The creative eye behind Object, “an intercultural platform that promotes Mexican design,” Verónica Hernández has a style that draws a connection between spirituality, functionality, and comfort. As the owner of a Tijuana-based, brick-and-mortar-slash-online store carrying styles from Mexican designers, Hernández doesn’t sell anything of which she’s not personally a fan.
“I’m anti-classic brands,” Hernández says, opening up about her aesthetics, adding, “I look for smaller brands that the entire world doesn’t know about.” She also hosts Mexico Curated, a series of guided cultural tours in Baja California, meaning that whatever she puts on her own back should also be comfortable and elevated enough for bigger crowds and varied energies.
This philosophy lives on at Object—a space shared with Hernández’s second business, a boutique real estate firm called 9 Lamat—and in her wardrobe, as well. When she finds a good item, like, say, her favorite perfume made in Mexico, she sticks to it for the long run since she’s tried it and is “100 percent convinced” by it.
“If I find something I like, chances are I won’t change it. These are things I use every day that make me feel good,” Hernández says.
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Journeying Inward
Inward, by Yung Pueblo, is a book Hernández carries around, especially when traveling from Ensenada to Tijuana. The book, which has “existential themes,” was given to Hernández by a friend. She likes to pick a random page and see what message the book has for her that day. From $15.80.
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Unisex Scents
For All Folks—a Mexican brand carried at Hernández’s shop—makes a unisex perfume stick with 100 percent essential oils that can be shared by couples. She frequently re-stocks in-store and at home because its essences, aside from being aromatic, have healing properties that give good energy. “It smells good and it makes you feel good,” she says. From $43.
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Slot Anywhere
A piece of furniture she calls “thin, versatile, and special,” the 3-Level Platform by La Metropolitana is adjustable and can be used to store everything from dishware to books, advises Hernández. She thinks it’s a good investment piece that can easily be moved from room to room if you’re feeling creative. From $928.
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The Ultimate Staple
During a sourcing trip to San Francisco in search of items to add to her store, Hernández discovered UZI NYC, a clothing brand selling mainly oversized tunic dresses. The “star product” of the brand, as she calls it, is the versatile black Box Dress—she has three. $143.
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Keeping it Local
A Tijuana-based artist and friend of Hernández’s, Jaime Ruiz Otis painted “Atrás del Cerro Azul,” an abstract piece in which he explores his personal life. Hernández made Otis’s work the first painting she ever bought. “I fell in love with the painting when I saw it. I even took it to Italy when I lived there,” she says. Contact for pricing.
“I’m always wearing the same hat,” Hernández shares about her Jipi-Japa Ko Hat by Lordag Song. Another item she carries in store, this made-to-order, hand-woven hat has withstood the test of time thanks to its flexible, artisanal fibers that can be molded to fit anyone, even years later. From $115.
Roxana Becerril is a Mexican-American writer living in San Diego. When she's not traveling or checking out the newest restaurant in the city, she covers art, culture, lifestyle and Latino topics.
Kevin Espiritu has never been one for convention. To pay for college, he didn’t rely on scholarships or his parents to foot the bill: instead, he played online poker and used the winnings to finance his education. Post-college, when Espiritu had graduated from playing online poker to playing video games with his brother, he felt the need to challenge himself to come up with a hobby that would take him and his brother outside and away from their screens. That challenge turned out to be gardening.“I grew up in San Diego in the Rancho Penasquitos area. I really did not grow up gardening, so it took until I was in my early twenties to start growing my first plant,” he says.
But, why gardening?“I gave my brother skateboarding, surfing, as hobbies that we could have picked up and for some reason, we gravitated toward gardening. I don’t really know why each of us chose that, but it’s just sort of just what happened,” he says.Espiritu says he started out by documenting his green-thumb journey online as a blog. As his audience grew, he expanded into YouTube and other social platforms, and eventually, an e-commerce site.
