Museum of History and Culture La Jolla

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

Virginia Scripps, half-sister of philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, built Wisteria Cottage on Prospect Street as a private home in 1904, and architect Irving Gill added its wisteria-covered entry pergola a few years later. The building spent decades as the Balmer School and then a pair of bookshops before the La Jolla Historical Society moved in when John Cole's Book Shop closed in 2005; the Revelle family gave the property to the society in 2008, and it now operates as the Museum of History and Culture La Jolla. Rotating exhibitions in the cottage's galleries dig into local history and preservation, including a fall show on the science behind restoring old buildings. Admission is free, and the galleries keep afternoon hours Wednesday through Sunday.