Our Biggest Kids Free in October Ever
Kids Free in October is back, and 2026 is our biggest year yet.
Throughout October, children ages 12 and under can receive free admission with a paid adult at more than 70 museums, historic sites, aquariums, gardens and cultural attractions across the region.
And this year brings something new.
For the first time, Kids Free in October expands into Tijuana, making this a truly binational celebration of museums, culture, history, science and discovery.
From Balboa Park and downtown San Diego to North County, East County, the South Bay and now Tijuana, families have an entire month to get out and explore.
We’ve built a neighborhood guide to show your the FUN and Savings closest to you. Explore the 20026 Kids Free October FUN Guide here.
How Kids Free in October Works
Kids Free in October runs from October 1 through 31.
At participating museums and cultural attractions, children ages 12 and under receive free admission with a paid adult. Some locations extend the offer to older youth, and many are already free for kids or the whole family.
Getting started is easy. Pick where you want to go, download the Kids Free coupon for that location, and check the details before your visit.
Offers vary by museum. Some are available every day in October, while others are offered only on select days or require advance reservations. Age limits and other restrictions may also vary.
And the savings go beyond museums. Families can also find Kids Free deals on hotels, restaurants, activities and attractions throughout the region at SanDiego.org.
What’s New in 2026
The biggest news is the size of this year’s program.
More than 70 museums and cultural attractions are participating, making 2026 the largest Kids Free in October to date.
There are new participating locations, new exhibitions, new family programs and more reasons to visit a part of the region you may not have explored before.
Families can explore 12,000 years of local history at the San Diego Archaeological Center, discover historic trains at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, see an international exhibition at the San Diego Watercolor Society, and even explore history online through the We The People Virtual Museum.
And for the first time, families can take their Kids Free adventure south of the border with participating museums and cultural attractions in Tijuana.
Downtown San Diego
Downtown offers everything from aircraft carriers and sailing ships to children’s art and historic homes.
The USS Midway Museum has several new experiences for 2026, including Captive Warriors: The Midway 11 and Middie’s Fleet, where younger visitors can take the helm of radio-controlled Navy-inspired boats on the flight deck.
At the Maritime Museum of San Diego, families can climb aboard historic ships and explore Take Me to the Water: Histories of the Black Pacific. On October 10, the interactive BOARDED! Pirate Show brings a little swashbuckling adventure to San Diego Bay.
The New Children’s Museum offers plenty of opportunities to climb, create and play, while the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House adds some October fun with haunted adventures and ghost stories.
At the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego, families can explore the history of Naval Special Warfare through interactive exhibits, authentic artifacts, the SEAL Mindset Theater, an interactive Memorial Wall and a suspended SEAL Delivery Vehicle. Kids 12 and under receive free admission throughout October with a paid adult. Pasted text
At The Brain Observatory, kids can discover how the human brain works during special Sunday programs led by neuroscientist Dr. Jacopo Annese. Two children ages 12 and under receive free admission per paid adult.
The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum also has a new exhibition exploring the stories of Jewish refugees who found safety in Shanghai during World War II.
At the San Diego Central Library, RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust has a new home, bringing together survivor testimony, photographs and personal artifacts.
Balboa Park
Few places make museum hopping easier than Balboa Park.
At the Fleet Science Center, kids can jump into more than 100 hands-on exhibits, including the new Mindbender Mansion, filled with brain teasers and puzzles. Families can also catch larger-than-life films in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater, including Wings Over Water opening October 10.
Kids Free Family Fun: Hands-on science is the name of the game at the Fleet Science Center, where kids can experiment, build, test ideas and explore more than 100 interactive exhibits.At the Nat, kids can explore Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, Amazement in the Basement, the Paleontology Center, the Living Lab and Fossil Mysteries.
The San Diego Museum of Art is celebrating its 100th anniversary with Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions, while MOPA@SDMA features Betsabeé Romero: Tejiendo Redes and Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World. Youth ages 17 and under are always free at both.
At the Comic-Con Museum, families can still step into Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder, along with exhibitions on Chas Addams, Comic-Con cover art and cosplay. The Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum has Yokai: Stories and Imagination, plus a scavenger hunt, bonsai, koi ponds and the dragon bridge.
Families can also tour the Marston House Museum & Gardens, where an ongoing restoration is bringing the Marston family story to life, and visit Mingei International Museum for Farm to Craft, To Catch a Fish, India Thompson: Looks Like Home and Painted Prayers.
At the Museum of Us, families can explore Kumeyaay Comics and, for ages 6 and up, climb the California Tower. The San Diego Air & Space Museum has Ripley’s Believe It or Not! plus Pumpkin Chunkin’ on October 10.
Car fans can head to the San Diego Automotive Museum for Numinous Hypercars: Titans of Speed and Formula One Stories. At the San Diego History Center, families can see America at 250: San Diego 1776–2026, San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods and Taste San Diego: Filipino Culinary Journeys.
There is even more to explore at Centro Cultural de la Raza, where families can see Agarra La Onda! Selections of Centro’s Collection, and at WorldBeat Cultural Center, with art, music, dance and programs rooted in the African Diaspora and Indigenous cultures.
And don’t miss the beautifully restored Botanical Building & Gardens, home to more than 2,100 plants and always free to visit.
Arts District Liberty Station
Liberty Station is an easy place to build a Kids Free in October afternoon around art, creativity and history.
At the Visions Museum of Textile Art, youth visitors with a participating Kids Free coupon receive a free textile craft kit to take home. Families can also see Soft Architectures of the Sea and Quilts Japan: The 17th Quilt Nihon early in the month, with the museum reopening October 24 with Origins
At the San Diego Watercolor Society, families can see the 46th International Exhibition, featuring more than 100 original works selected from hundreds of entries by artists from across the United States and around the world.
