Big Family Fun, Big Savings in North County
February is spelled “FUN” in San Diego! All month long, admission is half-price at more than 60 of San Diego County’s favorite museums, historic sites, aquariums, gardens and more. Here are 10 great attractions that familes can explore during the Month of February
Plus big-name attractions like LEGOLAND California, and don’t-miss spots including Birch Aquarium, Maritime Museum of San Diego, and the USS Midway are included.
California Surf Museum
Oceanside
San Diegans love catching waves! The California Surf Museum has many exhibit they will love including Let’s Boogie: Tom Morey and the Evolution of the Boogie Board, A Brief History of Surfboards: From Wood to Foam to Fiberglass, as well as Courageous Inspiration: Bethany Hamilton (which features the actual surfboard of the brave shark attack survivor).
After school on a Thursday is a great time to visit. The whole family will love MainStreet Oceanside’s Sunset Market, San Diego County’s top weekly food and music street fair that runs from 5-9 p.m. right in front of the Museum every Thursday evening.
Mission San Luis Rey
Oceanside
An architectural marvel with a complicated history. Mission San Luis Rey, founded in 1798, is a national historic landmark and interpretive museum. Known as the “King of the Missions,” Mission San Luis Rey, is the largest of the California Missions. The historic Mission tells the story of our nation’s frontier past and the heritage that helped form California. Explore the grounds of a National Historic Landmark!
ICA San Diego / North
Encinitas
A new exhibit just opened at the ICA San Diego / North Encinitas campus. SUPERFLEX showcases works that emphasize interspecies living – a unique facet of their project development that solicits the active participation of other species, considering the perspectives of plants and animals. The exhibition includes the two-channel film installation, Beyond the End of the World (2021), which offers a mysterious glimpse of a post-Anthropocene future, as well as a site-specific ceramic installation that draws on imagery from the film. Plus your kids will love exploring the sculpture trail and discover surprises along the way to the summit of the hill adjacent to the museum.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Encinitas
San Diego Botanic Garden
37 acres, 29 gardens, and 5300+ plant species representing 15 regions of the world. Each garden has a unique theme and design, and each is united by the beauty of its plants. Use promo code MUSEUMMONTH for up to four (4) half-price admissions. Online reservations are required for Museum Month participants. Cannot be combined with other offers, coupons or discounts.
Thw San Diego Botanic Garden also has three areas designed just for kids – the Hamilton Children’s Garden, Seeds of Wonder, and the Junior Quail Trail. Kids can also get their hands dirty doing a bit of gardening. They can can uncover small plastic dinosaurs hidden in the sandpits or transplant tiny succulents from one container to a fun take-home plastic pot.
Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
Carlsbad
Over 10,000 square feet of FUN including elaborate dollhouse-sized homes, a miniature moving circus and a whole world of animated toys. The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum is located in Carlsbad is free for the whole family.
The Museum is both a workshop and display gallery for miniature working engines, machines, and the singular custom tools required to make them. There is a whole subculture of machining enthusiasts who craft replicas of machines and motors, all in fully working order, that could fit in the palm of your hand. Tiny little combustion engines, boat motors, guns, and even ship riggings are created in perfect exacting detail and will click to life with satisfyingly precise efficiency. Most of the creations are made by single craftsmen laboring at their little works for months or more.
Museum of Making Music
Carlsbad
Discover and play musical instruments at a unique museum that tells the story of how instruments were made, used, and sold. At the museum you will travel through time, from 1900 to today, exploring the connections among people, instruments, and the music we make…and make some music of your own! Take advantage of this Museum Month discount early in the month. The Museum of Making Music closes on February 12 for installation of new exhibit and facility updates.
LEGOLAND California
Carlsbad
AWESOME AWAITS at LEGOLAND® California Resort with more than 60 rides, shows, and attractions for families with children ages 2-12. Plus you can soak up the sun and cool off at the LEGOLAND Water Park or chill out at SEA LIFE® aquarium. Enjoy one free One-Day Child Hopper ticket with purchase of a full-price One-Day Adult Hopper ticket to LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE® aquarium.
Advance reservations are required. During Museum Month visitors can get 50% off full-gate-price ticket valid for either a LEGOLAND + SEA LIFE Aquarium Hopper Ticket or Resort Hopper Ticket that includes LEGOLAND + Water Park + SEA LIFE. The Water Park opens late-March through late-October. Tickets good through December 31, 2024. Find your tickets here.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
Escondido
At the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido, whether playing musical instruments, discovering history in an archeological dig box, or exploring the amazing world of plants and insects in their garden, children can combine active learning with creativity for a fun educational experience all their own. Come and visit this exciting North County children’s museum and experience a world of wonders with hands-on activities for the entire family.
San Diego Archaeological Center
Escondido
The San Diego Archaeological Center is both a museum and a curation facility. It tells the story of how people have lived in San Diego County for the past ten thousand years. Besides its role as a museum, it also serves as an education and research facility. It is the only local organization that is committed to the collection, study, curation, and exhibition of artifacts from San Diego County’s archaeology.
The Center Museum has interactive exhibits and activities that explore San Diego’s history through archaeological records. Visitors can learn about the life-ways of early Native American hunter-gatherers who lived in the region, as well as the immigrants and many groups who have contributed to the area’s archaeological records. You can learn archaeology basics and explore how the first people arrived in the Americas.