Courtesy of Epic Gardening
What began as a hobby has now blossomed into Epic Gardening, a one-stop-shop for growing guides and products—whether you’re looking for advice on propagating orchids or you want to learn how to plant pecan trees. And when you need to buy gardening supplies, Epic’s online store has just about everything you’d need to become a master gardener. Their bestsellers include the product that started it all: a galvanized raised garden bed. “I had featured [it] in some of my content, and everyone wanted to know where to get it. I decided, instead of telling you, why don’t I just offer it to you since no one seems to know how to get it. That’s how it started,” Espiritu says.Epic Gardening also sells seed trays, grow lights, planters, and 650 different varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. With nearly 2.5 million YouTube subscribers, 955k Instagram followers, 2.7 million TikTok followers, 673k Facebook followers, and 81k Pinterest followers, Epic Gardening’s social media presence has blossomed into influencer status.We asked Espiritu for his favorite must-have products that he can’t live without, whether in the garden or everyday life. Here are his current faves:
“I’m a flip flops guy, despite my best efforts to move to more sophisticated shoes,” he says. “[These are] easy to toss on in the garden and I like a more rugged style because I beat mine up like crazy.”
“Completely changed my cooking game. I make fresh sourdough pizza and roasted garden-fresh potatoes and veggies in this a couple times a week in the summer. Great for parties, too!”
“The hawkbill style knife blade makes pruning really easy, with a pulling motion towards the body. [It] makes short work of my tomato and veggie pruning tasks, along with harvesting greens, etc.”
“The original metal raised bed from Australia, loved by hundreds of thousands of gardeners around the world and proudly carried by us here at Epic Gardening. Aside from the gardening use case, it’s my favorite product of all time because it made Epic Gardening what it is today. Very grateful!” This post contains affiliate links to products and services. We may receive compensation when you click on links.
Jennifer Ianni is a long-time San Diego journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, PACIFIC magazine, Point Loma-OB Monthly, PB Monthly, and more. She’s a native San Diegan who loves puns, pop culture, dive bars, yoga, extra dirty martinis, walks with her dog, Luna, and hanging out with her nephew, Jay, and her niece, Siena.
Kiersten “Kiki” Rich, also known by her travel influencer alias, “The Blonde Abroad,” relates with her cadre of Instagram followers (513K to be exact-ish) by sharing her own life story.“You can travel alone,” she says, empowering other women to take flight and follow their wanderlust—even if it means letting go of their current status quo.
A native of Temecula, she now calls San Diego home with her partner and small son, a big change after four years as residents of Cape Town, South Africa. Despite the romance of being an ex-pat, she says, “When my partner and I decided to put our roots down, San Diego was a pretty easy choice. It’s just such an amazing home base.”But don’t think motherhood has put the brakes on her exploration. She still frequents San Diego International Airport, passport in hand and baby in tow. “We took our first flight [together] when he was, like, two-and-a-half months old,” Kiki says.After 11 years of blogging and cataloging her adventures, Kiki has visited more than 71 countries and taken more than 500 flights (that’s nearly a million miles spent airborne!). She hopes that, for readers and followers, “my blog—and maybe my life—is a reminder that you can change. Change is good. Change is what keeps us growing.”
5 Must-Have Travel Accessories
Blonde Abroad Kiki Rich Fujifilm X-T4
FujiFilm X-T4
This camera is Kiki’s preferred extra pair of eyes, but “I have a lot of resources on my blog [to help you] find the perfect camera,” she says. This digital Fujifilm lets you point and shoot like a pro with motion stabilization and face recognition for video and stills. Prices vary
Calapak Packing Cubes Kiki Rich
Calapak Packing Cubes
“I like that CalPak has usable sizes and shapes,” Kiki says. This five-piece set with 17 different color options offers breathable mesh and organizing labels to make packing (and unpacking) a breeze. $68
Monos CarryOn Pro Plus Kiki Rich
Monos Carry-On Pro Plus
This chic spinner with a sturdy shell offers a TSA-approved lock and a place to slip a laptop up to 15 inches. Kiki emphasizes that “lightweight, high-quality luggage [is] worth a splurge.” $315
Lo & Sons Clairemont Bag Kiki Rich
Lo & Sons Claremont Bag
Kiki recommends this “stylish purse that also fits a camera.” Start your own influencing empire with the right gear to stash your DSLR (or your passport) in a flash. $220
TRTL Travel Pillow Kiki Rich
TRTL Travel Pillow
According to travel brand TRTL, this scarf-style pillow is “scientifically proven” to prevent stiff necks and sore shoulders. Kiki loves it for long flights because it’s comfortable, packs down well, and is easy to wash. $50 This post contains affiliate links to products and services. We may receive compensation when you click on links.
