Near a freeway exit, this museum is situated atop a hill and overlooks the scenic view of the city and freeway down below. The outside view is marvelous, with an architecturally unique building. The walk up is steep with stairs or a hill as an option to climb up on. The museum is free admission and there's a lady in the front desk sitting inside the entrance. The balcony views and arches are all wonderful photo spots. I think this is worth a good and quick visit for all the points stated!! read more

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Smaller, donation-based museum on a hillside with plenty of parking and grounds for picnicking or walking the pooch. A walk through the museum could take as little as 30 minutes or about an hour if you like to take your time and read through the displays. There are a number of screens (some interactive) that showcase vintage photos or commentary from individuals close to the museum project. 4th Sundays of the month there is a ranger-led tour for a fee. Discount available for SDHC members. read more

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The Junipero Serra Museum created the most beautiful backdrop for our romantic summer wedding under the stars. When looking for a venue, we had some pretty specific criteria: -Outdoor Reception (the San Diego weather deserves to be taken advantage of) -Beautiful view -Dancing until 11pm -Within the city of San Diego (less than 20 mins from USD) -The right size for 100 guests (not too big, not too small) You'd be surprised by how few venues fit this criteria. With our church wedding taking place at USD, we were firm on our criteria, but all it took was a few steps across the terrace at the Serra Museum to know it was the one. First of all, the museum itself is stunning. They recently re-stucco'd the exterior of the building giving it a pristine white color. The arches across the terrace perfectly framed components of our event like our bar, DJ and lounge set up. Then, turn the other way and you've got a beautiful sunset view that stretches for miles. The sun set perfectly as our guests were seated for dinner and during dancing, we were treated to a spectacular firework show from Sea World. Additional considerations when planning a wedding: If you wanted, you could hold your ceremony in the museum itself. The museum was available for use during our reception. They have plenty of parking. They have a preferred vendor list and you must use one of the approved caterers. The list was plentiful and we went with the Abbey Catering, who did a phenomenal job. The venue is a historic building and not ADA compliant. There are a lot of stairs, but the height on the hill makes for the perfect views. We have to give a shoutout to the venue's coordinator, Sue, who is fabulous! She was so responsive and made herself available on numerous occasions for us to tour the space and walk through with our various vendors. We loved working with her and were so grateful for all of her help throughout the entire planning process. You can walk the terrace at anytime so we love that for years to come, we'll be able to come back to revisit the special place that will forever hold a spot in our hearts. read more

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This museum is a bit of a surprise in several ways! First, I have seen the "chapel" many times while driving by, but did not realize it was a "museum." Although, to my ignorance, I was not really sure what it was! I finally looked it up and saw the museum designation, so here I am. I parked elsewhere in the park (by the neighborhood) and wandered a bit, finding other park sites and then cresting a ridge from which I could see the river valley and the top of the museum complex. I came down the path and entered the museum's portico which is open to the west and with great views, and closed to the east except for small windows. At the far end is the museum, and outside the entrance is a wine press that was the gift of the Town of Mallorca, where Father Serra was born. It is original, and OLD! What a great gift. The museum is free, and you enter a large sanctuary type space, open and airy and with some exhibits to get you started. The is a small room immediately to your right upon entering, with a great history and display of San Diego as an overview. Good background information. This is where my second surprise came - I did not realize that this museum was built in 1926, and was the result of one man's efforts, after San Diego said "no, thank you" to his idea. What dedication it took to achieve this! And it is nearing 100 years old! Wow. Inside the large space, there are stairs to the rear that take you upstairs to additional rooms and more displays. But my best surprise was a large mural painted along the walls of the stairs, and leading up and around the corner to continue on! The mural shows Baja California and Alta California (as it was known back then) and the routes the expeditions took to reach San Diego. It shows land and ship journeys, along with details such as settlements, where they camped each night, and other details. And the map is scaled so each step of the stairway equals 40 miles. Smart idea! Continue up and you find an upper room filled with more displays, and stairs to the tower room, where you can see for many miles. Great views. Overall, a cool place to visit. It is free, but donations are welcome, and I understand it is part of the museums network in Balboa Park so hopefully they can continue to grow the exhibits. Right now there isn't a lot compared to other museums, and there really is little about Father Serra himself, but what they do offer is good stuff and well presented. Stop by and take a peek - don't let ignorance get the better of you, as I did! read more

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Erwin was always so excited about our big day and helpful. The space was gorgeous and a great price point. When we were touring places, we knew this was where we wanted to get married here. We opted for the photo booth and the magic mirror so we had a slideshow, Erwin and his team went above and beyond, we also used a lot of the venues rentals. Like the chairs and tables and easels and arch. Going with a venue like this, I knew there would be more work on my end since it wasn't "all inclusive", but it was worth it! Erwin's team did more than I expected and made the day perfect. He let us drop items off before the day of, he cleaned up our messes, and made sure our vendors had everything they needed. read more

Junipero Serra Museum - In the tower! - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

