MUSEUMS

Coronado Island:

The Coronado Historical Association Museum of History and Art collects and showcases Coronado's history through exhibits such as "100+ Years of Coronado Yachting", "Coronado PhotoAtlas" which is a virtual tour of town, and "Hotel Del, 1888 Through Prohibition". The association puts on annual galas and events like the Christmas Home Tours of private, historical homes in town.

The Hotel Del Coronado is easily one of the most recognizable and impressive features of this little island town. This Victorian-style resort hotel was built in 1888 and is consistently called one of the most beautiful beachfront resorts and the number one wedding destination in the country. It was the largest resort hotel when it opened and has attracted many notable guests over the years, including Edward Prince of Wales in 1920, Katharine Hepburn, Thomas Edison, L. Frank Baum, and many US Presidents.

San Diego:

USS Midway Museum is the longest serving aircraft carrier of the US Navy, now decommissioned and allows visitors aboard to visit over 60 exhibits and 29 restored aircraft along with a self-guided audio tour and museum docents standing by. Visitors can see the crew's quarters, engine room, ship's jail, post office, even visit the flight control room, and participate in 2 flight simulators. The Midway was the world's largest ship until 1955 and saw action in the Vietnam War and was the flagship during Operation Desert Storm.

The San Diego Museum of Man explores the human experience throughout many different time periods and ancient civilizations that have lead us to who we are today. History ranges from Pre-Columbian and western America to the Mayans of Mesoamerica. The museum houses some of the United States' most crucial Ancient Egyptian artifacts like coffins, mummies, and burial masks. Temporary exhibits include Instruments of Torture, on loan from the Italian Museum of Torture, and Beerology, a study of ancient brewing and taste tests.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum tells the history of aviation and aims to preserve air and space artifacts. Exhibits include the Apollo IX Command Module, a Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless involved in the Battle of Midway, a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina "flying boat", and a Dirigible Artifact Collection.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center contains over 100 interactive exhibits, such as the Tinkering Studio for inventing and experimenting, a creative exhibit for kids 5 and under, and many more. The center is home to the world's first IMAX Dome Theatre, built in 2008.

The Santa Fe Railroad Depot is the oldest and only still-standing railroad terminal in its original location in the United States and now operates a railroad museum on the depot's first floor.

The Living Coast Discovery Center is a zoo and aquarium featuring over 350 species of saltwater marsh, bay, and upland animals and plants native to the San Diego area. Species include shorebirds, jellyfish, sharks, sea turtles, hawks, owls, and sting rays.