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
Though intensely passionate and loquacious regarding the finer points of curation, Ütt eschews pretense. He’s approachable, affable, and, most importantly, he gets it: Art can be hard—especially in a city where tan lines can act as social currency and sandy feet are kudos to a day well spent.
Can the likes of Baldessari really compete with the beach? Ütt is optimistic but aware of the cultural challenges.
His calling card as a curator is his proclivity for studio visits with artists, which have clocked him hundreds—if not thousands—of hours interviewing makers and getting to the core of their visions.
“I think something we’re missing in San Diego that has a huge potential is to just surround ourselves with art,” he says. “We’re getting there.” Through his guidance, ICA’s dual locations in Balboa Park and Encinitas offer that chance to be surrounded: Both locations feature art classes and exhibitions from artists-in-residence.
“I think if San Diego wants to be an arts destination, and wants to be known as such, we need to be thinking as a global city and not as a local city,” he says.
A prodigal San Diego son himself, Ütt returned to the city after a post-art school stint in San Francisco and years abroad in Europe and South America. These travels, combined with his 20-years of experience in curation and arts organization, make Ütt seem like the most likely candidate to take our city to that lauded echelon. Tinged with altruistic ambition, he admits, “It’s my responsibility to bring in artists that are doing interesting things.”
Ütt hopes that with ICA’s broad reach throughout the county he can make art accessible, informative, and, yes, challenging. “I’m a true believer that if someone doesn’t like art, then it’s working,” he says, “and that’s a good thing because then they start to be more aware and cognizant of the things around them and the ideas that are being presented.”
He’s not asking you to give up the beach, just to give art a chance, too.
Lose yourself in the layered pattern paintings of artist Taylor Chapin, taylorchapin.com.
Woodland creatures laze in the center of these ceramic bowls overlayed with blown-up florals, jongeriuslab.com.
Liven up your living space with ceramic tube-and-glass tables finished with swirling post-modern pastels, hyunuko.com $7,200.
Lounge in artist Chris Wolston’s conceptual, anatomical nod to non- Western art-making, chriswolston.com.
Tikal green marble half-spheres conjoin to make this striking living room centerpiece, thefutureperfect.com $32,000.
Reflect on yourself in these languid mirror shapes, bower-studios.com $4,500.
Keep track with this surrealism-meets-animation timepiece, woodyothello.com.
Artist Darren Romanelli (DRX) upcycles camo for oversized, sustainable comfort, friedmanbenda.com $25,000.
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
For Executive Chef Emily Brubaker, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa feels like home. She grew up just a mile-and-a-half away from the 400-acre property and fondly recalls walking the golf course perimeter as a kid. Though her ambitions led her away from San Diego for nearly two decades in which she honed her craft in some of the highest of high-profile Las Vegas restaurants—including triple Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand—they ultimately brought her back to North County.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Today, the classically French-trained chef, who’s fresh off a victory on NBC’s Yes, Chef!, judged by Martha Stewart and José Andrés, oversees Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s seven distinct dining concepts. Her goal is to elevate the resort’s culinary program with her creative, hyperlocal ingredient-driven approach while maintaining the Spanish- inspired flavors and fresh California coastal cuisine that are the bedrock of its culinary identity.
“The San Diego food scene is really growing, and in North County alone, it’s really exploded in the last five years,” Brubaker says. “There are Michelin stars, beautiful tasting menus, craft bakers, and all this food—when I was growing up in La Costa, it was fish tacos. Now there are really cool things popping up, and I’m so happy to be here to see where it’s going to go.”
Brubaker gives chefs de cuisine at each individual restaurant autonomy, however, her influence is evident across the resort.
For example, lobby restaurant Bar Traza serves as Omni La Costa’s culinary centerpiece and features bold Spanish flavors in a lively, social atmosphere. Brubaker overhauled the menu to be more consistent and centered on casual bites with that signature vibe. Think smoky paprika, vibrant citrus, and Spanish meats and cheeses.
