San Diego Natural History Museum

Nice little natural history museum. The museum focuses on taxidermied animals, but it has a few nice dinosaur exhibits. I was impressed by their living reptile exhibits. As of 10/2025, the museum is under construction and tickets are half-priced.

Friendly docents, incredible specimens and collections. Great for us - a couple of history lovers - but also for kids! Lots to see and touch and explore! Check out the gift shop for some beautiful sustainable trinkets and souvenirs.

There so many attractions to visit that around this place that one day is not enough, as an adult i enjoyed visiting with my significant other and had a blast learning and admiring so many things about animals, they have fossils from dinosaurs to extinct species that were native from California. What i was amazed is that they have a huge living frog that I think it's about 12-15 inches long. Kids would love this place.

This is the perfect spot for kids and grownups alike! There is so much to see and plenty of hands on exhibits. The docents were friendly and knowledgeable. My favorite part was the Amazement in the Basement. I enjoyed watching them work!

Visited with 5 adults on a Saturday afternoon during a Pride Parade, and it still was not too crowded. Felt the price of admission (about $25/adult) was worth the value and experience for all you get to see and learn. About 5 floors (including basement) with dedicated areas to different species. Gift shop and restrooms.

A must-visit! Amazing fossils, engaging exhibits, and tons to explore for all ages. The dinosaur section is a highlight. Perfect mix of education and fun in the heart of Balboa Park.

I liked how it was a small intimate venue as well and how they talked to us. It was one's FIRST show ever, another orchestrated (?) (figured out which of the 4 instruments could do what) 4 of the songs himself. It was fun trying to figure out which piece was doing what sound as well. I would even get chills when the two were in PERFECT harmony (insane!!!) And of course cried at times. Chef's kiss 👌

I’m fascinated by all the museum exhibits; I think it’s amazing how close the museums are to each other, but this one in particular was wonderful. I hope to return soon.

Absolutely amazing. I'm so glad my bf and I came here during our anniversary trip, it's so beautiful and full of so many fascinating things! This is an amazing museum to take your kids to especially, my bf and I adore art and museums very much.

Half price tickets for the Nat at Night on Friday, come early to beat the lines. Definitely gets crowded, but there was more exhibits open than normal and the research library was available, so there are plenty of things to see and escape the crowds. Gift shop has undergone a real makeover, gorgeous tempting gifts with an emphasize on CA creators.

We bought the yearly pass for all the museums in Balboa Park. It's of great value if you enjoy museums and need that price break!!! We wandered around this museum for about an hour and a half. There was a lot of fun things to look at and read. It's truly amazing to see life in the beginning of time. We are so blessed and fortunate to be living in our present time period. I could not imagine trying to fend for yourself and try to survive in such harsh conditions. Overall, a great value for the money. Free parking as of this review. Clean bathrooms throughout the park. There are volunteers that are very knowledgeable and passionate if you are curious and ask questions. We absolutely loved learning about our past. Very interesting.

Staff/receptionists warm and friendly. Ideal learning place for kids and adults too. Beautiful and nice display of collections. Great admiration for the dedication of scientists who spent huge amounts of time exploring a huge part of San Diego. Unveiling life history of nature and animals itself in waters or on land. Amazing show of talents of artists Who put together displays in their natural habitats hundreds or thousand of years ago.

I am a native San Diegan, born and raised. As a child I have visited the Nat a handful of times on field trips and I've brought my kids here once I believe. My 18 year old has been dying to come check it out as she loves dinosaurs, animals, etc. We currently live one hour north of SD so when we are back in town I try to take her someplace new to her. I figured Friday would be a great day to explore so off to Balboa Park we went. Upon entering you pay and get a little sticker to wear as your ticket. On Fridays they are open until 10pm so we could go in and out as often as we liked. The building has been upgraded since my days of field trips. The whole museum is awesome and beautifully laid out. There are clean bathrooms, elevators and stairs to get to the 4 levels. Many, many interactive displays, there is so much to do and see. I can't even explain all there is to do. There is an indoor play structure for kids, a wonderful gift shop, with beautiful and great things to buy at reasonable prices. There is a little cafe area with food to purchase and lots of snacks and drinks with lots of tables and chairs. There are about 4-5 movies shown in their huge theater. We stayed three hours in the museum so we saw one show about the Ocean and one with Jane Goodall, both were wonderful and educational. They run about 25 min long. There was so much to see but we did most of it, including a little area where adults and kids can sit and draw animals. We had such a fun, relaxing time, it wasn't crowded when we got there at 3:00. By 5pm on Fridays the museum is open until 10pm and they open the rooftop and you can go up and they sell drinks and food. There was light music and the view down to the park was beautiful. It was a nice atmosphere with adults & children. Very casual and relaxing. After 5pm the cost to get in is cheaper also. I believe it was half off. We had such a great time we are going to bring my son soon. We didn't eat anything or buy alcohol but maybe next time. I highly recommend coming to the Nat, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the tons of exhibits. Everyone working here were all very kind and helpful!! I'm so proud to call San Diego my hometown!!!

SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM @ Balboa Park Came here for a networking event, very large museum and so many great memories and things to look at here! What I really liked was the spinning world, it was really interesting to see the "toys" falling that present us humans. Parking was free, since it was a networking event it was difficult to find spots but there were some available for street. Overall, the place was clean, and fascinating. I really enjoyed the giant shark I saw, as well as the event itself that had yummy tacos!

Plenty to see on a wide variety of subjects ranging from dinosaurs, live reptile exhibits, movie theater,toddler art centers, ocean creatures, to geography. This museum can be toured in about 2hrs but you can easily stay here all day with all they have to learn. My toddlers loved it. Grab some flavored twirl soft serve ice cream just outside of the museum.

Staff very helpful when procuring our tickets !! This is a large 4-level museum that has rotating displays on earth science. some animals, and dinosaurs. They have live perfomances and films shown in their giant screen theater! Expect about a good 3-4 hours to visit the exhibits , enjoy rooftop views, and when famished during or after the tour you can dine at The Craft Taco located at the ground level .

Admission was $24 each. We arrived around 3 pm and we noticed that they closed at 5. I asked the front desk attendant if it was possible to see everything in less than 2 hours and she said yes, without watching the short films you can get through the whole thing in 1-1.5 hours. As of 9/05 they are in the middle of construction and an entire floor is closed down. There is a huge part of the museum that seems geared towards children and school field trips (lots of "did you know?"). But there are also floors with gems/geodes, skulls, dinosaurs, and more. Overall, I am not sure if it was worth the $24 entry fee especially with an entire floor removed from the experience. 1.5 hours was spot on to get through all the floors and exhibits without watching the short films, so the desk attendant was spot on! At the end, we saw this dinosaur (picture) which was my favorite exhibit. Haha.

San Diego natural history Museum what can I say about it? first of all if you haven't experienced Nat at night, you're missing out because it usually happens once a month and every week in the summer. I enjoy this museum the most bc it showcases a lot of the local lore (native plants, animals etc) the fossil floor is my favorite but I understand it's closed until they're ready I love the huge installations of animals and the meg ngl Plenty of things for people and children to look at and learn from ... the candlelight events are amazing too

Went to the San Diego Natural History Museum on Sunday and really enjoyed it. The place was super clean, bright, and had so much to look at. I liked how they made it fun for kids too, there were spots where they could relax or play, but it all still connected to the exhibits. In the paleontology area, they had this huge dinosaur bone puzzle that kept the kids busy and tied in perfectly with the fossils around it along with other cute and relevant games. Everything felt really interactive, and the staff were friendly without being overbearing. The only downfall was that they closed the first level at 3pm so we weren't able to view anything there, but the rest was open until 5pm. Definitely a great spot to spend a few hours.

First, my experience comes from visiting on a Monday around noon. We were able to find plenty of parking by the carousel side of Balboa Park and walked over. Second, I haven't been here since the Titanic Exhibition was here yeaaaaaars ago, but I decided to bring my son who's 18 months old today and my mom as well. My son had a blast and so did we. We were able to get $20 entry for military affiliation and I think it was pretty worth it. There was so much to look at and it was such a blast. My son was running around in amazement of everything and so was I. I appreciate the kids' play area with a small section separated for infants on the first floor towards the back. Bathrooms near the area with a changing station in the big stall at the end. Very cute with nice toys and books I might've missed it, but it could use a hand sanitizer area or like wipes? Kids are germy foreal foreal Elevator available for strollers and wheelchairs. Nice cafe with food at the bottom and don't need entry ticket if you're just there to eat. Love the store they have as well. So many nice and niche items for nature lovers with some cool postcards and greeting cards as well!

