Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Imperial Beach

"San Diego Museum of Art is known for its collection of renowned Spanish and Italian masters, collections of Indian paintings, 19th- and 20th-century American sculptures and paintings, and new and changing exhibits from across the globe. Famous names include El Greco, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco Goya. The museum restaurant, Panama 66, is one of our favorite places to eat in Balboa Park."

"Its front doors are located in a gigantic, cathedral-style facade that took a full two years to build, and they can be seen from every direction if you’re in the neighborhood."

"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]"

"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 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."

"Originally in La Jolla, the New Children’s Museum opened in its current light-filled downtown space in 2008. Entering the multi-story, 50,000-square-foot space, it’s immediately evident that a lot of thought and imagination has gone into the museum’s design. Off the bat, a room lined entirely with mattresses invites kids to literally jump on the bed."

"The Museum of Photographic Arts is a museum and visual learning center, situated in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. It is an independent institution that collects, protects, and presents photography, films, and video graphics art. MOPA presents a broad range of rotating exhibitions from the solo photographer as well as group shows around the globe, across the year."

"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."

"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."

"The Mingei International museum in San Diego is a not-for-profit public art museum that collects, conserves, and manifests folk art, designs, and crafts. It is situated in the House of Charm, Balboa Park in San Diego, California. The word Mingei means 'Art of the people'."

"A diverse collection of folk art, costumes, toys, jewelry, utensils and other handmade objects of traditional cultures from around the world, plus changing exhibitions covering beads to surfboards. Check the website to find out what's on."

"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."

"Located inside Balboa Park, the San Diego Museum of Art is one of the most popular indoor attractions in San Diego and plays host to a large collection of artwork. For those who enjoy viewing masterpieces created by European, American and Asian artists, the museum offers a broad selection of pieces including work from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as some from today’s most recognizable artists. The San Diego Museum of Art is the oldest and largest art museum in the region and welcomes guests from all over the world throughout the year."

"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."

"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."

"When founded in 1941, the San Diego Art Institute was called the San Diego Business Men’s Art Club, only permitting male members. By the 1950s, women were allowed in and the name had been changed. The cultural institution now showcases experimental art from a diverse array of artists from the Southern California/Baja Norte region."

"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."

"Tuna Dockside Market is a hidden gem - a pop up fish market on the pier between Seaport Village and the USS Midway, more or less, is a fishing pier where the local fishermen bring in their catch every Saturday morning from 8AM to 1PM. Everything here is fresh, there’s no fake prop fish or fresh frozen fish here. If you are on vacation it’s fun to see what the local waters have provided (and if you’re a local you would be wise to bring a cooler) and there’s always a stand there serving up ultra fresh fish tacos, typically two for $13."

"A post shared by Travel For Less (@lets_talk_travel_) on Jan 7, 2017 at 7:51am PST. Make yourself a reservation and come enjoy a Sunday brunch at Humphreys!. Here, you’ll find everything a brunch in San Diego should be, with seafood that is sourced locally, plenty of breakfast entree choices and a never-ending supply of your favorite champagne."

"Humphreys SoCal Dining and Music presents its award-winning buffet brunch on Sundays only. The contemporary cuisine is SoCal-inspired with global influences, prepared using locally..."

"Humphrey’s SoCal Dining and Music, located on Shelter Island Drive in Point Loma, is a casually elegant place that many locals think is the most romantic restaurant in San Diego."

"I do have to say that my sister has been here several times and has enjoyed it every time. We did hit on an off day – they were understaffed and had one waitress for our whole group (which was over 30 of us) so that was a little rough. But the food is good – I had some Carne Asada Fries that were really good."