At VUE, the focus is on seasonal offerings, California coastal cuisine, and Baja-inspired dishes. She and Chef de Cuisine Cameron Dixon change the menu biannually, which heading into summer, will highlight farm-fresh produce and hyperlocal ingredients—the resort even has its own herb garden and honeybee hives.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Poolside dining options are leaning into the country’s 250th this summer with a selection of classic American dishes with an Omni La Costa twist. And Bob’s Steak & Chop House (Brubaker is a trained butcher) offers a classic steakhouse experience with elevated service.
The chef and company also plan menus for special events at the resort where her creativity can really shine. For an upcoming National Ski Association dinner, the banquet hall will be transformed into an Alpine-themed winter wonderland complete with a snow machine, savory sausages, and melty, decadent raclette. A recent dinner was built around the Carlsbad Flower Fields and each course was matched to a color of ranunculus (Did you know pink dragonfruit are grown in North County? You do now.).
“It’s my zen to be in the kitchen playing with food,” Brubaker says.
Omni La Costa’s culinary program is a key part of the resort experience. And with Brubaker’s leadership, it’s becoming a draw for visitors and locals alike.
“These aren’t just hotel restaurants, these are restaurants that you should go to. They’re destinations, and I’m really hoping for the future that’s where we’re going,” Brubaker says.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Brubaker is also channeling her experience on Yes, Chef! into the culture at Omni La Costa—more emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, empowering her staff to share constructive critiques, and embracing different perspectives. Alongside her leadership role, Brubaker has become an advocate for mental health in the hospitality industry, serving as chief ambassador for the Burnt Chef Project and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Apex Culinary Program, where she mentors and develops future talent.
Cozy living room designed by Larraine; the one-of-a-kind vintage coconut coffee table is from Klassik in Little Italy, klassikdesign.com contact for pricing.
After an impromptu pull of a Lucifer card from a nontraditional tarot deck, holistic interior designer Rachel Larraine says, “Every time I get that card I’m always like, ‘What am I going to get tempted to do?’”It’s a fitting question for someone whose life’s work is concerned with harnessing human desire. Larraine, who describes her style as “eclectic with a touch of seduction,” found her way to a conventional design career through unconventional practices. After all, it’s not like there’s a blueprint for building what she calls a “holistic” interior design business.Following the cancellation of a large-scale resort project she had been co-designing, she muses, “I had an opportunity to jump out on my own, so I did it.”
Holistic interior designer Rachel Larraine
Credit: Studio Luniste
Doing things her way meant getting certified in Feng Shui and becoming a Reiki master. “I was sort of torn between these worlds of spirituality and interior design,” she says. Suddenly, the obvious became apparent: she’d do both.Spirituality has always been part of Larraine’s milieu. “I remember buying my first amethyst when I was 10 at the Oktoberfest in La Mesa,” she reminisces, adding that her spirituality started “coming even more alive” after her oldest son’s birth in 2010. Providing more than just aesthetics, Larraine offers a curated array of design services, which includes kitchen remodels and energy healing sessions—she’ll even lay a crystal grid in the foundation of your home.All of these practices blur the lines between the material, emotional, and metaphysical. Describing her design ethos, she says, “For me, it’s about creating a space with someone’s spirit and mind and body—all encompassing.”
This spiked tea collab from SD makers Geoff Longnecker, of Seven Cave Spirits, and Paru Tea owner, Amy Truong, blends jasmine with white rum to create a soothing, local libation, the7caves.com $30.
Industrial gear juxtapose with organic elements, like colored blown glass, in this fun fixture, linseyadelman.com $9,500.
Abstract design and textural techniques coalesce in this Norwegian ex-pat’s “intuitive painting,” ellovaas.com $8,600.
Self-care in 37 cards, a deck created to realign our psyche with all things somatic, serpentfire.ca coming soon to Kickstarter.
Using felled trees, locals Jess and Dan use their mix of holistic training and a UCLA art degree to shape unique pieces from our regional wood, sdurbantimber.com. Contact for pricing.