The Nautical History Gallery & Museum has a new home inside the historic USS Recruit. Families can explore detailed ship models, Navy artifacts, uniforms, photographs and toys that trace naval history from the Revolutionary War through World War II and the rise of naval aviation.
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North County San Diego
North County has plenty of ways to turn Kids Free in October into a full family day.
At the Children’s Museum of Discovery in Escondido, kids can experiment with air pressure in the new Aero Play experience, make a splash in Water Ways, explore the Trudy Bronner Discovery Garden and meet Sebastian, the museum’s resident desert tortoise.
The California Center for the Arts, Escondido is presenting Blood Memory, featuring Native and Indigenous artists exploring ancestry, memory and lived experience. Families can also check out Before There Were Borders, an interactive extended-reality mural connecting Escondido with the San Diego Central Library.
In Oceanside, the California Surf Museum explores the global history of surfing through Surfriding: Hawaiian Royalty’s Gift to the World.
Families can also explore contemporary art at ICA San Diego North, make music at the Museum of Making Music, discover more than 100 vintage convertibles at the Deer Park Winery & Automotive Museum, or spend time outdoors at San Diego Botanic Garden.
At the San Diego Archaeological Center, kids can learn about 12,000 years of local history and take home a pottery kit with a qualifying Kids Free visit.
The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum is always free and packed with tiny engines, toys, music boxes and miniature homes, while Mission San Luis Rey brings California history to life through its museum and historic grounds.
And of course, LEGOLAND California Resort joins the October fun with its Kids Go Free offer and seasonal Brick-or-Treat activities.
East County
East County brings together local history, Indigenous culture, trains, gardens and art, with plenty of room for a family day trip.
At the Barona Cultural Center & Museum in Lakeside, families can learn about Kumeyaay-Diegueño culture and traditions through exhibits that span thousands of years of history. Kids can also play pshok, explore the Native Plant Garden and Seed Library, and receive a free gift with a valid Kids Free coupon.
The Heritage of the Americas Museum at Cuyamaca College takes families on a journey through art, culture and natural history from across the Americas. New for 2026 is A-Maizing Maize: How Corn Built the Americas.
In Julian, the Ilan-Lael Foundation offers a completely different experience, with the colorful mosaics, organic architecture and gardens of artist James Hubbell set among 10 acres of oak woodland.
Families can also explore local history at the La Mesa Depot Museum and Lemon Grove Parsonage Museum, or discover Western art at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum & Western Heritage Center in El Cajon.
Train lovers can head to Campo for the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, where historic locomotives, railroad cars and exhibits tell the story of rail travel in San Diego and the Southwest.
And at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon, kids can roam nearly six acres of gardens, visit the Butterfly Pavilion and say hello to the resident desert tortoises.
Central & North Coastal San Diego
From La Jolla and Coronado to Encinitas, this part of the region offers ocean views, art, science and local history.
At Birch Aquarium at Scripps, families can see Little Blue Penguins, Tide Pool Plaza, the Giant Kelp Forest, seahorses and seadragons, plus the new Imagine Wild installation. Advance reservations are required for the Kids Free offer.
At Cabrillo National Monument, kids can explore the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, coastal trails and tidepools, then pick up a Junior Ranger activity and earn a badge.
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla pairs contemporary art with sweeping Pacific views. On October 11, families can enjoy Play Day, with art activities, music, storytime and free admission all day.
Nearby, the Museum of History and Culture La Jolla has a new exhibition, The Scientific Art of Historic Preservation, showing how experts uncover the stories hidden inside historic buildings.
Families can also visit the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, always free and open daily, or head to Coronado for the Coronado Historical Association, where Moments That Made US explores people and events that shaped the community and the nation.
In Encinitas, the 1883 Schoolhouse, home of the Encinitas Historical Society, gives kids a look at what school and community life were like more than a century ago.
More Kids Free Fun
There are even more places to explore beyond the main neighborhood stops.
At Lambda Archives of San Diego in University Heights, families and older kids can explore photographs, publications, Pride materials and personal papers that document LGBTQ+ life and history in San Diego, Northern Baja California and Imperial County.
The J.A. Cooley Museum is packed with historic automobiles from 1886 to 1933, along with collections of telephones, cameras, Edison artifacts and other vintage treasures.
At the Junípero Serra Museum, families can explore some of San Diego’s earliest history and learn about the people who lived along the river long before the city took shape.
The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Command Museum shares the history of the Marine Corps, with public access subject to base entry procedures.
At Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, families can explore historic buildings and museums including Casa de Estudillo, Seeley Stables and the Wells Fargo Museum. Admission is always free.
The San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art continues its work as a “Museum Without Walls,” bringing African American art and history to the community through exhibitions and programs.
Families can also visit the San Diego Police Museum, with historic uniforms, badges, equipment, photographs and stories from more than a century of local law enforcement history.
And for families who want to explore from home, the We The People Virtual Museum offers an interactive 3D experience that connects history, technology and digital storytelling.
New This Year: Kids Free in Tijuana!
For the first time, Kids Free in October is expanding to Tijuana! Families can cross the border and explore even more art, history, culture, science, and family experiences at participating Tijuana museums and cultural destinations, including CECUT – Tijuana Cultural Center, Acuario Centro Cultural Tijuana, Archivo Histórico de Tijuana, Domo IMAX, El Cubo, IMAC Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura, MUHTI Museo de Historia de Tijuana, and Museo de las Californias.