First, parking was so hard on a weekend. I don't know what was happening but it was so hard to find a spot anywhere. Once in, it was a lot of learning which is good for the kids interested but perhaps not so much for kids that were expecting a little more interaction. They have a fossil section where my kids thought there would be more dinosaur stuff but it wasn't as much dinosaur as all kinds of animals. I thought they were neat but a kid wasn't super interested. Appreciated the various flip things to make kids think with questions and answers. Museum shop was pretty cool with some fun, unique things too. If your kids like animals, learning all about them and their history, this is the spot. If they want to play more, it's not.

My wife and I were looking for some inexpensive attractions in San Diego, so we decided to go to the museum. Pretty basic museum with limited displays and information. It's 4 levels of pretty much nothing to look at. We went through the museum in about 30 minutes. Pretty disappointed. I don't get all the 5-star reviews, because there is nothing here. Go to a real museum in Natural History Museum in NYC and Washington DC to see actually displays.

This is a nice museum. Interesting things to see. Spacious. Fairly quickly to browse through if you've seen similar things before.

Okay, so I do love nature, history, and museums, and was really excited to come back here again after 10+ years. Admission prices have gone up since I last came here: $24/adult, $20/senior 62+, military, students with ID, and $14/youth 3-17. Not much has changed though. I see the same exhibits I saw back then from dinosaur models and fossils to skulls and native specimens. The have a giant screen theater, which is included with paid admission. Current showings are T. REX (25min), Wild San Diego (40min), and Ocean Oasis (40min), depending on the time. Considering there are 4 floors, I guess because I really didn't see anything new, it was a bit disappointing. I do want to support the museum though. There was a staff member going around asking visitors about their experience and ideas to improve the museum, and so my kiddo suggested perhaps having more aquatic animals or something to attract more people. Regardless, I think younger kids would love this place more and wouldn't mind coming here multiple times.

While the museum was gorgeous, the admission price was a bit high for the number and quality of exhibits. Admission was typically $24 but I visited for free on a resident Tuesday. The multiple floors trick visitors into believing that there are more exhibits than it actually does. I spent about 1.5 hours thoroughly going through all the exhibits. *Expedition Baja: one of the newer exhibits and it centered on the natural landscapes of the California peninsula. This focused more on geographical beauties. I was uncertain if it was intentional but this room was incredibly humid compared to the rest of the museum. *Living Lab: small collection of amphibians, reptiles, and insects. The snakes were especially lively. This collection seems to be steadfast throughout the years but I hope that they'll expand this area to include more animals or species. *Hidden Gems: the minerals were not placed exclusively in one area and there were other gems dispersed near the elevators. I wished there was greater emphasis on minerology, especially with California's extensive history. *Fossil Mysteries: more fossils were in the process of being discovered and we saw some missing on display for "additional research". The models were bright and lively. However, some of the interactive stations were broken. *Unshelved: one of my favorite storage displays. Other museums often clutter their items together without any rhyme or reason but the Nat had a clear theming to each section. Although the storage wasn't as extensive as others, the organization made it easier to consume and appreciate. *Coast to Cactus: more fun for children to climb into tunnels and crevices but I still liked the colorful displays. *Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: more modern and I loved how there was an interactive screen that clearly showed and explain different microscopic slides. The technology was quick and functional and this should be incorporated in other museums too. *Skulls: although the collection was impressive, I don't know why they were placed so close to the railing. This results in 1/4 of the skulls to not be properly viewed. Although they list 200 skulls, so many of them are packed together that it was difficult to appreciate the similarities and differences. This section would benefit from better spacing and descriptors. *Foucault Pendulum: classic exhibit near the entrance but it has definitely seen better days. The railing and ground show some wear and tear. The gift shop was underwhelming. Each item was greatly overpriced and appeared worn out. I usually buy themed souvenirs at all museums yet there was nothing exclusive to the Nat. While I think the Nat is worth visiting, but the admission was twice as others I have visited yet it had less to offer. Best to visit on a Tuesday as a San Diego resident or wait for their half off nights for the best deal.

My kids and I love visiting museums. When in San Diego, we decided to visit this museum as the science one (which we prefer for hands on experiences) was closed. There are many floors to this museum. When we arrived, we started at the top and worked our way down, which was a great choice and would recommend. There were a lot of cool things to look at. There were a few hands on experiences, which we all know kids enjoy. There were things to click on, and there was even a nice reading area just for kids with bean bags, a sculpture bookcase, and tons of books. My kids really enjoyed the live animal exhibit and playing try to find them. Overall, a great museum and can definitely spend a few hours here.