Postmodern plush and midcentury structure align in this oversized Sandra Jordan Alpaca seater, atraform.com from $12,477.
This eco-friendly lip oil is encased in hand-blown glass from global artisans, kindredblack.com $98.
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
How Mariah Hoffman Built Her Dream Tiny Home by Hand in Lemon Grove
Plus, eight essential items that help her get into a creative headspace
By Erica Nichols
Designer, builder and DIY pro Mariah Hoffman outside her 156-square-foot home in Lemon Grove
Stacy Keck
OCCUPATION: Designer, Maker, Tiny House Coach
AGE: 31
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lemon Grove
Mariah Hoffman sees in blueprint. The self-taught designer, builder, and DIY pro has ever since she was a kid, when she sketched out the plans of her home on a whim after discovering a crack in the wall that let her see through to another room. It got her thinking small, about how every square inch of a structure matters, how the “big reveal” is actually thousands of tiny, crucial details.
It also explains where she’s living now: a house in Lemon Grove that she put the finishing touches on in late 2020. The average one-car garage is 200 square feet. Her home is 156.
“Without any actual blueprints,” Hoffman laughs. “Which I don’t recommend.”
She started back in 2016 after becoming fascinated with a tiny home she’d come across in Northern California. The owner had built it herself, and allowed Hoffman a look inside. Architecture had piqued Hoffman’s interest at that point, but she was stuck in a creative rut and unsure of her next steps. “That’s when it all clicked,” she says. “I wanted that tangible, hands-on experience to see how it all came together.”
Building her home—a grueling, emotional, five-year effort that landed her in Dwell—inspired her current work, coaching others interested in building their own tiny homes or small ADUs (accessory dwelling units). She teaches one-hour mini-sessions and six-week courses, walking aspiring microtects through the whys and hows of shaping inches until they become a functional place to live. She refers to it as a journey back to one’s self.
“It’s a really liberating, transformative process, uncovering the significance of ‘home’ and a person’s relationship to their space,” she says.
Safety, agency, intentional minimalism—they’re the grounding forces behind Hoffman’s approach to design. Within the tiny house movement, these principles speak to a bigger conversation about representation and accessibility that Hoffman hopes to expand on in her own work, through other builders of color, and makers in general.
Mariah Hoffman – at work
Julie Blair
“Creatively, I want to continue to push the boundaries of how we think about housing and sustainability and accessibility,” she says. “It starts with understanding those worlds and these materials and how they come together.”
Hoffman extends that perspective to the rest of her creative work—making mod-inspired jewelry from acrylic waste, dabbling in watercolor, and building functional furniture. In February, she relaunched her Cubica table, a modular wooden piece that can be used as a portable coffee table at home, for picnics, or on a weekend camping trip.
Back home, the work is never truly finished. She has mental blueprints for a rooftop deck, and wants to build out the front porch beyond the nuts-and-bolts foundation she currently has in place. For now, she’s content to explore the unique nooks that have naturally formed in her space, like the multipurpose desk beside her bed where she can read, work, and soak up the mindful solitude in a home made by hand.
The iconic 1,200-acre preserve’s history dates back more than 150 years, evolving from a scrub-filled plot atop a mesa overlooking what’s now Downtown to an urban oasis—the largest of its kind in the country—filled with an array of museums, attractions, gardens, trails, restaurants, and more. Balboa Park is an epic playground where San Diegans and visitors alike can experience the great outdoors just as easily as they can enjoy a world-class performance or explore groundbreaking discoveries.
Tucked away in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture are 18 diverse museums that allow visitors to spend the day learning about, well, anything. A great place to start is the San Diego History Center. Located in the Casa del Balboa building, the museum tells the story of the city’s past, present, and future through photographs and art, clothing and textiles, and interviews with people who witnessed history-making events firsthand. The San Diego Natural History Museum takes visitors even farther back with interactive exhibitions that show what the region was like up to 75 million years ago.
Blast off on a simulated trip to space at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, then check out artifacts from aviation legends, including the Wright brothers, Amelia Earhart, and Buzz Aldrin. Discover new perspectives revolutionizing the science world, learn about an often overlooked but overutilized utility, and exercise your creativity at the Fleet Science Center.
