San Diego Museum of Man is Where You Can Experience Unique Exhibits on Human Evolution

The Museum of Man features fascinating exhibits on human evolution, Egyptian artifacts, Kumeyaay culture and Mayan monuments. Little ones can also enjoy the Children’s Discovery Center, which allows them to experience living in ancient Egyptian times. With its striking architecture and historic setting, the Museum of Man is a favorite for banquets, corporate functions and other special events.

The Exhibitions of the world-renowned Museum of Man are a major resource for the San Diego community. Permanent exhibits explore the Maya, ancient Egypt, the Kumeyaay Indians of San Diego County, Human Evolution, and the Human Life Cycle. These exhibits inform and entertain San Diegans and visitors alike, and are used extensively in the region’s school curricula to study ancient history, local history, Indigenous cultures, and health sciences. These permanent exhibits are complemented by a series of changing exhibits on display throughout the Museum.

Core Exhibitions

Ancient Egypt
The culture of ancient Egypt holds a universal appeal and fascination for adults and children alike. The Museum of Man is fortunate to have one of the most important ancient Egyptian collections in the United States.

Children’s Discovery Center
The Children’s Discovery Center (CDC) exhibit, Discover Egypt, gives Discovery Center visitors an opportunity for interactive, sensory learning about ancient Egyptian civilization, and about the role of anthropologists and archaeologists in the research and interpretation of the culture.

Footsteps Through Time
The Museum’s West Wing houses our fabulous anthropology exhibit, Footsteps Through Time: Four Million Years of Human Evolution. The permanent exhibit—covering 7,000 square feet and featuring five galleries and more than a hundred touchable replicas of early humans.

Kumeyaay: Native Californians
The Kumeyaay, or Diegueño (as they were later called by the Spanish), are the Native American people of present-day Southern California (San Diego and western Imperial Counties) and Northern Baja. For many generations before the arrival of the Spanish, they occupied the deserts, mountains, and coasts, developing sophisticated means of adapting to the diverse environments.

Maya: Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth
The ancient Maya left behind evidence of a sophisticated and complex culture. Using cycles of the moon, sun, and planets, they were able to develop accurate calendar systems. More than a thousand years ago, they used unique hieroglyphic writing to carve important dates, names of their rulers, and ceremonial events on stone monuments in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Weddings are a specialty at the historic Saint Francis Chapel, which is the only chapel in Balboa Park. Contact the museum to plan your ceremony, service, or reception, the Special Events Manager is Teri Saffon, at 619-239-2001 ext. 31 or tsaffon@museumofman.org. Admission: Adults (18 and over) – $12.50; Students (13-17 and college students with ID) – $8; Seniors (62+) – $10; Military (active duty with ID) – $10; Children (3-12, children under 3 free) – $5; and residents with ID are free on the third Tuesday of every month.

Directions and Parking: Coming from the west, Laurel Street changes to El Prado as it enters Balboa Park across the historic Cabrillo Bridge. The San Diego Museum of Man is in the California Building, a San Diego landmark with its tower and tiled dome, located at the east end of Cabrillo Bridge at the entrance to Balboa Park.