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We love to visit this historical landmark situated on a hilltop in Presidio Park which provides sweeping panoramic views of the city. It is one of the most widely recognized landmark in San Diego, synonymous with the history and beauty of the area. The museum is dedicated to the life and legacy of Father Junípero Serra, who was a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary that founded many of the missions in California during the 18th century. It features exhibits and artifacts that showcase the history of the area, including Native American culture, Spanish colonization, and the development of San Diego. The most prominent feature is the seventy-foot tower at the north end of the building. Looking closely you can see a bronze weathervane of the California Bear topping the outside of the tower dome. read more

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Lovely museum to visit during the day and have a private event at night! Events require specific vendors provided by the museum (such as Bekker's Catering who we worked with) who are accustomed to working at this beautiful venue. The views are great from there (including Sea World and their fireworks in the summer), and the grounds are both historic and well-maintained. Thank you Sue and Erwin for working with my husband and me for our wedding reception here! read more

This museum is one of those place that locals should visit at least once on a life time. Especially if you are an individual who's interested in the history of California. The museum offers some great visual representation of the era, displays, and print media regarding establishment of what is considered the birthplace of San Diego. I enjoyed viewing the artifacts on display and reading about them. The museum offers a great view of the surrounding area, and right up the hill is Old Fort Stockton which is now basically a knoll with a great overlook of Old Town. I was pleasantly surprised how well the grounds are kept. read more

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Beautiful Spanish architecture, showcasing San Diego's history. Up the hill on a short hike from the Old Town neighborhood is Junipero Serra Museum, located in the birthplace of California! The museum was the former home of the San Diego Historical Society (until it relocated to Balboa Park), and now has on display just a few items, dating back to San Diego's history. We came here half an hour before it was closing, which was not nearly enough time to check out everything. Exterior-wise, the museum is beautiful, with its Spanish design. I'm surprised by how well kept its been despite being built in 1925. There are currently some renovations to the space that's in process, but you can still see much of what the museum has to offer. Admission is free, yet donations are accepted (and needed!). There are multiple stories in the museum, including an observation area. Though the doors were locked to the outside in the observation area when we visited, it's still a nice view from up top. What is most interesting of the museum are its artifacts. They have items, dating back to when European settled into California; thus, the museum is on the grounds of Presidio Park, the birthplace of the Golden State. For more information there is a front room/desk area where the employee is happy to discuss further, regarding the grounds, museum or San Diego. In our visit, the employee was very enthusiastic about the work the San Diego Historical Society does and recommended some other historical sites for us to visit. I would definitely recommend visiting Junipero Serra Museum if you are interested in history. There's a lot to see here, yet it's not overwhelming. I usually spend several hours in museums, but because of the limited resources and its ongoing efforts of improvement and renovation the museum's currently facing, you can learn about all the items here in an hour or so. Walk around, learn and discuss with the friendly staff here. It's a great site to see in San Diego. read more

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I recently held my wedding here and I had the best experience at the Junipero Serra Museum!! My husband and I booked the Junipero Serra almost as soon as we saw it. It's beautiful, rustic, and historic! It's appearance resembles a mission and it's on top of Presidio park so you have beautiful views from every where. So if you're looking for a very "California" wedding, this is the spot! Another thing to note is that the venue is so naturally beautiful with lush trees all around, the cost to decorate was minimal, so that was a huge money saver for us!! Aside from it's beauty, working with the staff at the museum was more than amazing. Joy served as out venue contact/coordinator and she made our day so easy for us! She was always responsive and more than accommodate our party before, during, and after. Joy communicated with our other vendors with us and was always there for questions and concerns. A few things to note about holding events here: 1. The venue is a historic site so it's not ADA compliant and it's on a hill. 2. The outside area holds 140 people. 3. It is a museum! And they keep the exhibits up (that was my favorite part, being married next to exhibits). 4. They also have visiting hours so take a look yourself! There were a few resounding compliments about our wedding and the beautiful location was on the top of the list! read more

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This is a 1769 Spanish Revival style building.  It is named after the Roman Catholic Spanish priest Junipero Serra. This is one of those mission style buildings that is very well preserved. This museum at first glance looks like a mission but it is here where visitors can see and learn about the history of San Diego. Many come here to take wedding or engagement photographs because the location and building is so beautiful. read more

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My family loves this hidden jewel of San Diego and it's surrounding parks. I'd highly encourage you to check it out. History + Beauty...

