As a flagship museum in Balboa Park, The Nat features the unique natural history and biodiversity of Southern California and Baja California! With five floors of exhibition space, a giant-screen theater, and San Diego’s only Foucault pendulum, there's something for everyone in your party!
With permanent exhibitions, giant-screen films, a robust calendar of events and activities, and the opportunity to see scientists at work, The Nat is the best place to spend time with your favorite people!
Current exhibits include, but are not limited to:
Amazement in the Basement
Our newest experience offers a rare “backstage” glimpse into the Museum’s collections and research work, inviting people to marvel in the diversity of nature, think like a scientist, and peek into the brand-new, state-of-the-art Paleontology Center.
Coast to Cactus in Southern California
This exhibition will take you on an immersive walk through the major regions of southern California's coast, inland valleys, mountains, and deserts and celebrate the abundant variety of life found here.
Fossil Mysteries
From dinosaurs to megalodons to mastodons, travel through 75 million years and dig into the rich fossil history of southern California and Baja California.
Washed Ashore
This exhibit is trash, literally. Come see a stunning exhibition that transforms ocean debris into impossible-to-ignore art sculptures.
Living Lab
Meet more than 20 of your not-so-cuddly neighbors, from stinging scorpions to elusive nocturnal lizards.
Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science
This exhibition explores the past, present and future of citizen science through rare books, art, photographs, and historical documents.
Hidden Gems
See more than 100 stunning objections from our mineralogy department in this little gem of an exhibit.
Expedition Baja
Journey off the beaten path through sky and sea islands, palm oases, and fog deserts as museum researchers discover new species, work to conserve native plants and animals, and explore the most remote parts of the peninsula.
