Best Museums in Palo Verde Lake

"The USS Midway was the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. It was named for the Battle of Midway but was not used in World War II. It was notably used during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. You can tour all parts of the ship, including the flight deck and below deck exhibits!"

"USS Midway is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. USS Midway is situated 2 km north of Coronado Ferry Landing Shopping Center. Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain."

"Located in Balboa Park, the San Diego Museum of Art is a must-see attraction when visiting the city. The exterior itself is a masterpiece, with an ornamented doorway consisting of life-sized sculptures of Spanish painters and heraldry. Inside you’ll find Spanish and Italian old masters, Asian paintings and sculptures, and a range of touring exhibits."

"Considered one of the great small museums in the world, the Timken houses a wonderful collection of European old master paintings, American paintings, and Russian icons. Artists represented include Rembrandt, Rubens, Fragonard, Bierstadt, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, John Singleton Copley, and Eastman Johnson. Admission is always free."

"The Timken Museum of Art, established in 1965, displays a collection of European masters, notable American artists and Russian icons. Works of fine art include paintings by Rembrandt, John Singleton Copley and Peter Paul Rubens as well as sculptures and tapestries."

"New Children's Museum is an interactive museum in San Diego that is a not-for-profit organization. It is a novel model of the Children's Museum that operates with a mission to pique creativity, imagination, and critical thinking in children and families via inventive and captivating experiences with modern art. The museum encourages children to think, play, and create through engrossing exhibitions, art-oriented activities, artistic performances, and educational opportunities."

"The New Children’s Museum is an interactive arts-based museum that commissions contemporary artists to create pieces with tactile, physical, and participatory elements to introduce kids to art and create an opportunity for them to observe, play, and create. Getting in: New Children's Museum tickets are included on the Go San Diego Card All-Inclusive Pass."

"If you’re reading this, you probably have kids and know how valuable a good children’s museum can be. The New Children’s Museum in San Diego is no exception. This new model of museum was designed to stimulate imagination, creativity, and critical thinking in children and families — something all parents can agree is important."

"The Museum of Photographic Arts, also known as (MOPA) is also located in Balboa Park. Founded in 1974, this museum represents one of the three museums in the US whose main focus is only the preservation and collection of photography. The main mission of this museum is to educate and inspire its visitors."

"The Museum of Photographic Arts showcases over 9 thousand images. These visual masterpieces range from the 19th century up until the current day. The museum offers a diverse view into different cultural events, historical moments and addresses social issues throughout its galleries."

"The Power of Photography MOPA is a center for visual learning, passionately dedicated to sharing and exploring the universal language of photography."

"Founded in 1973, it was the first museum to build a planetarium and IMAX dome on site, offering its guests a wide range of entertainment options even as it educated them on scientific subjects. Other museums quickly went “hey, that’s a good idea” and copied the design, and now, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a museum dome. The good news is that the Fleet Science Center is still just as fun as it was in the ’70s."

"The Fleet Science Center is an interactive museum that highlights how we are connected through science. All ages tend to love the over 100 interactive exhibits that simplify and allow you to test various theories you may have learned at school. Kids under the age of 5 spend quite a bit of time in Kid City."

"The Fleet Science Center is always a crowd-pleaser for the crew. Get the fam in free the first Tuesday of the month. (Go early and avoid large crowds)."

"The First San Diego Courthouse, rebuilt in 1992, was originally the town hall. Constructed by the Mormon Battalion, the first brick building in San Diego became the courthouse when the city was incorporated in 1850. It also served as a school, church and polling place."

"The Wells Fargo Museum, located inside the Colorado House, features one of the company’s original 1867 Concord stagecoaches. The recreated and historically-furnished former hotel also houses actual historic telegraph machines and a variety of other memorabilia related to the banking and transportation company. Photo Courtesy of Historic Old Town Community Foundation"

"The San Diego Asian Pacific Historic District, San Diego’s historic Chinatown, is an eight-block district adjacent to and in part overlapping with the Gaslamp Quarter Historic District. The San Diego Chinatown is bounded by Market Street on the north, 2nd Ave. on the west, 6th ave. on the east and J st. on the south. 22 structures are considered historically contributing."

"The Chinese Historical Museum displays Chinese-American art, culture and history. Housed in a restored mission-style building, exhibits include miniature models, historic photographs and rare artifacts related to the heritage of San Diego’s Chinese community. *Small donation requested."

"In 2011, Joshua Pavlick decided to turn a part of his home into an art exhibition space. And while that sounds like a wild idea, it’s paid off big time for Pavlick, local artists, and the community as a whole. Helmuth Projects was designed with the idea of helping lesser-known artists display their work to the masses."

"The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages showcases the traditions of 34 national groups, some of which have their own cottages (build originally for the 1935 Exposition). The goal is to promote multicultural understanding through exhibits and programming. (Location: Balboa Park)"

"It’s their mission at Golden Donuts to make the best, most uniform donuts as they possibly can with every batch. Image courtesy of Golden Donuts Instagram. While you can expect pretty much any donut you pick up to be sweet, not everyone is a fan of the sickly sweet flavors that accompany a lot of the more well-known donut establishments around San Diego - let alone the whole country."

"Tried them out for the first time today and will definitely be back!. We got a variety of half a dozen donuts and Vietnamese coffee and love everything."