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…

Click here to View the Information About "San Diego Natural History Museum News - June 8, 2023"

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…

Caught on Camera is now open! Come walk through Caught on Camera, and discover the secret lives of the wildlife all around us. From flying squirrels to mountain lions, explore the biodiversity in our region and learn how to protect the space we…

In San Diego, we nature-lovers are so lucky. We get to enjoy the outdoors year round, our urban landscape has lots of greenspaces, and our environments are extremely biodiverse. Our wildlife is lucky too. Although faced with expanding development,…

The New Face of Conservation at The Nat?? Say hello to Dr. Michelle E. Thompson We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Michelle E. Thompson aboard as our new—and first—Exequiel Ezcurra Director of Conservation Biology. Michelle will…

Final Week! Kids Free San Diego ends Monday Bring your little one(s) to see giant clams, extinct sea cows, a working bee hive, Victorian-era microscope slides, and much more. There’s one more week to take advantage of free admission for…

Is it fall yet? Sure feels like it! The birds are migrating, the fog banks are back, and hiking is starting to sound nice again. This month, we've got pro-tips on spotting wildlife, festivities to celebrate our natural world, a rare and exciting…

Condors Up Close At the top of Baja California's tallest mountains, two dedicated people have cared for dozens of California condors for nearly two decades. Braving electrical storms, wildfires, and heavy snow, Mexican biologists Juan and Caty…

What kinds of natural changes have you noticed around San Diego recently? Have those big, green beetles been bugging you? Seen any young snakes or frisky tarantulas on the desert roads lately? Gotten any glimpses of the breeding leopard sharks in La…

Got Wild Neighbors? We'd love to see 'em. Slinking through your neighborhood. Darting across the highway. Fluttering along your favorite hiking trail. Wildlife is all around, even when we don’t see it. So, what exactly are these animals…

Nat Talk: Let's Talk About Sharks Join the virtual talk tomorrow at 6 PM. They’re the subject of fear, pop-culture stardom, and their teeth are the first natural history love for many people. But what about the "flat sharks" that live in…

Click Here To View The San Diego Natural History Museum Outdoor News - July 15,…

New Hours for Old (really old) Things More time for the nature nerds, critter cravers, and fossil fiends! Starting this Friday, July 1, we're expanding our open hours. Here's our new, seasonal schedule: - Summertime! Between Memorial Day and…

Happy Solstice friends, summer is officially here! ?? How do you enjoy the warm weather? Catch some waves? Coastal hikes? Painting on the patio? Here's what we're doing to usher in the summer months: This Friday, our Museum Whalers are heading…

Things are heating up for summer...in a good way! Our brand-new exhibition is officially open! Paired with the return of Nat at Night, it's a naturally awesome way to start summer. Expedition Baja is Now Open! The Baja California Peninsula: our…

Outdoor News Happy May! The grunions are taking over the beaches, the birds are raising their chicks, and the snakes are looking for love. Our region's wildlife is so busy these days, it's hard to keep up! Thankfully, we've got 924…

Mark your calendars! It's April, which means we've got a little over one month before the opening of our newest exhibition: Expedition Baja. Together with our colleagues and partner organizations in Mexico, we've spent nearly 150 years exploring…