Located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California, the Museum of Man is dedicated to explaining much about humans and their lives through anthropology. It is San Diegos only such museum.
To find the museum is not incredibly difficult. Locate Balboa Park, which is Northeast of San Diegos downtown district, and just minutes from the San Diego Freeway, otherwise known as Interstate Five. Park in the ample free parking lots, and walk toward El Prado Street. The Museum is easily identified, as it is the building with a 200 foot tall tower looming overhead. This is known as the California Tower, and it was built to showcase the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 and 1916. It is a highly wrought tower, carefully crafted to retain the architectural styles then current. As it towers over everything nearby, it is easy to see from virtually any vantage point inside of Balboa park.
Once you’ve reached the base of the tower, and spent a few moments absorbing this masterpiece of design and construction, you may enter the Museum itself. Inside, you will find exhibits which explore various indigenous cultures present long before European settlers arrived to Californias west coast. Another exhibit houses one of the most highly regarded collections of Egyptian artifacts in America. There are also exhibits which explain aspects of human evolution as well as the human life cycle. All of the aforementioned exhibits are permanent, and are utilized by local schools to educate and enrich students on these topics. Tag along behind a school group and receive an impromptu lesson articulated by one of the museums staff!
Along with permanent exhibits, rotating displays also circulate through the museum on occasion, spicing up the learning experience. From demonstrations on the origin of the human species, to displays which showcase games played throughout history to modern times, the range of human related topics covered in the Museum of Man is vast. The museum is open daily except for closures on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Prices range from five to ten dollars, depending on age or exclusions, with discounts offered to students and military.