What Is It?:
Established in 1874, the San Diego Natural History Museum is one of California’s oldest and most respected cultural and science institutions. The Museum and its members have played a pivotal role the establishment of the San Diego Zoo, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Torrey Pines State Park, and Anza Borrego State Park.
Why Should You Visit?:
The museum features fascinating exhibitions and a new giant-screen Dolby digital 3D theater showing films with a focus on the natural world. The Museum’s award-winning exhibit design team creates exhibitions on the unique and biodiverse southern California region. In addition, the Museum hosts several traveling exhibitions each year which teach visitors about our natural world as it is today and as it was in the past. Museum is open daily 10-5, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What Will You See?:
The San Diego Natural History Museum’s newest gallery, “All That Glitters: The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals,” amazes adults and children alike with stunning jewelry and glittery gemstones. “Fossil Mysteries,” a highly interactive exhibition, explores big themes in science: evolution, extinction, ecology, and Earth processes. You'll see the world—past and present—in a whole new way. In the Dolby digital 3D theater see films with a focus on the natural world. Current films include “Ocean Oasis,” “Waking the T-rex,” and “Dinosaurs Alive 3D.”
What Else Is There To See?::
There are two unique features at the Museum that everyone always seems to be fascinated with: the Moreton Bay fig tree and the Foucault pendulum. The Moreton Bay Fig tree to the north of the museum was planted in preparation for the 1915 exposition. Over 95 years old, this tree is listed in the California Registry of Big Trees as one of the champion trees of the state. The Foucault pendulum (pronounced foo-koh), invented in 1851 by French physicist Jean Foucault, gives visual proof of Earth's rotation.
Does the Museum Offer Educational Programs?:
Absolutely. It offers a number of adult, family and student programs and excursions for additional fees, as well as free educational programs and lectures included with museum admission.
Your About Guide's Take:
Address: 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Natural History Museum is located in the heart of Balboa Park, directly across from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
At some point, all kids become fascinated with dinosaurs, and the San Diego Natural History Museum is the place to satisfy your kids' appetite for them. But it's musch more than that. The museum has always had those diorama displays showing wildlife (alwas a favorite of mine as a kid), but in recent years, the museum has expanded the way it approaches the telling of natural history. One recent innovative exhibit was its chocolate exhibition, not one you would normally think to see at the Natural Museum.
In June 2007, the traveling exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls arrives at the museum, and it promises to be the hot ticket for the year.
