So, we aren’t a big museum family. Our museum style replicates our affinity to the outdoors…the kids running around looking for shiny objects and moving onto the next, but we really don’t take the time to read all the amazing things in museums. We just kind of take it all in as a whole. This is why I have lived here for 20 years, and still have never made it to the San Diego Maritime Museum.
However, a couple of years ago, their elementary school had an auction benefiting the school, and there were 4 tickets to this museum up for auction. I thought, here’s an opportunity to finally check this out, and the money we spent will go right to their school, to benefit them. Win-win, and thank you to the San Diego Maritime Museum for donating those tickets!
So last month, it was a cool winter day in San Diego, the Grandparents were in town, and we thought, here’s something new to do!
When to go: The museum is a series of 11 ships/submarines/boats all in this area and you hop from one to another! So while normally a museum on a rainy day is the thing to do, I’d recommend you go when it’s not raining because you will be traveling from ship to ship, some of it is outdoors, and it’s really nice to pair this activity with the San Diego Waterfront Park which is right across the street!
What else you should know: Parking in this area is challenging. If it’s on the weekend you can park in the garage of the Waterfront Park for about $10(ish) but just know you’ll want to allot time to park. It’s one admission price and you get stamped and hop around to the various ships and exhibits.
The highlight and main attraction is the Star of India, which is the world’s oldest active sailing ship from 1863.
The kids really enjoyed the Star of India. You could really catch a glimpse of what it was like to be on this ship, tons of little crevices and levels to explore…
Be sure to go to the bottom of the ship where they have a replica built for kids to play on. I thought Grant and Sydney might be too old for it, but they jumped right in and let their imaginations run wild. It looks like they have birthday parties here if your kid is into ships! I’ve also heard you can do overnights here (which is kind of creepy and haunted if you are into that kind of thing) and they even wake you up on the middle of the night to do your “watch” duty, and make you feel like you are really on the ship. Might be a fun experience to try!
They definitely were not ready to trade in their comfortable beds for these bunks!
There were a couple of submarines, which to me was just mind boggling…as you go through, to imagine living in that space. Definitely not for the claustrophobic!
Per usual, we let our kids lead the way with the pace. They really did love it…it was something different to do to keep the variety. If you are into history, ships, or just looking to break things up, it’s a worthwhile stop!