Wow I haven't been here in decades. What an amazing museum. Every exhibit was fun and exciting. We were greeted by Angela and Rhianna and they were both so sweet and helpful. I think we saw everything there was to see and we were not disappointed. I got to see the pendulum knock over a couple blocks and that was awesome lol. We can't wait to go back next year!

The San Diego Natural History Museum (I think locals call it "The Nat" - at least that's how I've heard the TV news anchors refer to it) is a nice destination for the nature enthusiasts in you. Located at the (let's see, umm) far northeast edge of Balboa Park, this museum offers three floors of education, exploration, and inspiration. The exhibits are well-curated and cover a diverse range of topics, from the prehistoric past of dinosaurs and fossils, which you'll find to the right as you enter, to the complex ecosystems of Southern California (lots of spiders, furry critters and the like - don't worry, they're all stuffed or stiff). Check out the "Fossil Mysteries" exhibit with its display of ancient creatures, and the "Coast to Cactus" setup covering the unique biodiversity of the region. They have a nice 3D theater showing various nature and natural world based films with eye-popping images that jump off the screen. You'll hear announcements over a loud speaker when a film is about to start and there are posters letting you know what is "Now Showing". I like how knowledgeable, friendly and ready to share the staff is, making for a more informative and interactive visit. The museum has a unique spacious design where the center is open from the ground floor all the way up past floors 2 and 3 to the ceiling. Look out the back windows by the stairs and you'll see the giant fig tree (I mean giant).

My family and I have visited this museum twice recently and our toddlers both had a blast. There are two entrances from the first or second floor. While there are three floors, the main exhibits were on the second one and the bears and dinosaurs are a favorite of the toddlers. What I also really liked was the under 5 play area on the first floor and the quiet library on the third floor where we parked two strollers and two napping toddlers and were able to relax on the bench ourselves.

We are members so it wasn't our first time here. We love coming to this museum! There is so much to see and learn. I love how there are many fun exhibits for children to see and engage with. Since kids were free this October we decided to invite some other family members to come along. My Sister-in-law called the day before to ask about the rules on strollers and tickets for adults. She was told she could buy her ticket online and her 3 year old would be able to come in for free with her paid admission. She also has a two year old which is already free since she is a baby (2 and under don't require a ticket). When we arrived the girl at the front desk was not friendly at all. She seemed quite bothered that my sister-in-law had bought her ticket online and said that was not acceptable for the free child's admission. When my sister-in-law stated she had called the day before to make sure it was okay the girl looked upset and said "You can enter this time but I'll be talking to my team about this, because this is not okay." After seeing her attitude I checked her name tag and saw her name was Amanda and she was a "lead". For someone who is in a supervisor position I found this very unprofessional and unwelcoming. It was their first time at this museum and it was not a good first impression or a friendly customer service experience for them. I'm not sure why Amanda with the blue hair was so annoyed, when we were just so happy to be there . I have come many times before and the girls working in the front have always been so helpful and friendly. Maybe Amanda can learn from her team.

It isn't awful and it isn't great...it's under a bit of construction but even then - not a lot to see. It feels like they redesigned it with a person who does not like clutter. Which I'm all for but not at a museum! It was very clinical on the first two floors...almost like visiting a doctor's office. For the price...not really worth it buuut to keep out of the heat for an hour or 2 totally worth it!

Cassie J help gave us insight on a lot of the exhibits, she was so nice. Made the experience 10x better

Our little guys LOVES science and animals. The movie was a bit too slow but we loved everything! Especially the geology and the live snakes and the bones exhibits. So much fun. Don't miss the view from the rooftop!!!!

The San Diego Natural History Museum is packed with fascinating exhibits on dinosaurs, fossils, local wildlife, and the natural history of Southern California and Baja. There are interactive displays and a giant screen film showing. The museum is well-organized and does a good job to bring science to life. The top floor balcony offers a great view of Balboa Park! We were visitors (adult couple) and enjoyed it but also recently been to DC's and this was a little underwhelming as we felt it was more geared toward kids and families. Took us maybe an hour and half to see the whole thing.

Great museum for all ages. It packs a ton of info in, and is spaced nicely. There are a lot of stairs, and only a couple elevators, so on busy days it may be difficult to get to every floor efficiently.

