The New Children's Museum San Diego: Hours, Tickets, Parking

The New Children’s Museum is a three-level, art-based play museum at 200 W. Island Avenue in downtown San Diego, open 9am to 4pm every day except Tuesday. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for kids 1 and older, babies under 1 are free, and the museum’s own garage charges $20 per car. If you searched for “the San Diego children’s museum,” this is the one people mean.

What The New Children’s Museum is

The museum began in La Jolla in 1983 and took on the “New” name in May 2008, when it moved into its current three-level, 50,000-square-foot building in downtown’s Marina District. It is not a science center or a traditional exhibit hall. Instead, the museum commissions artists to build large installations that kids can climb, crawl through, build on and make a mess in, and it swaps them out over time. Installations fill all three levels, and the outdoor Museum Park across from the building has art studios.

That approach means the museum works best for kids roughly between toddler age and the early grade-school years. Older kids who want buttons, facts and screens usually get more out of the Fleet Science Center. The calendar regularly includes Toddler Time sessions (on November 4, 2026, for example, they ran at 10am and 11am) and a rotating “Materials Lab” studio where kids work with real art supplies. In November 2026, for example, the lab theme is ink.

Plan on about two to three hours. That is usually how long it takes a preschooler to cycle through every level, do a studio project and hit a wall.

Hours and when to go

The official hours are 9am to 4pm, six days a week, closed Tuesdays. The museum also closes on scattered dates for holidays and large events. In July 2026 it closed for the Comic-Con week, so if your trip overlaps a big downtown convention, check first. The visit page says to use the website calendar for the most current hours, and that is good advice: the calendar is where closures and special programs show up.

A few timing tips:

• Arrive at opening on weekends and school holidays. The building fills quickly by late morning.
• Weekday mornings bring school groups and toddler programs. Weekday afternoons after lunch are often the calmest.
• The 4pm close is early. Do not plan this as an end-of-day stop.

Tickets and discounts

These are the current prices posted on the museum’s site:

Ticket	Price
Adults 18+	$25
Children 1+	$20
Seniors 65+	$20
Military with ID	$20
Educators	$20
Children under 1	Free
Members	Free
Museums for All (EBT/SNAP/WIC)	$5 per person, up to 4 tickets, in person only
ACM Reciprocal members	50% off

Groups of 14 or fewer do not need a reservation. Groups of 15 or more are asked to book a group visit in advance. Gift cards are not sold.

Is the children’s museum free on any day?

Not on a regular schedule. The museum is not part of Balboa Park’s Resident Free Tuesdays (it is downtown, not in the park, and it is closed on Tuesdays anyway). The ways to cut the cost are:

• Kids Free San Diego (October). The San Diego Museum Council runs this every October. In 2026 it ran October 1 to 31, and The New Children’s Museum was a participant: one child 12 and under free with each paid adult, using a coupon from the Museum Council’s Kids Free page. Blackout rules vary by museum.
• Museum Month (February). In February 2026 the museum offered 50% off adult and child admission for up to four people on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with a pass from any San Diego city or county library.
• Membership. If you live locally and expect to come back more than twice a year, a membership usually pays for itself and halves garage parking.
• Museums for All. $5 per person with an EBT, SNAP or WIC card.

Parking and getting there

The museum is at 200 W. Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, in the Marina District near the Convention Center Trolley stop, Seaport Village and the Gaslamp Quarter.

Museum garage. $20 per car, or $10 for members and EBT/WIC/SNAP visitors. It opens at 8:45am and closes at 4:15pm, so you cannot leave a car there for an evening downtown. The museum asks you to check in with the plaza parking attendant before you pull in. There is no EV charging on site.

Cheaper nearby lot. The museum lists a discount at the ABM lot at 450 2nd Avenue: 2 hours for $5 with code 8792. It is not valid during Padres games or at other times ABM chooses, and Petco Park is a short walk away, so on game days budget for event pricing anywhere in this part of downtown.

Trolley and bus. The MTS Green Line serves the area, and the closest bus stops are 1st Ave and Broadway (several routes), 4th Ave and G St (Route 3) and 1st Ave and G St (Route 11). Kids under 18 ride MTS and North County Transit District buses and trains free with a Youth Opportunity Pass, which is worth setting up if you are staying downtown without a car.

What to expect inside

• Shoes on, clothes that can get dirty. The studios use paint, ink, clay and other real materials.
• Strollers are easiest to park and leave once you are inside, since much of the fun involves climbing.
• Food. Bean Sprouts Cafe is on site. Many families also picnic in the park across the street on a nice day.
• Accessibility. The museum has held sensory-friendly mornings on select dates. Look for them on the events calendar if your child does better with smaller crowds and lower noise.
• Adults alone. The museum is designed for children with their grown-ups. If you are going without kids, call ahead.

Who it suits

The museum is a strong pick for families with kids from about 1 to 8, especially on a hot day, a rare rainy day, or when the beach is too windy. It is less of a fit for tweens, and for families who want a full-day outing for the price. If you only have one paid attraction day with young children, the San Diego Zoo or LEGOLAND California will fill more hours. The children’s museum works best as a half-day stop on a downtown day.

Nearby pairings

• Seaport Village and the waterfront. A short walk away, with bay views, open lawns and snack stops. See our Seaport Village guide.
• Gaslamp Quarter lunch. Dozens of casual restaurants within walking distance.

Other kids museums in San Diego

If you searched “kids museum San Diego,” these are the other places worth knowing:

Fleet Science Center (Balboa Park)

The Fleet Science Center is the hands-on science museum in Balboa Park, and its Kid City area is aimed at the youngest visitors. Admission (the Fleet Experience) is $21.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors, $18.95 for kids 3 to 12, and free for 2 and under. Dome films cost $18 extra. It is open 10am to 5pm daily, and parking in its lot and the other Balboa Park lots is free. San Diego County residents, local college students and active-duty military get free gallery admission on the first Tuesday of each month.

San Diego Natural History Museum (Balboa Park)

Dinosaur fossils and California wildlife exhibits make “The Nat” a good fit for kids who have outgrown pure play spaces. All-day admission is $24.95 for adults and $16.95 for ages 3 to 17, kids 2 and under are free, and the museum is open 10am to 5pm daily (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas) per its visit page. On Fridays it stays open until 11pm with cheaper “Nat at Night” pricing.

Balboa Park Resident Free Tuesdays

If you live in the City or County of San Diego (or are active military with dependents), Balboa Park’s Resident Free Days rotate through the park’s museums. The Fleet and the Natural History Museum are free on the first Tuesday, the Air & Space Museum on the second (except December and January), and the Museum of Us on the fourth (except December). The San Diego Model Railroad Museum’s free day is the second Thursday. Bring photo ID with your address, and note that films and special exhibitions are often excluded.

Children’s Museum of Discovery (Escondido)

The former San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in downtown Escondido now goes by the Children’s Museum of Discovery (its old sdcdm.org address redirects to visitcmod.org). It sits at 320 North Broadway and is geared to young children and early STEM-style play. Admission is $17 per person, with children under 1 and members free, $13 for military and veterans, and $3 for EBT/SNAP/CalFresh/WIC cardholders. It is closed Mondays and open 9:30am to 4:30pm Tuesday through Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours. It is a good choice if you are staying in North County or pairing it with the Safari Park, which is also in Escondido.