Nature lovers: this is your headquarters. For 150 years, the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) in Balboa Park has been the place where nature lovers gather to learn, discover, and share their love of this amazing place we call home.
It’s where the natural world of Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula comes alive. Where else can you find live rattlesnakes and iguanas, a working beehive, and animal skulls of all sizes, all in one place? Go back millions of years to when sea cows, camels, and walruses lived in San Diego. Take a selfie with a megalodon shark and get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the fascinating specimens we’ve had in storage. Then watch a Foucault pendulum prove that the earth is spinning (in case you weren’t sure).
Our giant screen theater shows several nature and wildlife films every day, all included with paid admission.
A few hours at The Nat will give you a new appreciation for one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. It’s everything from weird to wonderful to whoa.
The Nat promotes constant learning about the natural world with regular family programs, in-museum presentations, and free guided hikes around San Diego.
On Fridays throughout the year, enjoy Nat at Night, where you can wander throughout the Museum for half-price, then go up to the rooftop deck for a sunset cocktail and spectacular Balboa Park views.
The Nat has always been the gathering place for people who love nature, want to keep learning about it, and want to take good care of it. If you love this natural world we live in, The Nat welcomes you.
Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
On View:
Visit San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)
Address:
1788 El Prado
San Diego , CA
92101
Phone:
(619) 232-3821
Hours:
Open 10 AM–5 PM daily.
Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Website:
1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA
