San Diego Air & Space Museum

Monday	10AM-4:30PM
Tuesday	10AM-4:30PM
Wednesday	10AM-4:30PM
Thursday	10AM-4:30PM
Friday	10AM-4:30PM
Saturday	10AM-4:30PM
Sunday	10AM-4:30PM

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Aerospace Travel Museum and I must say that it was an amazing experience. From the moment you walk in the door, you can feel the history of flight in the air. The museum is structured as a doughnut, with a few larger and more modern aircraft hanging from the ceiling in the center, and the outside ring featuring the history and interesting facts of aerospace travel. Currently, the traveling Galileo exhibit is featured at the museum, which includes interactive models to demonstrate certain principles of physics and science. Kids absolutely loved playing with these models, and I was equally as enthralled with the discovery of science! The museum also has a 4D theatre playing three short films throughout the day and several flight simulators for an additional price. I could easily have spent half a day here looking at the details of everything on display and still have not seen it all. Photos cannot do justice to the awe-inspiring displays of aviation that mankind has discovered. One of the most interesting aircrafts on display was the replica of the Spirit of St Louis, the first aircraft to complete a nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. This particular aircraft was built as a gas tank with wings because of the fuel volume needed for the flight, and there is no windshield on the plane. Instead, a mirror was installed on the side of the plane so Charles Lindbergh could see. If you have an interest in aerospace travel, I highly recommend a visit to the Aerospace Travel Museum. It's an experience that needs to be seen in person to be truly appreciated.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is an incredible destination for aviation and space enthusiasts of all ages. The museum is conveniently located in Balboa Park, near several other popular attractions. I recently visited the museum and was thoroughly impressed by the quality and depth of the exhibits. The museum houses an impressive collection of aircraft and spacecraft, including replicas of famous planes and rockets. The exhibits are informative and engaging, with interactive displays that allow visitors to learn more about the science behind flight and space travel. Some of my favorite exhibits included the Apollo 9 spacecraft and the replica of the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer. In addition to the exhibits, the museum also offers educational programs and events. I attended a lecture on the history of aviation that was both informative and entertaining. The museum also has a planetarium that offers shows throughout the day. The staff at the San Diego Air & Space Museum are friendly and knowledgeable. They were happy to answer any questions I had and provided great recommendations for other attractions to visit in the area. Overall, I highly recommend visiting the San Diego Air & Space Museum. It's a must-see destination for anyone interested in aviation and space travel.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Originally planned to go to the zoo but it rained and was cold. This place looked cool and we thought why not?! Everything was awesome. I loved being able to read all the history and see the size of the different planes and airships. You can touch most everything and really get a feel for the history in there. I challenged my ten year old to read a letter sent home to Mom and Dad from WWI written in beautiful script. She got some but eventually I had to read it to her. I wish we could have read the whole letter. We talked about the medals on display and how some of them were earned. She was told that some were for saving people and some were for killing people. The interactive stuff was great. I really recommend the movie. It is way worth the time. I normally can’t do 3D movie but this was easy. Reminded me of other movies you can see in Anaheim California. Made a great decision going here.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
$21–30

We went on the free Tuesday for San Diego residents, and I was totally blown away for myself and on behalf of my daughters! They were both interested and engaged, and it took all my effort to pay enough attention to them to make sure they were safe! Thank God I had my wife with me! Other than I brief meltdown when we had to stop for snacks in the spacious courtyard, we were more than happy to be there! My only complaint is that they featured a paid Boeing exhibit, which seemed a bit odd to me since Boeing can't get out of its own way. Should have done SpaceX! Oh, one of my favorite parts had to be all the original paintings of historical figures that advanced air and space flight!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
Free

Worth every penny you spent for the tickets. Kids is free admission. There is a show that you have to watch in 4D about the apollo show, real cool moving chair that shoot air out too. Love the ride at the end where you get to experience to be a pilot. That will be additional $10 per pax. The whole space experience was really cool and out of this world. It was truly eye opening to see the actual stuff from space that lance Armstrong used like the space suit and the capsule he was in. Highly recommand to spend more time there. Was really lucky there happen to be a space fair, the kids really enjoy themselves and it was enriching that they get to learn so much more about space.

This place has some great old airplanes, especially WWII models, and jet simulators that are pretty fun for all ages. We sprung for the flight rides for our 10 and 12 year olds and it was definitely the highlight (bundle two rides for a better deal, we did Star Trek and Blue Angels - the kids got to control the ride!). I would've given five stars but the front desk/ride staff were a bunch of morose teens who acted like emos being forced to attend a pep rally. Pretty sure I saw a few eye rolls.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Great museum, there's some really cool pieces of history here. Theres a pretty large chunk of the moon from the Apollo 17 mission here, a guitar made with real artifacts from every single Apollo mission, and history from WWI and WWII. Most of the planes here aren't real, but there are some very interesting artifacts like the actual fin of an SR-71, and a police car from 9/11. Ticket is $25 for adults, and there's only a line to enter if you arrive during peak hours around 11-1pm.
Price for entry
$25.00
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

If you are a fan of aviation and aerospace history, you will love the San Diego Air and Space Museum. This museum showcases some of the most iconic aircraft and spacecraft from different eras, such as the Wright Flyer, the Apollo 9 Command Module, and the Predator drone. You can also experience thrilling flight simulators, interactive exhibits, and 4D theater shows. The museum is located in Balboa Park, a beautiful cultural hub with many other attractions to explore. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the amazing achievements of human flight and space exploration!

