Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Crest

"The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. SDMA houses a wide collection of curated exhibitions that shouldn’t be missed!. Current exhibits range from the beautiful “Art of the Open Air” (excellent for those with concerns over social distancing) to the Modern and Contemporary Art gala."

"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."

"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 Children’s Museum provides a dynamic, playful public space and community center for children and families—a place to experience exciting art exhibitions, hands-on studio projects, performances, birthday parties, in-depth classes, camps and educational programs. Across the street from the new building is a beautiful park, extending the museum visit outdoors with space for running, climbing, family picnics and a view of the trains and trolley going by."

"The New Children's Museum re-opened in 2008 with a motto of think, play and create, which is exactly what kids do here. What is different about The New Children's Museum is that they specifically commission works of art with tactile features that appeal to kids rather than re-create existing art to suit a younger generation. There's hands-on art and exhibits to hold the attention of toddlers up through teen years."

"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."

"The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is one of a few private institutions dedicated to showcasing photography, film, and video. They also offer various workshops for photography enthusiasts (and I love stopping into the gift shop on my way out). Admission is free but based on a pay as you wish philosophy because one of their goals is to make their exhibitions accessible to all."

"See the world through the lens of a trained eye at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA), home to over 9,000 images from the 19th century to today. The MOPA is dedicated to collecting, conserving, and exhibiting the entire spectrum of the photographic medium. The museum’s diverse exhibits explore cultural, historical, and social issues through photography."

"Art is subjective and interpretive, and sometimes hard to decipher. Less so photographic arts, perhaps. And who doesn't like looking at amazing images of real things?"

"Founded in 1978 by San Diego State University professor of art Martha Longenecker, Mingei International Museum collects, conserves and exhibits items of daily use, such as ceramics. With a collection of 17,500 objects from 141 countries, the museum contains folk art from the third century BC to the present day. Longenecker studied pottery-making under the tutelage of the founders of the Mingei Association of Japan, which inspired her to bring the vision of mingei to America."

"Established in 1978, Mingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution that was established in 1978. Located in Balboa Park, the museum houses a variety of art forms from cultures all around the world, both past, and present. It includes nearly 20,000 artistic objects and artifacts from over 140 countries and focuses on folk art, craft, and design."

"By Oleg Alexandrov (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Visit this vibrant, community-driven museum and get a taste of the San Diego art scene right at the source: the San Diego Art Institute. This museum's mission is to connect contemporary artists from southern California and northern Baja with audiences and to showcase art in a way that promotes cultural perspective and understanding."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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 region's largest fine arts museum attracts more than 250,000 visitors a year to its diverse cultural exhibits. The museum's collection is astoundingly comprehensive, with artwork ranging in date from 5,000 BC to the present. The San Diego Museum of Art is most famous for its South Asian paintings from the Edwin Binney 3rd collection."

"Enjoy a classic Italian dinner at our onsite restaurant, Manhattan of La Jolla that offers a wide-ranging menu of pastas, steaks, and seafood in a romantic setting. Savor a delicious Caesar salad made tableside, homemade eggplant parmigiana, or just relax with a glass of fine wine. Don't feel like eating out?"

"Sugar and Scribe is a bakery and restaurant in one, the brainchild of chef-owner Maeve Rochford, winner of the Food Network's “Holiday Baking Championship.” The restaurant has an a..."

"This new dessert joint offers handmade French pastries, amazing macarons, and some to-die-for truffles. Be sure to visit, and try their coconut salted caramel macarons as well as the creme brulee and chocolate truffles!"

"The 2,400-bench-seat pavilion, dedicated in 1915 by sugar magnates John D. and Adolph B. Spreckels, holds the 4,518-pipe Spreckels Organ,…"

"The 2,400-bench-seat pavilion, dedicated in 1915 by sugar magnates John D. and Adolph B. Spreckels, holds the 4,518-pipe Spreckels Organ,…"