San Diego Veterans Museum at Balboa Park
San Diego has a great military history. The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park honors that history with a special focus on military engagements of the 20th century.
WEBSITE: http://veteranmuseum.net/
During World War II the U.S. Navy actually took control of Balboa Park. Balboa Park was renamed Camp Kidd in honor of Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd who was killed during the Pearl Harbor attack.
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park is located in the former chapel of the Naval Hospital completed in 1945. The Naval Hospital is still next door, but most of this area is now part of the largest parking area for Balboa Park. Right in front of the museum you can catch a free shuttle to the rest of the park.
In front of the museum you will find the Veterans Memorial Garden. This garden was dedicated in 2005. The garden is highlighted by a central amphitheater with a statue of a WWII B-24 Liberator.
The area directly above the museum is called Inspiration Point. From here you can get great views of downtown San Diego and planes landing at the San Diego airport.
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park is a low-key attraction, but it is packed with information. Admission is only $5 for adults and $2 for students. Active military and children under 12 are free. The museum is free for San Diego residents on the second Tuesday of each month as part of the Free Tuesday program.
Our family is able to get into the Veterans Museum at Balboa Park using the Balboa Explorer Park Pass. At $229 a year for 2 adults and 4 children this is more expensive than an annual pass to a single museum. However, it gets you into 16 Balboa Park museums. This has allowed to explore the many museums of Balboa Park at our leisure.
For anyone interested in recent U.S. military history the Veterans Museum at Balboa Park is well worth a visit. It is a small museum that can be seen in about an hour. This makes it a perfect first or last stop on a visit to Balboa Park.
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park has rooms dedicated to World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Women in the Military. There are also paintings by local artists throughout the museum.
For visitors that want to really dive into history there is a complete Military History Reference Library. Whenever we visit the museum there are always military veterans serving as docents who provide all kinds of unique stories.
There are also many artifacts on display. This includes the first American flag to fall in the Philippines in 1941 and the pen Admiral Nimitz used to sign the surrender documents in Tokyo Bay in 1945.
The museum is probably best for older children that have taken some U.S. history. However, there are interesting dioramas and some interactive exhibits that can keep younger children engaged
San Diego is a fairly new city, so it doesn’t have the rich pre-20th century history found on the East Coast. However, from World War I on San Diego has been a major player in supporting the United States’ role on the global stage. The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park provides a perfect overview of that role.
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