Best Arts and Culture Places in Mission Bay

"San Diego Museum of Art is known for its collection of renowned Spanish and Italian masters, collections of Indian paintings, 19th- and 20th-century American sculptures and paintings, and new and changing exhibits from across the globe. Famous names include El Greco, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco Goya. The museum restaurant, Panama 66, is one of our favorite places to eat in Balboa Park."

"Old Town State Park enables visitors to travel back in time and experience life during San Diego’s Mexican and early American period between 1821 and 1872. Visit restored and recreated historic buildings where you can view exhibits featuring a wide range of artifacts. Costumed interpreters relay fascinating stories and little-known facts about the rich culture of San Diego."

"The renowned permanent collection includes Spanish and Italian old masters, Asian paintings, and 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculptures. In addition, the Museum regularly features major exhibitions from around the world."

"Originally in La Jolla, the New Children’s Museum opened in its current light-filled downtown space in 2008. Entering the multi-story, 50,000-square-foot space, it’s immediately evident that a lot of thought and imagination has gone into the museum’s design. Off the bat, a room lined entirely with mattresses invites kids to literally jump on the bed."

"This unique museum collaborates with contemporary artists to create one-of-a-kind art installations. The exhibits include playhouses, clubhouses, and climbable towers. Kids can interact with the exhibits and engage in active play as they would at home."

"A new model of children’s museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art."

"The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is one of a few private institutions dedicated to showcasing photography, film, and video. They also offer various workshops for photography enthusiasts (and I love stopping into the gift shop on my way out). Admission is free but based on a pay as you wish philosophy because one of their goals is to make their exhibitions accessible to all."

"Art is subjective and interpretive, and sometimes hard to decipher. Less so photographic arts, perhaps. And who doesn't like looking at amazing images of real things?"

"The Power of Photography MOPA is a center for visual learning, passionately dedicated to sharing and exploring the universal language of photography."

"Art is a powerful voice for people and helps us connect and express ourselves beyond language barriers. The Mingei International Museum showcases the “art of the people” across time and cultures. The exhibits are constantly changing to highlight new historical, contemporary folk art, crafts, and design and discover the finest examples of creative expression from underappreciated artists."

"Dedicated to art of the people (mingei) from all eras and cultures of the world, Mingei International Museum features dynamic, changing exhibitions of historical and contemporary folk art, craft and design."

"Don’t miss Pigment, my favorite store in ALL of San Diego! If you’re more of the outdoorsy type, head over to Cabrillo National Monument. You can check out the vintage Point Loma lighthouse and take in gorgeous views of the city harbor. Try to time your visit with low tide, because you’ll be able to check out the tide pools for creatures."

"Organized by color, Pigment is a huge home and gift shop stocked with all kinds of stuff, from kid's shoes to vintage-style barware. You'll definitely find something you want to take home, but at the very least, you'll have fun looking around."

"This is a store in North Park that looks like it’s made for instagram. If you visit, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Don’t forget to pick up some of my favorite postcards designed by our friend, Katie Hart at Odd Daughter Co."

"National Geographic has a fantastic reputation for its glossy photos of far-flung deserts and majestic mountains. See some of their best prints all in one place in this permanent collection of the magazine’s photography. The museum aims to inspire a new generation to protect the planet, and it is hard not to feel moved by the hypnotic selection of photographs in their collection."

"Pop into the Spanish Village Art Center so your kids can get a look at a working artist’s studio in a charming Spanish town square. Small adobe studios painted with blue walls and yellow trims host a variety of artists and even offer art classes, glass blowing lessons and even more to explore your creative side. From the studios to the flowers, this place bursts with color and reflective energy."

"The Spanish Village Art Center offers a sensational collection of art. For starters, it has a constant rotation of artists who work with felt, paint, metal, beads, photos, glass and clay. There’s always something new to see even if you’ve visited before, so the locals of San Diego enjoy it just as much as the tourists."

"A photo posted by Donut Panic (@donutpanicsd) on Jan 11, 2017 at 6:16am PST. “Donut Panic”about eating amazing donuts from this little shop on Mission Gorge Road because they are organic and in San Diego, we love the organic, healthy options – even when it comes to eating donuts!. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends, Donut Panic offers 100% vegan donuts and bagels, and during the rest of the week they have traditional desserts and old fashioned donuts."

"Besides a clever name, Donut Panic is also great at glazed donuts. Along with traditional donuts, they offer vegan creations such as chocolate espresso almond, Earl Grey, maple bacon glaze, and even rosewater cardamom. Baker Linda Dami combines potato flakes mixed with flour, soy milk, sugar, salt, oil, and yeast."

"Address: 6171 Mission Gorge Rd, Ste 113, San Diego, CA 92120. Neighborhood: Grantville. Don’t panic when you see the donuts at Donut Panic...their donuts taste just as good as they look!"

"It’s their mission at Golden Donuts to make the best, most uniform donuts as they possibly can with every batch. Image courtesy of Golden Donuts Instagram. While you can expect pretty much any donut you pick up to be sweet, not everyone is a fan of the sickly sweet flavors that accompany a lot of the more well-known donut establishments around San Diego - let alone the whole country."

"Tried them out for the first time today and will definitely be back!. We got a variety of half a dozen donuts and Vietnamese coffee and love everything."

"This whopping 5,800-acre natural preserve is inside San Diego’s city limits to the northeast, and is the sixth-largest municipal park in the United States. Snaking off into this rugged wilderness of scrubby hills and canyons are 60 miles of marked hiking, cycling and horse riding trails. One route will take you to the summit of Cowles Mountain, the highest point in San Diego at 486 metres and with a panorama of San Diego County that merits the climb."

"A hike in Mission Trails Regional Park is one of the best things to do in California. The whole preserve spans more than 7,000 acres, and depending on where you enter, you can see everything from bare, rocky cliffs to green fields bursting with life. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the wide range of activities offered at the park."

"This is also another big place that packs plenty of alternatives for your landscape photography. The paths here are quite romantic with amazing views of the hills. And the sky usually reflects attractively of the peaceful lake."

"Chicano Park is not your typical tourist destination but it is home to some rich Latino history in San Diego. The park is located underneath the Coronado Bay Bridge and it has some of the most beautiful murals and art that are painted on the pillars and sides of the freeway. The murals are constantly being changed by local artist and they tell some amazing stories."

"Chicano park is a small park with incredible murals from renowned Latin-American artists. It’s a national historic landmark that few know about in San Diego and worth visiting. You can read more about the stories behind the murals here."

"Chicano Park has a rich history, but the main draw for photographers and IGers are its beautiful murals. Each has a story of its own."