See & do · Museums
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Opening hours
- Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Images provided by Google Places
Popular place with historical aircraft/spacecraft & interactive exhibits, plus a gift shop & grill.via Google
A Smithsonian-affiliated museum housing a vast collection of historic aircraft replicas and space exploration artifacts.
- Good to know
- €€, allow 2 hours.
Reviews from Google
I am on the fence about giving this 4 stars and not 5. The exhibits are well done, and they have a large number of replica aircraft especially from the Birth of Flight to World War I. That said, the price, at $35, was a bit steep compared to other museums in the area that you will most likely visit. In the museum's defense, the original Air and Space Museum burned to the ground in 1978, which resulted in the loss of many aircraft. I took an Uber, but parking seemed available, and you cannot beat the location in Balboa Park, especially if you are a museum buff! The site is accessible for people with mobility issues, and the staff is helpful, look for folks in red jackets. I would recommend visiting other museums in the area like the Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and the Automotive Museum next door as well as this one.
Big museum so definitely have comfortable shoes 👞. Lots to see and explore very fascinating exhibits. There’s a lot going on so take your time and take it all in. Benches are all over the place to take a break and outside there’s a nice grassland to sit back and enjoy . Airplanes landing at the airport will zoom by about every 19 minutes. The timing is based on weather conditions so it can always change just so you are aware if they pass more frequently or less frequently.
The AIR SPACE Museum in America is free every second Tuesday of the month. You can also hold a wedding or other fun event there. There are lots of vintage airplanes, including military aircraft. I highly recommend it. Parking nearby is $10 for three hours.
While visiting family in San Diego, my sister, niece and myself took a few hours out of our day to checkout the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. The experience was great and very informative, even for my 5 year old niece.
We came here on a Saturday morning, shortly after opening. Although a festival was nearby, it wasn't overly packed or unpleasant. My aviation loving kiddo was happy, before walking in, and even more so after. The museum workers not only were helpful, but had some additional facts and stories that made some exhibits that much more interesting. My kiddo also was able to successfully land the space ship in the simulator that Sally Ride had done, so that was awesome. Overall, a good museum. 1-2 hours is all you need, but of course could spend more time. Outside, you are also on the arrivals path for San Diego international, so can plane spot for bonus! But definitely make a point to stop in and see what stories and artifacts can come to life for you. That was my favorite part.