First, the venue was incredible. The New Children's Museum is roughly 50,000 square feet spread…read moreacross three levels, with huge open galleries, interactive installations, studios, and some seriously impressive architecture. Even with a massive crowd and vendors everywhere, it never felt overwhelmingly packed. You could grab a drink, wander through an exhibit, find something to eat, take photos, meet other Yelpers, and somehow keep discovering entirely new sections of the event. Yelp's Art After Dark at The New Children's Museum was easily one of the coolest Yelp events I've attended. Taking over an entire museum for a 21+ night of food, drinks, art, music, and local businesses was already a great idea, the execution made it even better. And there was A LOT to try. Bitchin' Sauce, Boochcraft, Chuy's Taco Shop, Rock N' Roost, Balsamico Italian Kitchen, Gaby's Munchies, Jackalope, Origins Tea, Coqueto Café, Antojitos Express Bar, Emerald Spear Tequila, Pali Wine Co., Melograno, 19th Hole Spirits, Old Hillside Bourbon Company and plenty more showed up with food, desserts, coffee, tea, cocktails, wine, and spirits. Going in hungry was definitely the correct tactical decision. What made the night especially fun was that it wasn't just another tasting event. Between the artwork, interactive experiences, entertainment, photo opportunities, and museum itself, there was constantly something happening or somewhere new to explore. Even better, the night supported The New Children's Museum, with suggested donations helping provide programs and opportunities that make the museum more accessible to San Diego families. Yelp San Diego absolutely crushed this one!

This place is full of new age, occult, demonic imagery. I don't see how most of the museum is for…read morechildren. There was a head hanging in a birds cage in the circus/ piñata exhibit. There are iPads randomly placed inside the displays that show a floating half human half owl with medusa arms. Lots of one eye/ hand-eye symbols everywhere. The top floor had favelas that were painted white and black with writings on the wall I could not understand because they were written in almost like hieroglyphics. I can't see how all the words and art relate to children. Throughout the exhibits, there are lots of tunnels and dark spaces that you can't see your children in and many opportunities to separate you and your child. I felt like I paid to have my child separated from me half of the time. The piñata and favela exhibit are the worst ones. It took my son and husband 10 minutes to exit because the walkways are tight and narrow and cramped with all the kids. I would not consider the favelas toddler friendly whatsoever and I'd say this is a safety hazard. An older man was standing in front of the piñata exhibit evil laughing to scare the kids. No one intervened while this man did this for maybe 10-15 minutes scaring kids. It literally reminded me of horror nights/ haunted trails. Despite these things, my family made the best of it and enjoyed the block exhibit, art room, the cafe, and a few sensory activities, but honestly I don't know how this is classified as a children's museum and with no AC in most of the museum, I don't think the experiences justify the price.

They recently redid the Science Center and it's SO much better! The new layout is more open, and…read morethere's even a free section with fun hands-on activities like the gravity ball spinner and a huge air-powered ball wall. The kids' area got a major upgrade. My 3-year-old spent hours in the building section using real power drills, screws, and hammers! There are also flying-machine activities, a ball pit, building stations, and a toddler area with a pretend grocery store and little city. I do wish some of the building activities had better instructions. Tickets are a little pricey, but CalFresh/WIC admission is only $4 per person, which makes it a fantastic affordable outing for families. Huge improvement overall!

