The displays at this San Diego history museum are not your typical chronological progression from by-gone days to the present. Instead, each exhibit focuses on a specific aspect of San Diego’s growth as told through the eyes of an individual or a community. It is a creative approach that can encourage children and adults to connect with the past. Check out these exhibits while you are there:
Balboa Park: The Jewel of San Diego
This 30-minute film serves as an introduction to this beloved city park and its many attractions that are frequented by both residents and visitors.
Located in the central atrium, this permanent exhibit presents items from the extensive archives of the museum. The artifacts, photos, and documents are rotated every quarter to share some of the over 17,000 curated pieces with the public.
The Document Archives, the region’s largest collection of historical materials, holds over 45 million documents including public and architectural records, books, maps, scrapbooks, manuscripts, newspapers, ephemera, diaries and oral histories.
Her-Story: Pioneers of San Diego
Women can sometimes be overlooked by history, but not at this museum. This exhibit focuses on six women who documented their journey West and what life looked like in the early days of California.
I’m Not Like You: Notes from the San Diego Underground
Concentrating on the skate, punk, and hip-hop culture of the ‘70s through the ‘90s, this exhibition brings together three counter-culture movements through art and photographic images.
The Path of the Mystic: Art & Theosophy at Lomaland
Did you know that San Diego was home to a utopian society around the end of the 19th century? Learn all about this unusual slice of life through artifacts and documents preserved from the area.
Embrace the diversity in San Diego by observing at the struggles and victories of an often
persecuted and marginalized community.
Nathan Harrison: Born a Slave, Died a San Diego Legend
Focusing on a former slave and homesteader, this exhibit is a snapshot into hardships of the early African American settlement.
Marston’s History Emporium
This hands-on learning lab gives child visitors a glimpse at the city’s history in an experiential way.