Frugal San Diego | Art, Theater & Museums

Free Museum Days

San Diego is a city steeped in culture and history.  Fortunately, there is a tremendous amount of community support that helps our many institutions and museums welcome new guests with free attendance days.  Here are the ones that we’ve discovered so far!

• New Children’s Museum New to San Diego, this one is a hit with the younger crowds — just the way this innovative museum likes it!  They live by the motto ‘Think Play Create’ in an effort to encourage active minds, healthy bodies and unstructured play.  On the second Sunday of each month admission is free, with the help of sponsorship by Target.  Check out their website for program details specific to each month.
  200 West Island Ave., San Diego, 92101 (619) 233-8792

Balboa Park Museums

As a special perk to San Diego city & county residents and active military service-members & their families, the museums of Balboa park offer Free Tuesday admission on a rotating schedule!  Special exhibits are not be included in this offer; a rule of thumb is that if it requires an additional ticket, those prices will remain in effect.

1st Tuesday

• Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Hands-on exhibits & an IMAX® Dome Theater featuring films & planetarium shows.
  1875 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 238-1233
• Centro Cultural de la Raza This cultural arts center is dedicated to promoting & preserving Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous and Latino art and culture.
  2004 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 235-6135
• San Diego Model Railroad Museum Largest permanent operating model railroad & toy train museum in North America, with an interactive toy train gallery.
  1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 696-0199
• San Diego Natural History Museum Fascinating exhibits and films exploring our earth’s science.
  1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-3821

2nd Tuesday

• Museum of Photographic Arts Dedicated exclusively to photographic arts and film.
  1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 238-7559
• Museum of San Diego History and Research Library Their collection chronicles San Diego’s history, including an extensive library.  Host to lectures, workshops and educational programs.
  1649 El Prado, Suite #3 San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-6203
  
• Balboa Park Veterans Museum & Memorial Center Hosts to a collection of artifacts & memorabilia from the Civil War to the present.
  2115 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 239-2300

3rd Tuesday

• San Diego Art Institute Rotating exhibitions of San Diego artists, promoting visual arts through outreach & education.
  1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 236-0011
• Mingei International Museum Collections of art from cultures around the world, featuring historical and contemporary folk art, craft and design.
  Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 239-0003
• San Diego Museum of Art The county’s oldest & largest art museum, with international collections & major traveling exhibitions.
  1450 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-7931
• San Diego Museum of Man San Diego’s only anthropology museum, with exhibitions on human evolution, ancient Egyptian, Maya & Kumeyaay cultures, and more.
  1350 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 239-2001
• Japanese Friendship Garden Originally a teahouse during the 1915–16 Panama-California Exposition, this two acre garden area now offers an exhibit house & regular classes, ranging from bonsai to conversational Japanese.
  2215 Pan American Rd. E, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-2721

4th Tuesday

• San Diego Air & Space Museum A comprehensive history of aviation, from the first vehicle of ‘flight’ (a model of a hot air balloon created in 1783) to military jets & space-age technologies.
  2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 234-8291
• San Diego Automotive Museum A large collection of autos, motorcycles & memorabilia.
  2080 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 231-AUTO (2886)
• San Diego Hall of Champions The nation’s largest multi-sport museum, complete with interactive media & exhibits, the Hall spotlights San Diego’s all-time greatest athletes and teams.
  2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 234-2544
• House of Pacific Relations International Cottages Cottages from the 1935 Exposition are now home to educational & cultural programs used promote multicultural goodwill. Open Houses every Sunday showcase national traditions & feature music, dance, traditional costumes, arts, crafts, and ethnic foods.
  2125 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 236-0011

5th Tuesday

• … normal pricing in effect for all museums & attractions in Balboa Park

Always FREE Admission

• Timken Museum of Art European old masters American art, and Russian icons, from the 13th through 19th centuries.
  1500 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 239-5548