Such an awesome place to spend a couple of hours. Our 3.5 year old had an absolute blast. There's a special kid's area with fun stuff to do, cool displays that are interactive and exciting, and plenty of opportunities to sit for a few minutes if you need a break. We combined this museum with a visit to the Natural History Museum, which was also amazing, and it was a great way to spend the whole day learning and exploring concepts and machines.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

I was pretty happy with this museum considering the relatively smaller size of it. It contained very pristine aircraft and was well designed with a nice layout. There is an outside patio that you come across along the tour. You can grab a bite from a limited menu and eat in the open air. I left feeling that there could have been more but I'm happy it exists to experience. Enter with the right expectations and you'll be happy with your decision. Enjoy if you decide to take the journey.

Great museum! Highly recommend their 4D movie. I felt like I was flying in the sky. The interactive games are also well designed to help people learn how to design a drone, a spacecraft, even a space station. Btw, it is also a great location to observe the air planes taking off from the airport. Some can be really close and appear to be very big.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$21–30

This is a wonderful place for anybody interested in aircraft. The museum is filled with models and there are even some that you can walk into or sit inside of. Also, there's a theater with multiple screenings per day. And, if you buy an explorer pass, you can visit this museum and others for a lower price.
Price for entry
$25
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Great museum! Lots of wonderful information and little hidden gems. A LOT of planes! If you go too fast, you'll miss them, look up! The 4-D tour was really cool, and the gentlemen there are packed with knowledge and can tell you a lot! Can't wait for the additional exhibit they're adding to it!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Loved it! All the exhibits are amazing and the flight simulators at the end are incredibly realistic. Warning though. If you are skewed towards a fanatic on catholicism, you might be disappointed of the Galileo exhibit, which, our family was the one we liked the most... extremely interesting.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
1 hr+
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Phenomenal museum with plenty of life-sized planes hanging throughout the place. Lots of educational experiences to practice “making” a plane, learn about different types of aviation, and discover the history of aircraft. Free parking is also easily accessible throughout all of Balboa Park but some lots may be full so you’ll have to walk up to 10 minutes
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait

Sr 71 and rare navy water launched fighter at entrance. Nice interior displays as well. Easy parking and other things around this museum. I came specifically for this museum but found other stuff to do here. Nice mockup of an aircraft carrier inside also. Space related items as well.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$16–20

Great Air and Space museum. Got to see another of the Apollo Command modules. Might have to try to see them all as a bucket list list, just for fun. Really nice spot for lunch when they are open - great sandwiches and soup of the day choice. Very detailed history of a few different aspects of aerospace history.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

This was an excellent Museum but because of a fire back in the 70s a lot of original display planes and items were lost. They have done a super job replacing them and with beautiful reproductions and the displays are laid out very intelligently with enough information to make them interesting as you walk by and not overload you with information. I actually rate this Museum at 4 to 4.5 stars

This place was the coolest place in the world. They have every imaginable aircraft from the Wright brothers to today. There were some docent volunteers, who made the experience even more exciting. They have a ball turret stuffed in the back. That was my favorite thing.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$21–30

What an excellent collection and display of aviation history! It's arranged by timeline with many interactive displays. There is a center courtyard for meetings, classes, and food. The free Balboa Park bus stops in front so it is convenient if you parked over by the zoo or natural history museum.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

Great museum! Has a wide variety of replicas to demonstrate the history of aviation. Many simulators are scattered throughout as well, which work pretty well. There’s also a dedicated location/balcony to plane spot, and you could get some nice photos!
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Great museum located in Balba Park! Some of the best refurbished planes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and the fact they have the capsule from Apollo 9 makes it even better. Thwy have hands-on exhibits for the kids . Price is reasonable.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
$21–30

It is museums for aircrafts and rockets lovers. It has all history from the beginning of NASA till last update. It also has theatres for documentary in every 30 minutes. The parking is plenty. I used go city passed for admission in this museum
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Great museum, wonderful pieces. Some really amazing things in there. The world war one area is exceptional. You know some of them are rebuilds. It's a great representation of what was available during the war. Well laid out museum each decade. Each era is well represented
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

Such a cool museum! I could spend hours here. There’s so much history, replicas, and air crafts everywhere! The space portion of the museum is more interactive and electronic but they do have simulators and interactive screens. Great place to learn and have fun!
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Okay this place is well thought out and is of great quality but is not the size or as over the top as Museum of Flight in Washington. With that said, there is a great mix of aircraft and topics to explore. One thing that is better than Museum of Flight, the hands on displays/interactive displays are plentiful to keep the kids/teen entertained.

