Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Bonita

"The Natural History Museum, the Museum of Man and the Museum of Art are three of the other most popular museums. (And, no, I’ve not missed San Diego Zoo – see my thoughts on the zoo and Sea World below)."

"Within Balboa Park stands the intricate facade of the San Diego Museum of Art, the region’s oldest and largest art museum visited by half a million people every year."

"The San Diego Museum of Art is one of Balboa Park's most popular attractions, drawing over a quarter-million visitors every year.[Learn more]"

"The New Children's Museum in San Diego is a great museum for families with children to visit. The museum's state of the art center is focused on creating a space where children can think, play and create through hands-on exhibitions, art creation, and educational opportunities. It has something for children of every age and parents will enjoy the learning nature of it as well."

"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."

"This world-class museum features extensive collections of still photographs, videos and films. The history of the medium is illustrated, from the earliest Daguerreotypes and albumen prints to modern laser holograms. A variety of artists are represented, including Alfred Stieglitz, Ben Shahn, Alberto Korda, Ansel Adams and Margaret Bourke-White."

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

"Art speaks powerfully of the similarities and distinctions of individuals and cultures at this international museum for the "art of the people" (mingei). The museum has an 18,000-piece collection representing 140 countries around the world. Constantly changing exhibits enhanced by lectures, films, demonstrations, and other events make this a dynamic place for artistic enlightenment."

"Dedicated to art of the people (mingei) from all eras and cultures of the world, Mingei International Museum features dynamic, changing exhibitions of historical and contemporary folk art, craft and design."

"San Diego Art Institute is a not-for-profit institution in San Diego, California, that is an experimental bi-national modern art center. It is situated in the historic building House of Charm in Balboa Park, El Prado. SDAI is the only contemporary culture association in Balboa Park that supports the creation of innovative art by providing exclusive space for artistic competencies of Southern California and Northern Baja to fraternize, exhibit, and bloom."

"A new exhibition of works by San Diego artists opens every four to six weeks in this 10,000-square-foot gallery, dedicated to the advancement of the visual arts through outreach, education, and exhibition."

"Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is an art museum that is engaged in the collection, preservation, exhibitions, evaluations of artworks from the 1950s to today so far. It is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941. MCASD offers access to the finest art at two exemplary locations in San Diego, i.e., the La Jolla and downtown location of Santa Fe Depot."

"It’s a rare phenomenon for such a sunny place, but it does happen, and it doesn’t have to be a vacation ruiner. Just visit somewhere like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). MCASD houses many different types of art, including paintings, sculptures, scrolls and 3D art installations that jut out from the walls and dangle from invisible strings."

"The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is spread out over two venues, one downtown and one in La Jolla. The museum is dedicated to serving their diverse audience through exhibits of art created since 1950. The downtown location features site-specific...[Learn more]"

"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."

"Even if you’re broke, the Timken Museum of Art is always free, and if you have a Bank of America card, the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photogenic Arts are free on certain days. If you love art, check out the Spanish village. These are historic buildings turned art galleries and stores which have a lot of their work for sale. Even just walking through this area is a fun experience."

"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."

"We’re not afraid to say it: Zen 5 is our favorite sushi place in town. An icon in the San Diego community, Zen 5 offers only the freshest fish and delicious Japanese style cuisine. Standout Quality: With nearly 40 different combinations, Zen 5 offers the greatest variety of sushi rolls in San Diego."

"Not all pop-up food retailers find the success necessary to graduate to a brick-and-mortar, but then again not all pop-ups feature bites as decadent nor as memorable as Maya’s Cookies. Born out of the desire to find vegan cookies that passed the taste, texture, and aroma test, owner Maya Madsen got to work crafting what would become the nation’s largest and most successful female and Black-owned vegan cookie retailer. Flavors vary from White Chocolate Espresso to Birthday Cake and Brown Sugar Butterscotch to Classic Chocolate Chip with several gluten-free options."

"What began as a way to earn extra income to put her sons through college grew into a beloved San Diego company that pleases anyone with a sweet treat, vegan or not. Maya Madsen, founder of Maya’s Cookies, wants her customers to know that she and her crew welcome questions and love hearing about their experience with the decadent goodies. “We focus on the quality of the ingredients and everything is artisanal and hand-scooped,” Madsen said."

"Maya now has the number one Black-owned and women-owned vegan cookie company in the country. Since June 2020, when Black Lives Matter supporters began showing her some love, her business took off and she now has her own storefront in Grantville/Mission Valley East. People drive from far and wide to buy her award-winning cookies that she’s been selling at local farmer’s markets since 2015."

"Sipz Clairemont shares their passion through serving vegan versions of Asian dishes. They constantly promote compassion for animal welfare. The restaurant also encourages people to live a healthy lifestyle."