San Diego Natural History Museum, Natural history museum in Balboa Park, San Diego, United States.
The San Diego Natural History Museum is a four-story building in Balboa Park with comprehensive exhibitions about Southern California biodiversity, rock formations, and paleontology. Its collections display regional fossils, minerals, and habitats that show the natural history of the southwestern region.
The museum began over 150 years ago as a society of naturalists collecting regional artifacts and specimens. Over time it grew into a major institution with significant scientific collections.
The museum works with indigenous communities to document and preserve traditional ecological knowledge of the region. These partnerships help visitors understand how people have lived in connection with the local environment.
The museum sits in Balboa Park and is easy to reach, with ample parking near the entrance. Exhibitions are spread across multiple floors, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and allow plenty of time for viewing.
The museum houses a Foucault pendulum that demonstrates Earth's rotation through its movement across a marked platform. This physical experiment lets visitors directly observe a fundamental phenomenon of planetary science.
Location: San Diego
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Address: 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 09:00-17:00; May 30-August 30 Thursday-Friday 09:00-22:00
Phone: +(619)2323821
Website: https://sdnhm.org
GPS coordinates: 32.73212,-117.14733
Latest update: December 7, 2025 20:21
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