Calling all theater-lovers, Balboa Park has something for you, too. The San Diego Junior Theatre will present their musical take on beloved children’s book A Bad Case of the Stripes from June 26 through July 12. And laugh, cry, and marvel in awe as the pros of The Old Globe perform Kim’s Convenience, the award-winning comedy that inspired the popular series, from May 15 to June 14.
There’s nowhere else in Balboa Park quite like WorldBeat Cultural Center. The institution celebrates African diaspora and indigenous cultures around the world using art, music, dance, and education. The building, a renovated water tower covered in colorful murals, houses a performing arts center, museum, gift shop, cafe, and outdoor classroom.
If you’d like a side of nature with your culture, Balboa Park has you covered there, too. Stroll through the gardens of the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, a monument to the relationship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama, Japan. Inspired by traditional Japanese design dating back centuries, the 10-acre respite features a living exhibition that showcases plants native to both cities.
If there seems like a lot going on in Balboa Park, it’s because there is. Let theBalboa Park Cultural Partnership be your guide. The organization is the umbrella for 24 of the park’s institutions and offers an Explorer Pass that allows visitors to access multiple museums for one affordable price. The hardest part is picking where to start.
16 Museums, One Pass
Save on admission to San Diego’s top museums with the Balboa Park Explorer Pass. Explore 16 museums of art, science, history and culture across Balboa Park — all with one affordable pass. Choose the option that fits your pace: the Limited Pass (one day for up to four museums), the Parkwide Pass (seven consecutive days of access to all 16 museums) or the Annual Pass (365 days of unlimited exploring).
Looking for an experience-driven gift? Let the museum lover in your life enjoy their favorite museums all year with a Balboa Park Explorer Annual Pass gift voucher.
Bigger experiments, brighter ideas, and boundless curiosity await at the newly reimagined Fleet Science Center. This summer, the Fleet debuts Element 8 Cafe, an expanded theater queuing and concessions space, two new gallery spaces, and, for the first time, a free entrance gallery exploring science in and around San Diego. The transformation marks a new chapter for the Fleet, keeping it a vital, innovative, and accessible science hub for the region. Visitors are invited to explore the experience this summer and connect with the power of science like never before.
Address: 1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 Website:FleetScience.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Phone: 619-238-1233
Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum
An accredited cultural gem, the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum brings traditional Japanese garden design to life with koi ponds, curving walkways and layers of greenery. Guests explore bonsai trees, streams and peaceful nooks while taking part in exhibits, educational programs and festivals that illuminate Japanese culture. Situated in the heart of Balboa Park, the garden doubles as a meditative retreat and a dynamic gathering place, welcoming visitors to slow their pace and connect more deeply.
Address: 2215 Pan American Road E, San Diego, CA 92101 Website:Niwa.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; last admission at 6 p.m. Phone: 619-232-2721
The Old Globe
A San Diego summer favorite, The Old Globe invites audiences to experience a beloved local tradition in its outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
This summer, the 2026 Shakespeare Festival presents two thrilling tales of power, passion and romance. Measure for Measure, running June 14 through July 12, 2026, is a riveting story of justice and hypocrisy that asks who holds power, who is punished and what it truly means to be virtuous. Much Ado About Nothing, playing Aug. 2–30, 2026, is a classic rom-com packed with schemes, sparks and laughter as opposites attract. Audiences can enjoy both shows for $44.
Address: 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101 Website:TheOldGlobe.org Hours: Box office open Tuesday–Sunday, 1 p.m. to final curtain Phone: Box office, 619-234-5623
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Aviation and space exploration come to life at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. See an airworthy replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, a Gee Bee racer and historic aircraft from World War I, World War II and the Korean and Vietnam eras. Get up close to the Apollo 9 command module — one of only 11 of its kind in the world — along with Mercury and Gemini capsules, Mission Control and space shuttle simulators, and a selfie spot beside a lunar lander on the moon. Running through 2026, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brings oddities from around the world to Balboa Park.
