjoyed looking around even though we didn't buy anything. Expect to spend perhaps an hour or two here; admission is fairly priced for the size of the museum, and there are deals and discounts available (we got our tickets through Groupon, I think).

Pretty cool local history museum. It teaches you a lot about the city of San Diego. Got to see behind the scenes on how the conservators work on their pieces. That was pretty cool, except that the humidity was terrible (but necessary).

I just wasn't feeling this place. I enjoyed the little exhibit about refugees in SD but that was about it. Does have cool feature where you use your cell phone to do the audio tour.

This place is great for the whole family and out of town guests. I love balboa park but the museums and gardens are amazing. I liked this place because I was able to take my family plus all my family members from Nj and they loved it as well. Check it out is worth it.

went with my mom and it was a delightful experience. helps you appreciate the city much more.