San Diego Museum Month Returns With Half-Off Admission at 70+ Spots

San Diego Museum Month is back for February, and if you’ve been putting off visiting that museum you’ve been curious about, this is your excuse.

Pick up a free pass at your local library or download one to your phone, and you’ll get half-off admission at over 70 museums and attractions across San Diego County and Tijuana. Last year, more than 145,000 people took advantage of it, so clearly the word is out.

Printed or Digital Passes Available

Grab a printed pass at one of the roughly 80 public libraries participating – including branches in San Diego, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Escondido, National City, and Oceanside, plus UC San Diego’s Geisel and Sally T. Wong Avery Libraries.

New this year, you can also pick up passes at five libraries in Imperial County. If you’d rather go digital, you can download a pass straight to your phone starting February 1 through the San Diego Museum Council website. Each pass gets you up to four half-off admissions, so you can hit multiple spots or bring a few people with you.

From Dinosaurs to Degas

The lineup includes art museums, science centers, aquariums, gardens, historic sites, state parks – plus some donation-based spots that are already free or close to it. Whether you’re into dinosaurs or Degas (their words), there’s something that’ll hit.

Some places like Birch Aquarium require advance online reservations, so check the venue’s website before you show up. And heads up: Museum Month doesn’t stack with other discounts or the Balboa Park Explorer pass.

A Program That’s Been Around Since 1989

Museum Month was created back in 1989 to promote San Diego’s cultural offerings during a traditionally slow period for local museums. It’s turned into one of those programs that genuinely works – museums get more visitors, locals get to explore places they’ve been meaning to check out, and everyone saves money while doing it.

First 5 San Diego is one of the supporters this year, and their focus is on making these shared experiences accessible to more families across the region.

Make a Plan or Just Wander

You’ve got the whole month to use your pass, so you can either map out a museum crawl or just hit one or two spots you’ve been meaning to visit. Either way, half-off admission makes it easier to say yes to checking out something new without worrying about the cost adding up.

See you there!

Half-off admission, 70+ spots to explore, and a whole month to do it – this is how you make the most of San Diego’s museum scene.

📆 February 1 – 28, 2026
🎟️ Pick up a free pass at participating libraries or download digitally starting February 1
ℹ️ More info here

See you there, San Diego!