San Diego Museum Month February 2026: 20 Best Museums for Kids

Link for half off LEGOLAND Tickets.

San Diego Museum Month returns for its 36th year in February 2026! You can access 70 San Diego County Museums (and this year some Tijuana museums!) for half-priced admissions for the entire month of February. Scroll to the bottom to see the full list of participating museums.

This year there are 70 participating local museums, special exhibitions, special events, historic sites, AND new Museum Month locations. This popular program is a great opportunity to check out as many museums as you can in the 28 days Museum Month is active in February.

How To Get Your Pass

You have two options for picking up your free museum month passes. You can pick up a physical pass at any of your local libraries in the county of San Diego (starting Jan 24) or you can download digital passes from this website. Some exhibitions and cultural offerings will require you to make reservations but for most, you can just show up with your museum pass in hand to get half-price admission. Check The San Diego Museum Council Website by The California Arts Council for information on additional fees.

How To Use Your Pass

How to use the pass varies by location. The physical pass has specific instructions for each place. In most places, you can just show up and flash your pass (digital or physical) to get half-price tickets but for a few, you will need to reserve online ahead of time with a code. I included that information in my roundup of the museums I recommend visiting with kids.

What’s New For 2026

New locations for 2026 include The Navy SEAL Museum, and somehow LEGOLAND has a designation as a museum and I am here for it. I also look forward to checking out The Brain Observatory where a neuroscientist will guide you through his anatomical laboratory and neuroscience showroom. For the second time, this offer extends to six museums and cultural sites in Tijuana in Baja California two miles south of the US-Mexico border.

Top Museum Recs For Kids

1. Birch Aquarium in La Jolla
2. The Automotive Museum in Balboa Park
3. The San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas
4. The Maritime Museum of San Diego in Downtown San Diego
5. The California Surf Museum in Carlsbad
6. La Mesa Depot Museum
7. The Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista
8. LEGOLAND and Sealife Aquarium
9. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park
10. San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park
11. The New Children’s Museum
12. San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
13. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park
14. The Natural History Museum (The NAT in Balboa Park)
15. The San Diego Museum of Art
16. The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon
17. Balboa Park Botanical Building
18. Japanese Friendship Gardens
19. Museum of Making Music
20. Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

Birch Aquarium in La Jolla

This sweet little aquarium is high up on the cliffs above La Jolla. The aquarium isn’t huge, so it’s easy to see everything here in a few hours. You enter in the middle of the aquarium. There are two halls displaying fish on either side. Walk directly through the entry and you’ll reach the touch pool. The lunch area, leopard sharks, and seahorse exhibit are to the left: turtles, jellies, and kelp forest to the right. 

The touch pool at the back of the aquarium overlooks the rolling waves of La Jolla Shores. We loved touching the stingray here! The shark tank is at the end of the aquarium outside. The tank is raised so you can see the sharks super clearly. My kids were mesmerized watching the leopard sharks swim about! This is also a good place for lunch.

Make sure you spend some time enjoying the view over La Jolla. All the fences are glass so it’s easy to find a spot to sit and soak it all in. If you have time, at the end of the parking lot there is a small hike that leads to a secret swing that overlooks La Jolla. The last I checked it was down for maintenance but it’s always worth a look to see if it’s up!

Kids are $20 and adults are $25 so half price it would be kids are $10 and adults $13! Kids under 3 are free. Use code MuseumMonth26 at checkout. You will need to buy the tickets online beforehand because reservations are required and then present either the digital or physical museum pass with your reservation.

The Auto Museum in Balboa Park

This museum isn’t huge, but it’s GREAT for a kid who loves cars. My kids’ favorite part was sitting in the DeLorean from Back To The Future! The museum is right next to our favorite green parking tram that takes you all around Balboa Park. Sometimes that’s all my kids want to do, they don’t even care about the museum. They want to ride the green tram!

The cost for this museum is normally $16 for adults and $10 for kids so it would be $8 and $5 during Museum Month. Kids under 3 are free.

San Diego Botanic Garden

True to form, San Diego takes a regular botanic garden and makes it awesome for kids. Grab a scavenger hunt when you come in to make sure you don’t miss anything. We especially loved the pollinator’s garden. Your children can look for bees and listen to birds. The docents had a handout where the kids could count the pollinators and do “research.”

M-F they have free art projects in the Children’s Garden. We loved painting on the big canvasses and the giant chalkboard. Up past the old parking lot, you will find a second Children’s Garden with a train and sensory bins. This is a place we go with the grandparents a lot. Both grandparents and kids love plants! The garden is open Wed-Sun 10-5. Check their website for exact hours. Address: 300 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Don’t miss the nearby park Olympus Park! It continually wins the best park with the moms on my IG page. The only downside is there are no bathrooms there so bring the travel potty!

The cost for this museum is $18/adult and $10/kid so for Museum Month it would be $9 and $5! Under age 3 is free. This museum offers 4 half price tickets for walk up admission only (no advance purchase needed this year).

The Maritime Museum of San Diego in Downtown San Diego

I do not see this museum come up when the library gives out free passes, so Museum Month when it’s half-price is a brilliant time to go. USS Midway is another one that doesn’t come up in the library free pass system and they are right next to each other so you could make a day of it!

Don’t miss the B-39 Submarine, the HMS Surprise (used for filming Master and Commander!), the San Salvador, and of course The Star of India! You can climb all around the ships, touch everything, and even use the periscope in the submarine. Open 10-5 every day. Last entry is at 4 pm. I would expect to spend 2 plus hours there, more if you have a kid who is into boats. There are options for add-on pirate boat rides too!

Admission to this museum is normally $24/adult and $12/kid so it would be $12/adult and $6/kid for Museum Month. Kids under three are free!

This museum is next to one of our favorite parks, Waterfront Park. They make a great combo visit. The park has excellent views of the boats. In the warmer months, the park has a splash pad. You can use the same parking spot for both! It’s easy to find metered street parking. 

Note: This spot takes PRINTED physical passes only. No digital copies accepted. Passes are valid for self-guide general admission tickets only for up to 4 adults. Please note that admission does not include add-on experiences like boat rides and admission is limited to 4 tickets per family.

California Surf Museum in Carlsbad

This museum up in Carlsbad is on our list for this year. You can explore the world of surfing by looking at the history of wave riding or viewing surf memorabilia through 40 years! The coolest thing they have there is the surfboard Bethany Hamilton was riding and the swimsuit she was wearing when she got her arm bit off by a shark in Hawaii! You can also explore the science of waves, the evolution of boogie boarding, and see Kelly Slater’s surfboard. 

Adults are normally $7 and kids under $11 are free! So you could visit this museum for just $4 per adult.

Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park

This museum always makes the top list of museums to visit, however, there is not a ton there for kids to see and do. They do have a Pac-Man exhibit in the basement that my kids enjoyed. The target audience for this museum is individuals who enjoy Comic-Con. They did have a traveling Spider-Man exhibit with memorabilia from the movie, but unfortunately, that exhibit has moved on. I would say visit it for Museum Month if you have a comic book superfan, otherwise you are ok to skip this one. This museum is NOT included in the Balboa Park Explorer Pass so Museum Month is a great time to visit.

This museum is $25 / adult $18 / teenager and $12/child. Under 6 are free. So for Museum Month, you could go for $12/adult, $9/teenager, and $6/child. They are only offering the half-ff deal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and it’s limited to two adults and two kids. No reservations are required.

La Mesa Depot Museum

Got a train lover? This one is a great stop for them! Though the museum is free, so you might want to wait until after museum month to visit, it still is on the list for museum month so we are throwing it in here. Your kids can experience a real train and baggage waiting room!

Living Coast Discovery Center

The Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista is a combo aquarium and zoo that is super cute! It is inside the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. The are nine exhibits including a turtle lagoon, raptor row, native pollinator garden, shark and ray experience, hands-on pools, and daily animal encounters and presentations. 

The cost to get in for adults is $20 and for children, it’s $15. Under 2 are free. During Museum Month, adults can go for $10 and kids for $7.50!

LEGOLAND California Resort

LEGOLAND is the best amusement park in San Diego. Here is why Legoland is awesome. It’s less focused on the rides and more on the creative play stations and stuff built out of Legos. 

When it first opened, it had a few rides built around its miniature LEGO city. The park has built up around the original display to include more rides, movie theaters, and a water park and aquarium. They are constantly adding to and improving LEGOLAND with brand-new playgrounds, a Ferrari Build and Test area, and so much more!

Don’t forget to stop by the SeaLife Aquarium. It’s super cute with climbing areas for kids. Fun fact, it has more species than Birch Aquarium in La Jolla! It’s HUGE.

Their offer is great! You can buy the half-price tickets in February and use them anytime until August 31st 2026. No blockout dates.

Here’s the link for half off LEGOLAND tickets!

Fleet Science Center

This science museum is a favorite in our family! We love Kid City upstairs, their new Survival exhibit, and their IMAX theater. There’s a push-button science area where you can touch a tornado or experiment with electricity! Don’t forget to make it back to Studio X where they have different science experiments for kids almost every day of the week. 

Admission is $25 per adult and $20 per kid. During Museum Month it would be $12.50 per adult and $10 per kid. No restrictions, bring your physical or digital pass for the half-price tickets.

San Diego Air & Space Museum

We loved this museum! It’s a history of air and space in San Diego and they have a whole new space travel exhibit. The boys loved sitting in the helicopters and getting up close and personal with the planes. 0/10 for the scary animatronic right as you go in though. It’s right next to the automotive museum if you’d like to make a day out of it!

