February is Museum Month in San Diego

Get Half-Price Admission to Popular Attractions Throughout the City

Jan 17, 2009

Each February since 1989, the San Diego Museum Council has sponsored "Museum Month" to heighten awareness of the cultural and educational treasures that the city holds.

This month-long event makes it more cost-effective to visit local museums, thereby drawing larger crowds and making it more realistic for large families and others who struggle with regular admissions costs to attend. The Museum Month pass is free, and with more than thirty museums that are participating in 2009, the twentieth anniversary of Museum Month is sure to be a hit!

How does it Work?

Museum Month is organized by the San Diego Museum Council and is advertised and sponsored by Macy’s department stores. In order to get a pass for Museum Month, simply visit a San Diego Macy’s store and request a brochure. The pass is inside the brochure and there is absolutely no purchase necessary. Museum Month runs for the entire month of February and the passes may be picked up beginning on February 1. Each pass guarantees half-price admission to a variety of different museums in San Diego and it can be used repeatedly.

There are many Macy’s locations in San Diego where the brochures can be acquired, including stores in Horton Plaza, Fashion Valley, Mission Valley, North County Fair, Plaza Bonita, Chula Vista Center, Otay Ranch, UTC, Grossmont Center, and Parkway Plaza.

Participating Museums and Exhibitions

With more than thirty participating museums offering half-price admission, Museum Month has something for everyone. Among the many options are nature-related sites such the Birch Aquarium, the Quail Botanical Gardens, and the Water Conservation Garden as well as some state parks (Old Town’s State Historic Park, e.g.). There are also a variety of museums dedicated to military history, including the USS Midway Museum and the MCRD Command Museum.

In addition to these sites, many of the well-known museums in Balboa Park are also offering half-price admission during February. With at least a dozen popular museums all in one spot, Balboa Park is the perfect place to make use of the Museum Month pass. Among the participating museums are the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego Air & Space Museum (formerly the Aerospace Museum), the San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Natural History Museum, and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

As an added bonus, this year Museum Month coincides with some spectacular shows at the Balboa Park museums. The Museum of Art will be featuring a wide array of exhibits that portray diverse cultures and experiences. Some of the exhibits that will be featured include a selection of Asian art (“Tastes in Asian Art”), a showing of Indo-Muslim pieces (“Emerging Elites: Indo-Muslim Cultures in Transition”), and a display entitled “Black Womanhood: Images, Icons, and Ideologies of the African Body.” At the same time, the Air & Space Museum will be featuring an exhibition called “The DaVinci Experience” which will survey DaVinci’s conceptual designs and contributions to technology. And, last but not least, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center will highlight a display about Van Gogh and will present a fascinating film called “Wild Ocean” in its famous IMAX theatre.

Although it is important to note that there may be certain special exhibits that are not included in the half-price admission offer, the majority of displays are eligible. And with the sheer number of participating museums and the variety of options available, it shouldn’t be too hard to make February an interesting and educational month.

The copyright of the article February is Museum Month in San Diego in Budget Sightseeing is owned by Kristin Krogh. Permission to republish February is Museum Month in San Diego in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.