I received a nice e-mail from the new coordinator of the museum. She was so pleasant, professional, and willing to make up for the problems I had encoutered in my wedding day here. Although, I appreciate the gesture, there is nothing that can be done now except make it pleasant going forward for other wedding parties. This is one of the reasons I love Yelp; because sometimes our opinions can make a difference. Anyway, I am changing my rating to a four! read more

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I went to the Junípero Serra Museum on a Saturday morning, as it is only open on the weekends. There was plenty of parking and quite a few people walking around the outside of the museum exploring and reading plaques. Outside of the museum there is a grassy hill, great for children to run around or even a small picnic. Admission to the museum is free, so I did not expect it to be too extravagant, but I was pleasantly surprised. When you walk in, there is an office where you check in and have the option of getting an informational pamphlet. Just past the office is the main area, where you will find the history of San Diego, the life of Junípero Serra and some relics. From the main area, you can go up two flights of stairs to the very top of the museum. At the top, next to each window, there is a picture of the past view form that window. It was really neat to see the current view out each window and compare it to the pictures of the past. I think this a great museum to visit, especially if you are from San Diego or currently living in San Diego. It takes maybe thirty minutes to walk through the museum and in that time, you will learn about the history of San Diego. read more

High on the hill in San Diego is Junipero Serra Museum. Park your car in the lot and walk up the stairs, I mean the stairs. Its way up on the hill with a great Vista of the valley and everything below. Although currently under refurb in the main area oh, there is a smaller area Patel's a little bit of the history and a docent who is reasonably knowledgeable about the history. Father Serra did a lot of stuff to help make the churches that run up California work and it's quite a interesting past to dig through. We enjoyed our little talk and the few things that were visible. For the history Buffs this is a must-see must go to. For others it might be a little let down, as it is currently very small. But learn about our history it's a valuable thing read more

This place has some nice vantage points of San Diego and the grounds are nice to walk if you have 30+ minutes to spare (depending on how much you want to wander). The museum itself is quite small, but there are some interesting facts, old photos and neat discoveries about San Diego that can be found here. And just below the parking lot is a large cross that is made of bricks, which is unique. The building itself is a historic landmark & icon for San Diego. The admission to go inside is a bit steep considering how small the museum is and how little there is to see. But if you like history and especially how California grew to be what it is now, then it's worth going inside at least once. The building itself is very interesting and is very photogenic. And although parking is limited, I could see this be a great place to hold special events like small anniversary weddings. Note: If you want to see the San Diego Mission, ask the people working the desk and they'll give you directions. Or, check out my review of the mission. read more

The museum is a beautiful and historic landmark with a spectacular view. I'm interested in renting it out for an event in the future. Tam the Event Coordinator got back to me quickly and provided lots of really great information. Parking is the only concern I have for an event there (but Tam gave us some good alternative options like setting up a shuttle from the hotels) read more

We really liked this spot. I dont mind paying the entrance fee because it helps to take care of the building and what not. When you go up the stairs you get a nice view of the surroundings. You can take a walk in the nearby trails and enjoy the green surrounding. Also theres a small storage area with stairs that you can go up on. Someone or a group created a pentagram with brick up there and it seems that people in the occult studies practice rituals. We saw red wax from candles and oils that were left over. Very interesting in my opinion and mysterious. Go check it out and see for yourselves. I completely forgot to take a photo of it. Next time!! read more

Junipero Serra Museum - High point of the museum - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

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Love the museum. It was built in 1929 and gifted to San Diego. Sadly they do not look to be taking good care of it read more

Junipero Serra Museum - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

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I have no comments on weddings or lawn parties at the venue, only the actual museum. As such, it is pathetic. First of all, it's as authentic at P.T. Barnum. The building was designed by an architect in 1930. Prior to this, there was nothing old left, not even portions of a wall. And the architect did not even try to recreate the historical structures. He just designed a "Mission style" building. The building is okay for what it is. But what is more important for you is what there is not. The displays are totally amateurish, broken down, and about equivalent for what a junior-high class might do for a school project. For example there's about half a dozen video displays, of which one is not broken and is working. The most hilarious is the 1998-era CRT-based rear-projection TV, fed by an old VCR tape machine. Yeah, three guesses why that has an apologetic sign about not working on it. Overall, there is just precious little to see or do here. The only thing halfway interesting is to climb to the top of the tower and look around at the panoramic view of San Diego. But even here you should know that all the French doors are locked and all you can do is stay inside and cannot walk out on the balcony. I suppose they are concerned about suicides. Give me a break! The museum is bad, but no so bad that anyone should commit suicide over this. The park is pleasantly green, but again the only other thing you can do there is bring a picnic, and there are not even very many picnic tables. Worth about 10 minutes walk-through. I am being very generous by giving them 2 stars, with the second star simply because they are trying, not because they are succeeding. read more

I went on a Saturday for a guided tour of the museum and also the grounds (which are an important part of San Diego history). We got to the museum early, and went through the exhibits inside - a lot of information about San Diego, and yes, you can actually climb the stairs to the tower for great views from Mission Valley to the ocean. The tourguide was very well informed, and told me more about the museum and the history of San Diego than I expected - all in a super friendly and engaging manner. The museum basically operates on a "pay what you can" basis, so it's a little odd to me to see comments about paid admission. I put 10 bucks into the kitty, which I consider well worth it based on the tour and the exhibits. This is a great place to just hang out too, if you are looking for a picnic in the open with a nice view. read more

We wanted to visit the museum, but it was closed, even though it was Saturday at 11:00 AM, when it should be open. The same happened to my father. Not only are the opening hours very limited (Saturday and Sunday 10-5), but also the opening to the public of the museum within these hours is erratic at best. We will not try to come again. If you want to visit the museum, my advice to you is first to call there and make sure it's open. read more