The museum is $28/adult and $17/child. So you can visit for $14/adult and $8.50/child! Kids two and under are free. No restrictions, bring your physical or digital pass for the half-price tickets.

USS Midway Museum

I highly recommend taking kids to this aircraft carrier turned museum. Here’s what you need to know when visiting with kids: Kids under 5 are free! There is an audio guide specifically for children. It was a big hit with our kids. This is a touch-everything museum meaning kids can sit in the control chairs and press all the buttons to their heart’s content.

All boat exits to the water are very well covered by thick glass and secure fences. My husband said I was nuts for even thinking about this, but I was legit nervous one of my crazy kids would fall off the boat, so these are the things I look for now.

There are elevators for strollers but you will have to park your stroller to explore the tunnels of the ships. There is an attendant to watch it.

Our favorite room was the miniature helicopter room with small-scale helicopter models right at toddler level. We had a few incidents where one child tried to break free and run back to that room. We also loved the anchor room where our kids had tons of fun climbing on the giant anchor chains. The docents were very kind and answered my children’s very specific questions about plane machinery. We spent two hours there but we could have easily spent three. 

The cost is $34/adult and $22/kid making this the most expensive museum on this list. It doesn’t have any free days or participate in promotions through the library, so this one would be at the top of my must-visit for the month. Half-price admission would be $11/kid and $17/adult. Kids under 4 are always free!

The New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego

You will love visiting The New Children’s Museum! Nestled in the heart of downtown San Diego, it’s a place that everybody who comes to the area loves. It has a unique blend of experiences that combine art, play, and just being a kid and moving their bodies! They also offer many fun events throughout the year. The downtown location allows for lots of opportunities to expand on the outing before or after visiting.

They also just opened a brand new fenced park next door! I wrote a whole blog on visiting and where to park, that’s here: 10 Things To Know Before Visiting The New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego

Admission is $24 for adults and $20 for kids, so during Museum Month, it would be $12 for adults and $10 for kids. This one does come up for free tickets through the library frequently.

The New Children’s Museum offer is Monday – Thursday, 50% off for up to 4 people. Exclusions are: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and President’s Day on Monday, 2/16. Reminder: NCM is closed Tuesdays. 

Children’s Museum of Discovery In Escondido

This spot is a hidden gem! It’s amazing for babies, crawlers, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary school-age kids, AND parents. It offers space for children to play and learn yet it’s small enough that it’s easy to supervise your children as they explore freely. I love that I can interact with my children as they learn through OR sit back and chat with a friend as we both observe our kids.

I have a whole post about this museum including info on parking, see that here: 7 Tips for Visiting The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido

Admission for children and adults is both $11.50 so during Museum Month you can get in for $5.25 each!

San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park

We loved this sweet little museum in Balboa Park. There are a ton of train displays for kids with elevated areas for them to stand. At the end, there are model train enthusiasts who set up a huge village that changes with each season. Don’t miss the big cable car you can sit in out front. This museum was big enough to spend an hour or two exploring, yet small enough that I wasn’t nervous about losing anyone. It’s really close to the Fleet Science Center and Plaza Panama. It’s actually in the basement of a building, so it’s easy to miss.

Admission for the museum is $20/adult and kids under 12 are always free. So for Museum Month you could go for $10 and your kids would be free! This museum does come up for Free Tuesdays and free passes through the library frequently.

The Natural History Museum (The NAT) in Balboa Park

The NAT is amazing! They have a great area for kids in the back on the first floor. We also liked the huge topographical map of San Diego. On the second level, you’ll find dinosaurs, whales, and other exhibits. I liked the gem exhibit the best!

Don’t forget to visit the live animal exhibit at the back. They have all sorts of spiders, snakes, and creepy crawlies that kids love looking at.

Admission for The NAT is $24/adult and $14/kid. Kids under 3 are free. So for Museum Month, you could get in for $12/adult and $7/kid! This museum does come up for Free Tuesdays and free passes through the library frequently.

San Natural History Museum only accepts printed Museum Month passes (no digital passes) at the door. This coupon is for half-price admission for up to four (4) people. Online tickets may be purchased in February using offer code MusMon26. The coupon cannot be used for specially ticketed events, Nat at Night, special exhibitions/exhibits, field trips or group visits. 

San Diego Museum of Art

This museum is NEW on my list to take kids to this year. Specifically I recommend taking them to Family Art Adventures that happens every other Saturday. We did this and loved it! You can see our experience here.

Note that kids under 17 are ALWAYS free at this museum thanks to a generous grant, so you will only have to pay admission for any adults who want to enter.

They accept a printed pass only, or one from the library. No digital passes allowed!

