My kiddos and I recently returned from a family vacation in Southern California. The first place that we visited was The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego. Regular hours are 9:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday with some special hours throughout the year. Admission is $14 for everyone between the ages of 1 and 64, $10 for seniors age 65 and older, and free for infants under the age of 1. The museum is a member of the Association of Children’s Museums, so my family received a 50% discount because we have a membership to another museum in the network. Street parking is available, but I found a parking garage a few blocks away that offered all-day parking for just $10.
The mission of The New Children’s Museum is to stimulate imagination, creativity, and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art. The original museum opened in 1983 in La Jolla and moved to a downtown warehouse in 1993. The museum reopened in 2008 as The New Children’s Museum with a focus on commissioning contemporary artists to create full scale art installations for children to explore. The museum is also one of the first green museums in California.
My kids began exploring on the main level of the museum. The oldest two headed outside with my husband to get messy in the paint studio, which featured a real truck to paint. My toddler and I stayed inside for a bit in Wobbleland, which features a gigantic kitchen sink and food on which children age 4 and younger can explore an avocado teeter-totter, play with slices of a giant tomato, crawl through a cheese wedge, and many other fun age-appropriate activities. My toddler especially loved the giant green pea balls.
After having sat on in a van for two hours and then an airplane for another four the day before, my kids were ready to get moving. My oldest and youngest loved No Rules…Except, which is an interactive room is filled with more than 10 mattresses and over 160 pillow tires. My oldest two loved Whammock!, which is an interactive, three-dimensional textile environment of colorful crocheted hexagons, open pockets, and hanging pendulums to hang and climb on. My oldest loved The Wonder Sound with its labyrinth of rooms, nooks, ladders, stairs, and ropes to climb and explore.
My entire family loved two exhibits at The New Children’s Museum: Sketch Aquarium and Sandbox Gallery. Sandbox Gallery is a huge indoor sandbox complete with an immersive light and music installation that provides a multi-sensory experience. My oldest two jumped right in while my toddler had fun scooping and pouring the sparkly sand. Sketch Aquarium uses technology to create a beautiful and engaging art and science experience for visitors of all ages. My kids and I had fun creating fanciful sea creatures that were projected onto the wall-sized, moving aquarium projection.
If you ever find yourself in San Diego with children, I highly recommend spending a few hours at The New Children’s Museum. Admission is reasonable for the three-story museum. My family spent close to three hours exploring the wide array of interactive exhibits. The New Children’s Museum is family time well spent!
For more information, visit The New Children’s Museum website.
Image Credits
Family Fun in California: The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Main Floor of The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Wobbleland at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
No Rules…Except! at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Upper Level of The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Paint Studio at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
The Wonder Sound at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Infant Area of The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Whammock! at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Block Room at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Sketch Aquarium at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
Nursing Nook Sign at The New Children’s Museum © 2019 Heather Johnson
