4 Best Sights in San Diego, California

The neoclassical First Bank of Commerce building, constructed in 1910, holds the headquarters and archives of the Coronado Historical Association, a museum, the Coronado Visitor Center, and the Coronado Museum Store. The free museum's collection celebrates Coronado's history with photographs and displays of its formative events and major sights. A guided tour of the area's architecturally and historically significant buildings departs from the museum lobby on Sunday at 11 am and Tuesday at 1 pm and costs $20 for adults (reservations required). Alternatively, pick up a self-guided tour in the museum's shop.

In 1925, department store magnate and philanthropist George Marston established Presidio Park and this Spanish Mission–style museum on the hill before donating both to the City of San Diego in 1929. The area contains San Diego's original Spanish presidio (fortress) and California's first mission, and after an extensive renovation, the museum and park commemorate the history of the site from the time it was occupied by the Kumeyaay Indians through its Spanish, Mexican, and American periods. Artifacts include Kumeyaay baskets, Spanish riding gear, and an 18th-century cannon once used to protect Fort Guijarros down the hill in Old Town. The education room has hands-on stations where kids can grind acorns in metates (stones used for grinding grain) and dig for buried artifacts with archaeology tools. Ascend the tower to compare the view you'd have gotten before 1929 with the one you have today. The museum, now operated by the San Diego History Center, is at the north end of Presidio Park, near Taylor Street.

Curated by Joe Frangiosa, this 800-square-foot exhibit is dedicated to depicting the history of the U.S. Navy, its ships, and their evolution from the Revolutionary War period to World War II. In addition to constructed model ships, the exhibit includes artifacts, photographs, uniforms, and toys detailing the Navy's history.

The San Diego Historical Society maintains its research library in the basement of the Casa de Balboa and organizes shows on the first floor. Permanent and rotating exhibits, which are often more lively than you might expect, survey local urban history after 1850, when California entered the Union. A 30-minute, Emmy Award-winning film, Balboa Park: The Jewel of San Diego, plays hourly in the museum's theater.