The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon

I love this spot, I have a whole blog on it! It’s a great chill spot for families. Link to that here.

The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon is one of San Diego’s greatest hidden gems! It’s easy to explore in a few hours and there are tons of excellent exhibits for kids. There’s a native butterfly pavilion where they regularly release butterflies.

They have acres of displays and a series of beautiful themed gardens. They even give out free popsicles from the gift shop!

Balboa Park Botanical Building

One of the most photographed buildings in San Diego, this museum is actually always free! They recently completed a huge renovation and it’s now open for tours again. Make sure to stop by between museum visits!

The Japanese Friendship Gardens

When I first went here I wasn’t sure there would be much for kids in a traditional Japanese garden. But it’s surprisingly kid-friendly. They handed us a scavenger hunt with pictures as soon as we walked in. The kids loved learning about the shishi-odoshi (Japanese water fountain) and other things around the garden thanks to the scavenger hunt. They also loved the koi ponds, especially the littles. There’s a children’s area, a tea garden, and a zen garden the kids loved. 

I would not recommend a stroller here as there are steep dirt paths to get down. Bring the baby carrier or just take your chances and walk with the kids. It will make your life so much easier. It’s small with lots to look at so it shouldn’t be too bad without a stroller. 

If you visit toward the end of February, you may get to catch all or part of the cherry blossom festival! Here’s all my tips for visiting.

Museum of Making Music

This museum is dedicated to music! Kids will love trying different instruments and learning more about how music is made! This museum is also right next to LEGOLAND if you would like to stop by before or after!

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Campo

This museum is a bit of a drive but it’s worth it. Take a train loving kid here and they will remember it forever!

Pacific Southwest Railway’s Museum Month 50% off train rides and museum admission in February for walk-up ticket purchases at the Campo Depot only. Cannot be applied to online ticket sales. Cab rides are also excluded from the offer.

Here are all of the locations participating in San Diego Museum Month

I put the museums I would recommend taking kids to in bold!

Balboa Park Museums

Balboa Park Botanical Building
Centro Cultural de la Raza
Comic-Con Museum
Fleet Science Center
ICA Central
Japanese Friendship Garden
Marston House Museum & Gardens
Mingei International Museum
MOPA@SDMA
Museum of Us*

San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Automotive Museum
San Diego History Center
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Natural History Museum
WorldBeat Cultural Center

Downtown San Diego

Brain Observatory
Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center
Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Navy SEAL Museum San Diego
New Children’s Museum

San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
USS Midway Museum

Liberty Station

MCRD Command Museum
Nautical History Gallery & Museum

New Americans Museum
San Diego Watercolor Society
Visions Museum of Textile Art

North County Museums

California Center for the Arts Museum, Escondido
California Surf Museum
Children’s Discovery Museum
Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum
Encinitas Historical Society 1883 Schoolhouse
GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Museum*
Green Dragon Tavern & Museum (Museum Only)
ICA North
LEGOLAND® California & SEA LIFE® Aquarium*
Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum

Mission San Luis Rey
Museum of Making Music
San Diego Archaeological Center
San Diego Botanic Garden
Warner-Carrillo Ranch House (SOHO)

East County Museums

Barona Cultural Center and Museum
Heritage of the Americas Museum
Ilan-Lael Foundation
La Mesa Depot Museum

Lemon Grove Parsonage Museum
Olaf Wieghorst Museum & Western Heritage Center
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
The Water Conservation Garden

La Jolla Museums

Birch Aquarium at Scripps
La Jolla Historical Society
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD)
RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust

South Coast Museums

Bonita Museum & Cultural Center
Living Coast Discovery Center

Tijuana Estuary

Coronado Museums

Coronado Historical Association

University Heights

JA Cooley Museum

College Area

San Diego Police Museum

Midtown

Junípero Serra Museum
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
San Diego International Airport Arts Program*
Whaley House Museum

Tijuana

Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT)*
Tijuana Aquarium / Acuario Centro Cultural Tijuana*
El Cubo (The Cube)*
Museum of the Californias / Museo de las Californias*

Tijuana History Museum / Museo de Historia de Tijuana
Municipal Institute of Art and Culture / IMAC Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura
El Museo del Taco*
El Trompo – Museo Interactivo Tijuana / The Trompo Interactive Museum Tijuana
Museo de La Lucha Libre Mexicana (MULLME)

Allow me to introduce myself…

My name is Camille! I am a San Diego stay-at-home mom who is never ever at home. I share a lot of fun things to do around San Diego including parks, restaurants, LEGOLAND, the zoo etc.

My goal with my Instagram account and blog is to make any mom feel prepared for any outing with her kids so that she doesn’t have to stay home unless she wants to. Getting out with my kids was key for me in overcoming postpartum depression so I try to pay it forward by sharing what we do to help other moms in a similar situation. Read more about my story here.

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