I love the Nat at night!! There was plenty of free parking. Staff was nice & helpful throughout all the floors. So many interaction, and hands on experiences for the kids. So many interesting things to see and learn. Food is served on the roof which has a cool view. First floor has craft taco which was good, also there is coffee and alcohol served. They also have a short film you can view in the theatre, which is included with your ticket. We watched about dinosaurs. My grand kids want to go back! Highly recommend.

My partner and I came here during the nighttime admission for half off tickets and had so much fun! It was great seeing the exhibits with a drink in hand. We were amazed how large their collection was and enjoyed each floor, especially the rooftop bar! This was a great spot for date night

My girlfriend and I came here for Nat at night. There was half off admission after 5pm! The exhibits were very interesting; from prehistoric fossils to a live animal exhibit, the museum had a lot to look at and learn about. The museum was huge; I wasn't expecting the museum to be as many floors as it was. I thought it was awesome that you could get drinks and walk around; and they even had a rooftop bar! The staff at the museum were all very friendly and helpful, when we were ordering drinks and asking questions. If you're interested in natural history and in the San Diego area, you should check this museum out!

I went here for the Taylor Swift candlelight event and it is simply amazing. I love the candlelight events here. TIP: If you arrive early, you could wander around the museum for a bit before the show begins.

I love this place so much! I highly recommend this wonderful and amazing museum! It's free on Tuesdays for California residents! Such a fun and educational museum! Great place for school field trips and to take the kids and families!

This is the best museum in Balboa Park!!!! Please do not skip this one! It is amazing to see real dinosaur bones here as well as models of how large they were. You can learn so much here, or just look around at cool things if you don't like to read. My favorite section was actually the "Unshelved" section. I also really enjoyed that there were some real living animals here, such as reptiles and spiders. This place is a must-see!!!! Elevator inside for wheelchair access.

First Stop on my Balboa Park Museum Adventure It was alright. It's summer so there's summer campers and tourists but it's San Diego so ... the kids got a good laugh at the selfies I took. Great for the kids. I did appreciate the beauty of the gems. It was nice to see them beautified in another way than jewelry.

Love the exhibits here so much ! Very clean and situated perfectly between all the floors. There are elevators as well if stairs aren't your thing. Favorite museum by far!

The San Diego Natural History Museum is a nice place for children to learn and explore the past. I enjoyed quite a few exhibits featuring prehistoric animals, but the museum is pretty sparse. It took approximately 45-60 minutes to walk through the entire museum, including my time in the gift shop/cafe. I've been spoiled by the Smithsonian museums I visited as a child, but that's not to say the San Diego Natural Museum does not have merits. I recommend coming on a Tuesday when it's free for San Diego City & County residents or purchasing a Balboa Park Explorer Pass. This way you can pay a discounted fee and visit several museums in the Park. Otherwise, admission is $24 for adults and $14 for children (ages 3-17).

We came for the 150th birthday celebration! There was so much to see and learn about. I think you could spend 1-2 hours here. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. There's lots of history to be appreciated here!

Came here for Nat at Night. Admission is half the cost of normal admission. Honestly it's a great event. Something about being in a museum after hours just makes it so much more fun! The displays are all wonderful curated and all the information placards are in English and Spanish. It's easy to go through everything pretty quickly even if you peruse through at a leisurely pace. Even though it's not jam packed with exhibits, the exhibits that are available are quite good. With the rooftop patio lit up and serving drinks and food though during the Nat at Night event, the museum becomes a perfect spot for a fun date night idea. I can imagine this museum feeling a bit sparse but it's perfect for a laidback peruse while enjoying drinks and snacks and conversation. The short movies playing on the giant screen theater are excellent also. Overall, it's a pretty fun and unique experience and I had a blast. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something fun and chill to do with friends or family or a unique date night idea.

We love visiting this museum! There are so many different exhibits and lots for kids to look at. Some of the exhibits are interactive and so fun!

This place is great! You can get an excellent overview of the geological and ecological history of the San Diego area. Plus, the museum is built with small kids in mind with a lot of "play" areas within each exhibit. We had visited before the evening scavenger hunt and drinks on the roof but this is the first time we actually had the time to look at all the exhibits. I can't imagine how much they have in storage that we don't get to see.