Love this place. Overall one of the oldest buildings in balboa park and yet it seems to go forever. Love how it has the perfect combination of what we have don in the past along with some of the stuff for the future.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$16–20

Interesting museum covering Galileo’s contributions to science, many different planes and a section for space exploration. The 4D cinema experience was good but nothing unmissable. It was lacking a cafeteria and water was coming from the roof in several places. However we spent almost 3 hours there without any particular issues. More

Wow. This place has so much on space in the beginning, from interactive activities to amazing displays. Later it proceeds to go through the history of aviation, from WW1 to WW2, from the German Ace Manfred von Richthofen to the Luftwaffe.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Nice museum with lots of artifacts. It took about 2 hours but if you watched every film it could take longer. They had a few 4d films that were fun and other interactive exhibits.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
$21–30

ARRIVE EARLY! We got there an hour in advance and found plenty of parking for free. The museums are fun and definitely takes up the day. Will definitely go back for the other museums.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$16–20

Very good museum . Active Duty has the opportunity for free admission. From the Blue Angels to a replica of the Grey Angola they have everything you can imagine when it comes to air and space . There is also a beautiful view of incoming planes to SD airport so be sure to have your camera ready! More

If you're only visiting a few of the museums at Balboa Park this one is a must see! Filled to the brim with aircraft, replicas and interactive displays you could easily spend 2 or 3 hours looking at everything!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

Amazing! Plenty of information, planes, war planes....!!!! Love it Front staff who was a young guy with long hair was unfriendly, rude and not happy at all with his job (rude also with people in front of me)
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

What a great experience for the whole family! The place was unexpectedly large! So many great things to see and do. The entire family really enjoyed our experience here! The only downside is that I wish the tickets were a tad bit more affordable. We spent almost $100 on a family of 4. More

This is an absolute must for anyone who likes aviation history. The exhibits are well done and very well maintained. So much to see. Price is absolutely worth it.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Lots of fun exhibits for adults and kids. A lot of interactive exhibits as well. I loved seeing the mixture of early flight, through the wars, and modern eras.
Visited on
Public holiday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$21–30

We did the San diego city card. Highly recommended to visit so many place as you visit San Diego. This is one of five museums the wife and I visited on this day.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

This place is great! Lots of aircraft to see and informative regarding history of military and commercial planes. The low flying airplanes outside is a bonus! Check out the museum on the free Tuesday for San Diego county residents. It's the 2nd Tuesday of each month. More

Wonderful museum about the history of aerospace technology development. I will bring my daughter here someday to inspire or motivate her in this field.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$11–15

Very good flight history museum with lots of interactive exhibits, models, and artifacts. The SR71 Blackbird out front was the highlight for me.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
30–60 min
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Great displays, the old guys at the ww1 plane section were helpful. The displays are well worth going and taking the time to explore
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

First time here with mine beautiful wife,and we both loved it! We learned lots of things here. Your Lil ones would love it.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

This place was interesting, informative, and very well thought out. I only spent a few hours here, but I could easily have spent a whole day if I had time. Each exhibit is a high quality replica or restoration of the vehicle and there are

A fun and enjoyable place to know the history of flying and space traveling. There is a session introducing the starting area of modern science, which started from Copernicus, to Kepler and Galileo. It presents ways in which we know our

What a great museum. It was perfect for adults and for kids. There were lots of exhibits with plenty of educational information available to learn about the exhibits. There are also interactive games and experiences available to break

For me we visit this place on a Wednesday, and it wasn't expensive to buy a ticket and it was not to much traffic, the time consuming is all about you, the place isn't to big ,you might kill an hour here ,but all you see here is very

Great place, very interesting things and information. I spent a lot of time in here going through a lot of information, great value for money.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

Fantastic collection of aviation artifacts from WWI thru the Space Shuttle. Lots more f hands on exhibits. Don’t forget to try your hand at the Space Shuttle and Blue Angel simulators. $25 adult entrance fee we’ll worth it.

Your up close to everything with many knowledgeable docents ready to share their experience. One of the best museums in the complex.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

This museum is packed full of planes throughout history. All ages will appreciate viewing, touching, and even experiencing a simulated version of these amazing war planes and jets. This was truly a worthwhile trip!

I very much enjoyed my time. I thought it was a great museum very interactive lots of history I would definitely recommend if you enjoy these kinds of things. It’s a great place for the family and children.

Fantastic place to go with kids. So many rooms to see and lots of hands on activities for the kids. Loved it! Went to 3 museums in one day at Balboa Park and recommend the Explorer Pass.

Very nice museum, we really enjoyed walking through all the airplanes and helicopters.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

An epic and interactive experience walking through an incredible part of history.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Yes

Very well thought out museum, very educational and great displays. Not to mention it's in a beautiful area! Would definitely recommend if you want a fun afternoon. More

Kids had fun especially in the flight simulator and 4d show! There are a lot of things to look at but also a lot of reading so I wouldn't recommend for younger kids.