The Coronado Museum of History & Art

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

The permanent galleries trace Coronado from Spanish exploration through the 1880s, and hold more than 20,000 photographs and 1,400 artifacts on subjects that range from Tent City's carnival games and Ferris wheel to North Island's hundred-year run as a Navy aviation base, launch point for the first leg of Charles Lindbergh's New York-to-Paris flight. A separate gallery covers the Hotel del Coronado, the National Historic Landmark down the street that has hosted thirteen presidents. Admission is free, and the museum also runs guided walking tours by reservation, including one through the Hotel Del itself.