8 Best Sights in San Diego, California

The name "Mingei" comes from the Japanese words min, meaning "all people," and gei, meaning "art." Thus the museum's name describes what's found under its roof: "art of all people." The Mingei's colorful and creative exhibits of folk art feature toys, pottery, textiles, costumes, jewelry, and curios from around the globe. Traveling and permanent exhibits in the sleek, high-ceilinged museum include everything from a history of surfboard design and craft to the latest in Japanese ceramics. The gift shop carries items related to major exhibitions as well as artwork from various cultures worldwide, such as Zulu baskets, Turkish ceramics, and Mexican objects. A major renovation unveiled in late 2021 includes a large public commons space and courtyard featuring one of the park's most exciting dining options, Artifact at Mingei. 

Driving along Coast Boulevard, it is hard to miss the mass of watercraft jutting out from the rear of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla location. Pleasure Point by Nancy Rubins is just one example of the mingling of art and locale at this spectacular oceanfront setting.

The oldest section of La Jolla's branch of San Diego's contemporary art museum was originally a residence, designed by Irving Gill for philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1916. In the mid-1990s the compound was updated and expanded by architect Robert Venturi, who respected Gill's original geometric structure and clean Mission-style lines while adding his own distinctive touches. An expansion in 2020 quadrupled existing gallery space. The result is a striking contemporary building that looks as though it's always been here.

The light-filled Axline Court serves as the museum's entrance and does triple duty as reception area, exhibition hall, and forum for special events, including The Gala each September, attended by the town's most fashionable folk. Inside, the museum's artwork gets major competition from the setting: you can look out from the top of a grand stairway onto a landscaped garden that contains permanent and temporary sculpture exhibits as well as rare 100-year-old California plant specimens and, beyond that, to the Pacific Ocean.

Artists from San Diego and Tijuana figure prominently in the museum's permanent collection of post-1950s art, but the museum also includes examples of every major art movement through the present—works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Joseph Cornell, and Jenny Holzer, to name a few. The museum also gets major visiting shows. Head to the museum's shop for unique cards and gifts. The street-facing plaza at the museum café is a great spot to relax and recharge.

Free tours are offered at 2 on Sunday.

At the Downtown branch of the city's contemporary art museum (the space is under renovation so best to call ahead for hours), explore the works of international and regional artists in a modern, urban space. The Jacobs Building—formerly the baggage building at the historic Santa Fe Depot—features large gallery spaces, high ceilings, and natural lighting, giving artists the flexibility to create large-scale installations. MCASD's collection includes many pop art, minimalist, and conceptual works from the 1950s to the present. The museum showcases both established and emerging artists in temporary exhibitions, and has permanent, site-specific commissions by Jenny Holzer and Richard Serra.

Known for its Spanish baroque and Renaissance paintings, including works by El Greco, Goya, Rubens, and van Ruisdael, San Diego's most comprehensive art museum also has strong holdings of South Asian art, Indian miniatures, and contemporary California paintings. The museum's exhibits tend to have broad appeal, and if traveling shows from other cities come to town, you can expect to see them here. Free docent tours are offered throughout the day. An outdoor Sculpture Court and Garden exhibits both traditional and modern pieces. Enjoy the view over a craft beer and some locally sourced food in the adjacent Panama 66 courtyard restaurant.

World-renowned photographers such as Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Edward Weston are represented in this museum's permanent collection, which includes everything from 19th-century daguerreotypes to contemporary photojournalism prints. In addition to selections from its own collection, the museum hosts excellent traveling exhibits. Photos rotate frequently, so call ahead if you're interested in something specific to find out if it is currently on display.  MOPA is also known for its film screenings. Check the website for upcoming showings.

The newly opened Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, adjacent to Chicano Park itself, gives the history and context behind the landmark and the political activism that inspired it. The museum also hosts galleries of rotating pieces by local Chicanx artists. The museum is free to visit but donations are accepted, and make sure to peruse the gift shop, which features items from local artists. Tours must be prearranged. 

Though somewhat out of place architecturally, this small and modern structure, made of travertine imported from Italy, is a jewel box. The museum houses works by major European and American artists as well as a superb collection of Russian icons.

Featuring more than 20 immersive exhibits created by local and international artists, designers, and makers, the museum is an art and technology experience that challenges viewers to look at art in a new way. Among its exhibits are Masterpiece, which allows interactive distortion of familiar works of art, as well as the disorienting Quantum Mirror and the game-like interactive One Minute.