NAT News For all the Nature Lovers We’ve been celebrating our 150th anniversary with free birthday admission, Merch-A-Month, a historical exhibit, and a free native plant garden for the community. Now, we’re excited to announce our…

The Nature Trail is Now Open! Get a look during the upcoming Garden Fair. If you've been to the Museum in the last couple of weeks you may have noticed the construction fencing is now down around our garden! Get up close and personal…

Give the Earth a Hug! Get outside this month and show our home some love. Happy Earth Month AND happy Community Science month. You can explore our beautiful home and contribute to real scientific research. Join these community science…

Breaking Ground and Planting Native! On January 26, we welcomed special guests Mayor Todd Gloria, Betty Peabody, Barona Chairman Raymond Welch, and others to our garden's groundbreaking! Learn more about our upcoming Nature Trail, a free outdoor…

Talk About Groundbreaking! Native plant garden coming to you late spring 2024. Learn more about our upcoming Nature Trail, a free outdoor exhibit that will feature unique native plant species from Southern California. Currently under…

60+ Museums. 29 Days. 50% Off. It's that time of year again! February is Museum Month in San Diego, and we are thrilled to join in on the fun. Thanks to the San Diego Museum Council and our local libraries, you can snag half-price admission for…

Help Nature Live Large Please join us with a one-time gift or a monthly contribution Be a part of what connects us all. End the year with a commitment to nature and the San Diego Natural History Museum. We’re working to protect nature in…

No Two Snowflakes are the Same We feel the same way about figeater beetles. As we close out 2023 and look ahead to our biggest year yet, 2024, we want to thank you for helping protect this amazing place we call home. Whether you stopped by…

Field Notes: Outdoor News Sure, our seasons are mild and the days are short. But there is still so much happening—our wildlife remains active year-round. To learn more about the changes our region undergoes for winter, check out the video…

Click here to View the Information About "San Diego Natural History Museum News - November 20, 2023"

It's Almost Here... Secret Society of Adultologist is this week! Do you have your hauntingly glamorous costumes ready? We are just four days away from the most spooktacular night of the year! The list of eerie fun just keeps growing: -…

Free Nature Hikes with the Canyoneers New schedule just dropped! Have you checked out the 2023-2024 season of Canyoneer hikes yet? If not, trek on over to our website to see where we’re hiking next: Sunday, October 15: Gonzalez…

Join Our Secret Society Friday, October 13 at 7 PM Get ready for a hauntingly good night! Our annual 21+ event is back, and this year, we are stepping into the shadows of Old Hollywood Horror. What's in store for the spookiest night…

A Heads Up for Your Next Visit Updated hours and upcoming Nat at Night dates Labor Day marks the honorary end of summer, which means we’re going back to standard operating hours AND our crowd-favorite Nat at Night series will go back to a…

Lace up Those Hiking Boots The Canyoneer season is about to begin! The 2023-2024 Canyoneer season is just around the corner, with a hike at Kate Sessions Memorial Park on September 10 to kick it all off! Join these expert naturalists on a…

It's Figeater Season Y'all And they are coming for your head. We're just kidding. These clumsy, green jewel-like beetles aren't actually trying to terrify you, the kids, or your dog. They are just bad pilots. You will begin to spot more and…

Did you know our researchers spend many of their workdays in the great outdoors? Sure, they also have plenty to do inside the Museum, but spring and early summer is "field season"—a time when many of our staff are trekking all over SoCal and…

It Rains Purple in San Diego The Jacaranda trees are popping off! If you've been around San Diego for a while, you are no stranger to the Jacaranda tree. These non-native trees bloom their blue-purple flowers in late May and continue to show off…

Outdoor News What is your relationship with nature these days? Do you watch each other from afar, through film and photos? Perhaps you're old friends, with shared memories aplenty? Or are you closely intertwined, unable to stay apart for more…

Not Your Average Nature Documentary Get the ultimate sneak peek of Human Footprint Picture this: a Princeton biologist hosts a new PBS nature and science documentary series, where hip hop legend Adrian Younge produces the soundtrack, and the…

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San Diego Air & Space Museum Unveiling New Innovative “Mission Control” Mobile Classroom during a special ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 1 at 11 a.m. in Balboa Park San Diego, CA - The San Diego Air & Space Museum is…

Your Summer Nights Just Got Better! Nat at Night is back weekly. Every Friday night between May 26—September 4, we'll be open until 10 PM. Enjoy access to all exhibitions, test your knowledge at trivia, or unleash your creativity during…

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Weed Out the Bad Stuff Plant some native milkweed instead. It's that time of year when female butterflies begin laying their eggs on milkweed leaves. Those leaves will eventually become the monarch caterpillars' sole food source. But not all…

Calling All Explorers It’s time to be part of the largest community science event in the world! The City Nature Challenge is starting in just a few days, and we need your help to document as many organisms around San Diego as possible. This…

Whether it's wildflowers, birds, reptiles, whales, or seasonal bugs you're following, spring is always a scramble. (Slightly) sunnier weather is coaxing plants and fungi out of the ground, and luring all kinds of animals from their dens, including…

Museum Collections Make Headlines in Science The world is changing—fast. Our future depends on understanding our past. Natural history museums around the world have joined forces to assess and map their collective 1.1 billion…

When Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, he wasn't lying was he? In the mountains... it feels like the middle of winter. Thick snow still blankets our peaks! Everywhere else... honestly it feels like the middle of winter too. But…

Give Your Kiddos the Best Summer Summer camp spots are filling quickly! Run—don't walk—to our summer camp registration. Our camps are perfect for grades 1-8 and offer kids a nature-packed summer with hands-on activities and…

It's official. The weather is perfect for getting outside. February's mixture of overcast and sunny skies, cool nights and warm days means the opportunities are endless! The desert is in bloom, the lagoons are full of birds, the fungi are…

Raise a Glass Nat at Night is officially back! Heck yes. We are SO excited to kick off Nat at Night tomorrow evening. Join us from 5-10 PM for half-price admission, cocktails, delicious bites from Wolf in the Woods, drawing in the galleries with…

Two Words: Museum Month Ok, three words: half-price admission! Starting today, you can enjoy half-price admission for up to four people when you present a (free!) San Diego Museum Month pass at entry. More than 60 other museums throughout San…

Our Exhibits Are Cool AND Sustainable The greener the better. This beautiful place we call home is absolutely amazing, so we take protecting it pretty seriously. Our mission to take good care of the natural world extends to exhibits themselves.…

Happy New Year! We hope 2023 brings you more time spent outside, more special moments with wildlife, and an even greater appreciation for the unparalleled beauty and biodiversity of San Diego County. We also hope you'll think of us when…

Check Out These Owlsome Birding Events There’s still time to have a real hoot! Two birding events have come and gone, but we still have two more chances to get outside and admire our feathery friends. (Let’s be real, we always have…

From The Nat Family to Yours As we close out 2022 and look ahead to 2023, we want to thank you for helping us meet our mission of bringing people closer to nature (not unlike what Curator of Birds & Mammals Laurence Huey was doing here, on a…

In much of the U.S., December is a time for hibernation. For cozying up by the fireplace. For flying south. December in San Diego is quite the opposite. Our mild winter temps make inland hikes a breeze. Our arid landscape drinks up the winter…

We Bring the Bling? Nothing says Happy Holidays like stones, bones, and flashy photos. Get into the holiday spirit with a visit to The Nat. See our sparkly side in Hidden Gems, a vertical exhibition featuring gems and minerals on every floor of…