Impressive tech, but proceed with caution for 3-hour feature films!…read more We were super excited to see The Odyssey here for our very first IMAX experience after waiting two weeks for our date! Having already seen the movie twice in a standard theater, we were curious to see how it translated to the Heikoff Giant Dome. Here is the full breakdown of how it works and what to expect: Essential Tips & Logistics for 6:30 PM Box Office Movies: Tickets & Arrival: You MUST buy tickets online in advance. The Science Center itself closes to the public at 5:00 PM, but line up outside around 5:00 PM--the queue fills up fast between 5:00-5:30 PM! Door Opening & Entry: Doors open at 6:00 PM sharp. Once tickets are scanned, you'll enter a second line inside. Members and ADA guests get priority boarding around 6:25 PM, followed by General Admission. Pro-Tip for Groups: Seating is first-come, first-served. It was literally a stampede when doors opened! Have one person hold your spot in the inside queue while another uses the restroom or hits concessions. Concessions: Everything is prepackaged (bags of popcorn, candy, canned sodas/water). No fresh movie-theater popcorn or fountain drinks, but fine for a quick snack. Seats & Seating Placement: Aim as high up and toward the center as possible! We sat in the lower half of the upper section. The seats are clean, comfortable, and feel brand new, but they do not recline. Staring up at the dome for nearly 3 hours caused some serious neck strain. Also, watch out for the glass balcony railings in the upper section, which can partially cut into your sightline. The Film Experience: The sound system is fantastic and the theater itself is spotless, but for a fast-paced action movie like The Odyssey, the dome format just didn't work for us. Being that close made it feel like watching a screen two feet from your face--fight scenes became a blur, and the dome curved the edges of the picture (buildings and straight objects looked noticeably warped/distorted). It felt a bit like looking through a fishbowl. Overall Verdict: No knock at all on the staff, Fleet Science Center, or the incredible tech--for documentary shorts or environmental films, this dome is probably mind-blowing. But for long feature films with heavy action, it didn't add to the movie and was a bit overwhelming. Glad we experienced it, but we'll stick to traditional theaters for feature films in the future! P.S. / Note for Fleet Science Center Management & Staff: I know queuing outside can be tricky to manage, but I wanted to share an observation in case it helps improve the queue process. We arrived around 5:10 PM and were about 10th in line outside. However, the group of 2 people right in front of us gradually grew to 12 as more of their party arrived over the next hour, and another pair grew to 8. By the time the doors opened at 6:00 PM, our spot in line effectively jumped from 10th to around 25th. While holding places for late arrivals is understandable to a degree, seeing groups multiply like that can feel a bit unfair to those who stood outside early. Some retail stores and venues (like those in Hawaii) handle this by handing out numbered queue cards or tokens per person as they join the line, preventing late-arriving party members from jumping ahead of early arrivers. Just a thought for future popular feature film screenings!

We had a fun family outing here!…read more The young lady at the counter was very friendly and if you're walking around town like we were, they even have free lockers to store your bags while you experience the museum. Nathan was awesome with taking our pictures and telling us about the different illusions! Also, side note for the ladies - i thought it was really nice they offer free sanitary items in the restrooms.

This Museum is a lot of fun, but light on science - but not Instagrammable shots for our…read moreself-obsessed culture we find ourselves in these days. There's one visual illusion after another in this Museum, and I spent 1 1/2 hours during my entire time there. This Museum is in a really happening part of downtown, so I'd recommend pairing the Museum visit with lunch on 5th Ave. and a walk along the Embarcadero. If you've never done this, you definitely need to continue down on 5th Ave. toward the Convention Center - 5th Ave. and L St. - to see the famous Gaslamp arch.

We love the Balboa Park Air & Space Museum. Take advantage of free resident Tuesdays, or visit if…read moreyou have WIC or CalFresh benefits its very cheap tickets. When you walk in, you're greeted by an impressive atrium filled with plants, planes, and a water feature, it's an awesome welcome. There are so many aircraft for kids to see, explore, and climb into. The museum offers a very educational experience, and you can easily spend a few hours here. We highly recommend it whether you're visiting San Diego or a local resident.

Whenever we visit a new city, we always try to check three things off our list: visit a museum, do…read moresomething on the water (if applicable) & catch a sports game. The San Diego Air & Space Museum was our museum pick for this trip & it was a fun, educational morning! My husband is a retired Army veteran & enjoys planes, aviation history & anything military-related, so this museum was right up his alley. We could have spent hours exploring all of the exhibits, aircraft, artifacts & historical displays. One of the highlights of our visit was meeting a super outgoing docent shortly after we walked in. Somehow, he kept magically popping up throughout the museum during our visit, sharing fascinating tidbits & fun facts about whatever exhibit we happened to be looking at. You could tell he genuinely loved being there & his enthusiasm made the entire experience even more engaging & personal. (My apologies for not remembering his name. He was an Air Force B-52 pilot & bonded with hubby over their shared military service.) Another really cool aspect of the museum is its location directly in the flight path of the airport. Planes were flying overhead every couple of minutes, which honestly added so much atmosphere to the visit. Hearing & seeing aircraft constantly overhead while walking through the exhibits made the whole experience feel extra immersive. The vintage Pacific Southwest Airlines stewardess uniforms on display were awesome! The museum does a great job balancing serious aviation history with quirky, interesting pieces of airline culture & design history. This was definitely a worthwhile visit - whether you are an aviation buff or just looking for an interesting & interactive museum experience. We both had a great time!

I came for The Nat at Night. I'm sooo blown away! This museum is very very educational...packed…read morewith a lot of natural history to learn in one or more visit. I loove the interactive activities and how it engages visitors from all ages. Each level has a niiice flow...places to sit scattered around if you wanted to take a pause to absorb the AMAZING things you've witnessed. To add to this natural history adventure, you can interact with the actual researchers who preserve the artifacts in the basement...asking them questions. There's a theatre on the 1st (Main) floor as well as gift shop. I was very fortunate to get on the Rooftop which had a waitlist of over 80 people when I arrived. I'm glad I did since the food and drinks were really good. Based on my positive experience, I highly recommend this museum to the Yelp Community.