Came here with our 7 year old and he loved it. There are so many things to see and do. The museum is 4 levels and the layout is very easy to work from the top down so you don't miss a thing. You learn a lot about the different places around San Diego and the conservation work that the museum scientists have done. There are a lot of different exhibits meant to engage a child's mind and get them to think about the world around them. It also allows them to see things that they might not have seen before. From the different live animals to the taxidermy ones it brings out a bunch of curiosity. We were lucky to be there when one of the films was playing in the theater so we got to learn about the TRex and also learn about how some of the fossils were discovered not by scientists but by a trio of pre teens. This is an engaging museum that captures the attention, indulges the curiosity of everyone young and old. It's a great place to spend a few hours or if pressed on time just see an exhibit or two. Next time we are back in the area we will definitely be coming here.

I highly recommend this museum for kids. Parking: There is free parking in a lot near the museum, on the street, or down by the lot by the carousel. On the weekend the lots are full by 11am. Entry is located across from the GIANT tree. Walk down steps, enter door and walk to counter. They have maps at front but you don't really need them. The basement floor was not open when I went. The first/main floor has the giant t-rex skeleton that everyone loved. There were beautiful gems placed throughout the museum. Kids were mainly focused on the things they could touch and were bored with most other things. They had live insects and reptiles in the corner on the first floor. The second floor had some neat kid friendly areas, including a darkened camp ground story area (very cool!) and a giant tree your kid can go in to take a picture. On the third floor there are stairs in the back that go to a small hideaway book reading area for kids. I highly recommend this museum as it was very interesting, well planned and kids loved it. It took a little over an hour to go through everything.

So much to see and learn about in one place. Great for the family and curious minds. Interesting info about fire in a chaparral ecosystem and seeing the transformation of parts of San Diego. Kids loved the dinosaurs and mineral exhibits. We could easily spend hours in this museum. Definitely recommend it.

I came here awhile ago but I thought I would write a review and share some pictures. I'm sure they have done some renovations and remodeling since then. Current admission is $24 for an adult. Parking was very easy, we had no issues finding a spot. I really enjoyed this museum. I saw a lot of intriguing exhibits and I liked that they had some interactive activities. We probably spent 3-4 hours here. Museum was well kept. We came on a day where it wasn't too busy at all.

Nice museum at balboa park. My kids enjoyed it. This is a good size museum. It has a theater inside. It was very educational and fun for the kids.

I visited the museum today, as it was free access for residents (uou check out Balboa website for Free Tuesday musuem access to local resistants). I overlooked that it was spring break for the schools, so the museum was packed with children and their parents. Also, the parking lot had some challenges to finding an open spot. But nonetheless I went, and had a good time overall. There's four floors, they did a really good job of creating different types of exhibits, some with live animals / reptiles, some with recreated natural habitats, some walkthroughs over the computer montiors, and movie/film showings. There's a lot of different exhibits to digest in this museum. From underwater creatures to dinosaurs to crystals and rocks. Overall, I would say the museum appeals more to children than adults. I'm still making my way through all of the Balboa museums, but I wouldn't go to this museum if I didn't have children. With that being said, this is a very children friendly museum! Great activity to take your kids to. It's very interactive and very entertaining with all of the large dinosaurs and animals they recreated.

Interactive museum for wide range of ages and interests. Take time to check out all areas and floor levels of the museum. The public areas have increased over the last few years to include the ability to view science work underway by specialists and even the ability to speak with staff. The activities and events offered for various ages, interests and abilities make this museum fun for all. Friday evening events on the outdoor deck with tasty food and drinks is a nice way to enjoy a summer evening. The gift shop has a wide range of unique items making it a San Diego downtown shopping destination (shop can be accessed without museum entry fee). The museum's Canyoneers Hiking group outings are fun and informative and offer a range of levels and varied hike locations.

Nice displays of vertebrae, dinosaurs, animals and more. We went with 2 kids and did not see it all after 2 hours. But that depends, on how much learning and reading they do. There are lots of places to sit and there are 3 different movies included with admission in a large theater. It's also very quite for the older set, we went on a Friday afternoon.

Fun fact: when you grow up in San Diego and THIS is your museum experience during elementary school field trips, you will be very spoiled. It's been over 15 years and the Nat is as awesome as I remember it being. We spent about an hour exploring before my friend's kid needed a nap and our trip was cut short, and there is a lot more that I need to explore. I especially enjoyed the exhibits on the local habitat, especially as it pertains to wildfires being a natural part of the area. I enjoyed learning more about the area, the animals that call it home, and more. I've been to other natural history museums that were just filled with a bunch of sad taxidermy; The Nat in San Diego is a true gem.