Address: 2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 Website:SanDiegoAirAndSpace.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 619-234-8291
San Diego History Center
History belongs to everyone. At the San Diego History Center, two experiences bring that history to life this summer: America at 250 and the Center for Women’s History. America at 250 traces San Diego’s place in 250 years of U.S. history, while summer programs invite children to learn and explore. The Center for Women’s History amplifies the voices of women whose leadership and creativity have shaped our region.
By understanding our past, we build a more vibrant and inclusive community together. These vital educational experiences are only possible through generous community support. Discover your roots, spark meaningful dialogue, and help keep San Diego’s stories alive for future generations.
Address: 1649 El Prado, Suite 3, San Diego, CA 92101 Website: SanDiegoHistory.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday–Sunday Phone: 619-232-6203
San Diego Junior Theatre
Junior Theatre is San Diego’s longest-running youth theatre program, empowering students ages 4 to 18 to explore storytelling, performance, and collaboration in a supportive environment. Through classes, camps, and productions, young artists build confidence, creativity, and lifelong skills onstage and off. Each season features a wide range of opportunities, from introductory experiences to advanced training in acting and musical theatre.
Looking for a summer adventure? Junior Theatre’s Summer Camps deliver dynamic programs for grades K–12, including musical theater intensives, acting academies and immersive JT Studio experiences. It’s a place where imagination truly takes center stage.
Address: 1650 El Prado, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92101 Website:JuniorTheatre.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 619-239-1311
San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)
This summer, The Nat is talking trash—literally. Their newest exhibition, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, features larger‑than‑life marine sculptures made of ocean debris collected from beaches. It invites visitors to explore the impact of plastic pollution and discover ways to take action.
But the experience doesn’t stop at the gallery doors. Friday nights, the exhibition transforms into an ocean-themed “dive bar” during Nat at Night. Select Sundays bring something brand new: a rooftop brunch with sweeping Balboa Park views. Add two new giant-screen films and five floors of nature to explore, and The Nat is shaping up to be one of the season’s must-visit destinations.
Address: 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 Website: SDNat.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays in summer Phone: 619-232-3821
WorldBeat Cultural Center
The WorldBeat Cultural Center is a nonprofit multidisciplinary cultural organization dedicated to promoting, presenting and preserving Indigenous cultures worldwide through music, art, dance, education, sustainability and community programs. WorldBeat elevates multicultural artists, expands opportunities for cultural enrichment and fosters deeper understanding across traditions. WorldBeat offers a holistic cultural experience that inspires pride, unity, connection and belonging for all ages.
Address: 2100 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 Website:WorldBeatCenter.org Hours: Classes: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 6–9 p.m. Exhibits and café: Friday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Phone: 619-230-1190
Event Calendar
Throughout 2026: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!
Step into a world of the weird and wonderful at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. Explore hundreds of bizarre artifacts, interactive displays and unbelievable stories that celebrate the curious and the extraordinary.
Presented in partnership with the San Diego Museum of African American Fine Arts, San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods uses augmented reality, oral histories, and archival materials to explore communities and residents displaced by redlining, freeway construction, and other discriminatory policies.
Spend a summer night at The Old Globe. The Lowell Davies Festival Theatre stages Measure for Measure (June 14–July 12) and Much Ado About Nothing (Aug. 2–30), offering two unforgettable Shakespeare productions for just $44.
The Old Globe | 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101
June 8–Aug. 7: Theatre Summer Camps
Summer camps at Junior Theatre spark creativity for grades K–12 with hands-on training, musical theatre intensives, acting academies, and JT Studio experiences.
A museum visit turns into a Sunday Funday with the addition of rooftop brunch, featuring mimosas, bloody Marys, and brunch bites from Wolfish by Wolf in the Woods (June 14, August 9) and Hash House a Go Go (July 12).
Nagashi at the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum by floating a lantern to honor loved ones who have passed. Stroll merchant booths, enjoy cultural performances in the Inamori Pavilion, and sample food vendors plus a beer and sake garden in the lower garden.
Explore arts, science, history, and culture in the Balboa Park Cultural District with one convenient, affordable Pass. The Balboa Park Explorer Pass is your ticket to up to 16 museums and endless fun! Purchase your pass at BuyMyExplorer.com.