Love coming here with my 3-year-old son! We have WIC, so we were able to get in for free for up to…read more4 people, which is a HUGE benefit if you have WIC or CalFresh. There are several floors to explore with lots to see and plenty of fun play areas for kids. My son especially loves all the dinosaurs! They also have little scavenger hunts in several of the exhibits, which is a fun way to keep kids engaged while walking through. It's educational without being boring and easily keeps us entertained for a few hours. Definitely a great place to take younger kids!

Balboa Park is so beautiful and serene. It is filled with gorgeous architecture, historic buildings…read moreand lovely gardens. It is the most picture perfect spot and I really enjoyed walking around here. My favorite spot was the reflecting pool in front of the Botanical Building. It is so picturesque and peaceful. I even spotted a cute little turtle right by the pond. Visiting Balboa Park was a wonderful way to spend the day exploring. It is definitely a spot where I could easily spend several hours . There's plenty to discover here!

My wife wanted to stopped by here the moment we arrived to San Diego. We been here before like five…read moreyears ago when we first started dating. There different parking lot you can park at but I chose the parking lot near the Organ Pavilion area. Since we came before lunch time, I was able to find a good spot and you'll have to pay for parking here. My wife wanted to check out the Botanical Garden building first and then we went to the Art Center so my wife can shop over there. We also saw a long line of people looking to buy plants at Casa Del Prado. We didn't stay long because the sun was starting to come out and our daughter was getting fussy.

Fun to look for all the little Easter eggs!…read more Quite a large space in the basement full of model railroad of different gauges. We enjoyed talking to the volunteers about the pieces and landscape. Kids loved it.

My son is into trains, therefore found this museum on the internet for things to do in San Diego…read more This is located at Balboa Park. Admission prices were decent to enter. At the time, tickets for kids were free with a paid adult ticket. I was surprised how big this train museum was. So much to see with tons of details for all the train models. We spent about an hour here exploring each exhibit on two different floors. At the end of your time, stop by the small gift shop on your way out. Cute store with train toys and other merchandise. Great museum for families with young kids.

It's a nostalgic place, run by volunteers, a hidden gem, street parking near Little Italy, for KIDS…read moreof ALL ages. However, it is a museum so the trucks the upstairs have restricted access and hours are limited to Th, F,S,S. Surprise in the back, there is an extensive collection of fire engine toys with books, puzzles, and child size firefighting turnout gear-for hands on fun. Best, is the admission price and priced right cool SDFD T-shirts. Also can be a venue for private events.

The man working this morning was extremely kind and informative!! My friends and I loved taking a…read morewalk around :)

Yesterday I experienced an outstanding tour with Scott Smith. He did a remarkable job sharing the…read morehistory and his abundance of knowledge of the Midway. It opened my eyes to many details that I was not aware of and painted a very clear picture of the volume of men and women that have served our country through many generations. I am grateful to have had that experience and to be able to share that history with my Grandchildren and future generations. Scott was a fabulous Docent.

If you think you understand the size of an aircraft carrier, go stand on the USS Midway. That's…read morewhat I thought! You do not understand the size of an aircraft carrier. This thing is basically a floating city. At its peak, thousands of people lived and worked aboard, and there is an ACTUAL FULL ASS RUNWAY on the flight deck. You can walk through the ship, see where people lived, worked, ate and slept, and then walk upstairs and find yourself standing next to fighter jets. The ship is named for the Battle of Midway, the WWII battle where the United States sank four Japanese aircraft carriers and turned the tide in the Pacific. I don't know how many miles you could walk on this thing, but it's several. Fascinating!

What a gem in National City! Christopher gave us a fabulous tour of the farm animals and was so…read morekind to let our little toddler feed the goats and admire all the creatures that live here. She loved hearing the chickens and turkeys and watching the goats, emu, pig and lamb. A highlight was picking some delicious tomatoes right off the vine. We are grateful for the experience and welcoming volunteers. If you visit, be sure to bring a cash donation to help this special place continue to run.

Cute place ! A hidden little gem ! Had no idea this place even existed !…read more Went here for a children's Bday party ! They had a cute little set up and even had a jumper ! I'm assuming you have to rent one your self ! I did see a few animals , not as many as I had hoped for ! But I did enjoy checking out the fruit trees ! The trees are beautifully maintained . The bathrooms are in the back decently kept and good size !!