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Museum a Month

A closer look at the museums, exhibitions and experiences worth making time for.
Featured
The exterior of the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House in Warner Springs is shown on July 28, 2026.
Why this 1857 adobe house is still standing
The Marston House, built in the Arts & Crafts style, is shown on July 27, 2026.
We paid a visit to the father of Balboa Park: George Marston
The exhibit "San Diego's Lost Neighborhoods" is shown on Feb. 4, 2026 at the San Diego History Center.
Inside San Diego's 'museum without walls'
This El Cajon museum takes visitors back to the frontier days of the Old West
San Diego Botanic Garden lights up the night with Lightscape
A model train is shown in the San Diego Model Railroad Museum on Oct. 15, 2025.
North America's largest model railroad museum is right here in San Diego
There’s much more to Barona than a fancy hotel and casino

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The British conceptualist, Gavin Turk often interrogates ideas of authenticity and parody, questioning fine art's value system. In the early aughts, Turk started constructing these painstakingly accurate black bags of garbage made purely out of cast bronze and mixed paint that made exhibitions look like they were a second away from being closed and cleaned out. The Museum would like to present American Bag, one of Turk's many hyperrealistic piles of trash that showcases the devolution of fine art being made from scratch only to end up tossed & discarded, while skipping the middle man completely, and just going straight to trash. (Undated photo)
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A yellow Star of David bearing the German word for "Jew" is shown sewed onto a black jacket, one of the artifacts at the RUTH exhibit at downtown San Diego's Central Library on September 8, 2026.
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Is produce from a home garden safer than store bought? 'It depends'
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FILE - Fashion designer John Galliano poses at the end of the presentation of the Dior Haute Couture spring/summer 2010 fashion collection on Jan. 25, 2010, in Paris.
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Upcoming Events

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Free for everyone

San Diego Fixit Clinic at University of San Diego for SD Climate Week

Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 5 PM to 7 PM
University of San Diego
Free
Jazz Night Featuring Shabaka

Jazz Night Featuring Shabaka

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 5 PM
Quartyard
From $21.05
Free for everyone

The Power of Stories: Latin Author Book Fair

Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 6 PM to 8 PM
Southwestern College
Free
Le Patin Libre | 'Melt'

Le Patin Libre | 'Melt'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Epstein Family Amphitheater
Tickets: $30-55
Free for everyone
'RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust Exhibit'

'RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust Exhibit'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Ongoing until September 1, 2028
San Diego Public Library - Central Library
Free
Osher at CSUSM Fall Classes

Osher at CSUSM Fall classes, September 14 - November 19

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Ongoing until November 19, 2026
Cal State University San Marcos - Extended Learning Building
$20 - $85
Open Studio: Paint With Your Community

Open Studio: Paint With Your Community

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Ongoing until October 27, 2029
Woodward Contemporary
$30/$215
"Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction" Exhibit

'Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction' Exhibit

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until January 14, 2027
Comic-Con Museum
Girl holding a piece of clay

Pottery Kits for Kids

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until October 31, 2026
San Diego Archaeological Center
Yōkai Community Art Exhibit

Yōkai Community Art Exhibit

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until November 8, 2026
Japanese Friendship Garden San Diego
Included with Admission
"Take Me to The Water: Histories of The Black Pacific" exhibition

'Take Me to The Water: Histories of The Black Pacific'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until December 31, 2026
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Free for everyone
Color Changing Artworks in the Sculpture Garden

Color Changing Artworks in the Sculpture Garden

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until December 1, 2026
Bonita Museum & Cultural Center
Free
'Changing Terrain: Regional Artists Interpret Our Landscape'

'Changing Terrain: Regional Artists Interpret Our Landscape'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until January 1, 2027
San Diego History Center
Donation-Based Admission
Rosendo Rodriguez 'Mermaid' 20th Century Mexico Painted Clay

'To Catch A Fish'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until November 1, 2026
Mingei International Museum: Balboa Park
Included with Admission
Free for everyone
Dia de los Muertos -- La Experiencia

Fiesta de Reyes Dia de los Muertos -- La Experiencia

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until November 2, 2026
Fiesta de Reyes
Free
Pimentel, Handball Courts

'The Dean Collection Presents: Hometown Heroes'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until November 8, 2026
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego: La Jolla
'Cecil Beaton, The Second Age of Beauty is Glamour, Checked Suit' by Norman Hartnell (detail), 1947. Modern print from original colour transparency. © Condé Nast Archive UK.

'Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until January 10, 2027
Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA @ SDMA) in Balboa Park
Included with Museum Admission
Kathy Garden

'Blood Memory'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until February 28, 2027
California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum
0-$12
'Checkered Texture No 2' 2022

'Christine Lee: By Hand'

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until October 10, 2026
Quint / 7722 Girard Ave. (formerly Quint ONE)
Free for everyone

46th International Exhibition

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until October 31, 2026
The San Diego Watercolor Society
Free

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Visual Arts

FOMO

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Check out can't-miss local events
Boo Bash Escondido Activities

Boo Bash Escondido: San Diego’s New 100,000-Square-Foot Pumpkin Patch

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Ongoing until November 1, 2026
Mershops North County Mall
$5
Top of the Hyatt Presents: A Season of Masquerade

Top of the Hyatt Presents: A Season of Masquerade

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 4 PM
Ongoing until January 2, 2027
Top of the Hyatt, Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
The Touchdown

Watch Football at Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 4 PM
Ongoing until January 14, 2027
Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails
The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park Logo

The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park 2026

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Ongoing until November 1, 2026
The Haunted Trail Of Balboa Park
Timed General Admission Starting at $34.99
OB2k Oktoberfest Flyer "throwing it back for 20+ years"

OB Oktoberfest 2026

Friday, October 9, 2026 at 4 PM
Ongoing until October 10, 2026
OB Pier Parking Lot
GA Tickets Available at the Door: $20 | VIP:$75
Oktoberfest Flyer

Oktoberfest at PB AleHouse

Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 12 PM to 6 PM
PB AleHouse
BlacktoberFest

BlacktoberFest

Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 1 PM to 8 PM
S&S Friendly Ranch
General Admission: $45
Free for everyone
Little Saigon’s Night Market

Little Saigon’s Night Market

Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 6 PM to 10 PM
Sin Lee Food
Free
Lost Temple Tavern Pop-Up

Lost Temple Tavern Pop-Up at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego

Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 7 AM
Ongoing until October 31, 2026
Landshark Bar and Grill
Free Entry
San Diego Coffee Festival

San Diego Coffee Festival

Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 9 AM
Ongoing until October 11, 2026
Broadway Pier
From $25.15; varies by session
Beachside Fall Festival

Belmont Park's Annual Beachside Fall Fest

Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 11 AM
Ongoing until October 31, 2026
Belmont Park
Free for everyone
Trivia Night at The Crack Shack Pacific Beach

Trivia Night at The Crack Shack Pacific Beach

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Ongoing until December 29, 2026
The Crack Shack - Pacific Beach
Free
Taste of East Village

Taste of East Village

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 4 PM
Ongoing until October 15, 2026
East Village
Free for everyone
Sunset Savasana: Yoga on the Cliffs

Sunset Savasana: Yoga on the Cliffs

Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 6 PM
Ongoing until October 29, 2026
Osprey Point
Free
Mission Bayfest 2026

Mission Bayfest 2026

Friday, October 16, 2026 at 3 PM
Ongoing until October 18, 2026
Mariner's Point Park
Single Day Tickets From $140 | 3 Day Tickets From $280
Sammy Virji

Sammy Virji

Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 5 PM to 11 PM
Gallagher Square at Petco Park
$70-$75
Free for everyone
Treats in the Suites: Trick-or-Treating at Frontwave Arena

Treats in the Suites: Trick-or-Treating at Frontwave Arena

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 4 PM to 7 PM
Frontwave Arena
Free
One Small Step Experience event

One Small Step Experience

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 5 PM to 8 PM
KPBS Conrad Prebys Media Complex at Copley Center
Foster The People: 'Good Mourning Sunshine Tour'

Foster The People: 'Good Mourning Sunshine Tour'

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 7 PM
PETCO Park
$74.35
Candlelight® Sets the Mood for Halloween in San Diego With a Haunting Live-Music Program

Candlelight Open Air: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics

Friday, October 23, 2026 at 8 PM
Ongoing until October 24, 2026
Mt. Helix Park and Amphitheatre
From: $55.00
13th Annual Howl-O-Ween Mutt Run/Walk

13th Annual Howl-O-Ween Mutt Run/Walk

Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Road Runner Sports
$60 — 5K registration
Art After Dark: Costume Contest and Party

Art After Dark: Costume Contest & Party

Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 7 PM to 11 PM
Oceanside Museum of Art
Free for everyone
Trick-or-Treat on India Street

Trick-or-Treat on India Street

Sunday, October 25, 2026 from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Little Italy
Free
Tour Ma Vie World Tour

Doja Cat is Coming to San Diego with Latto!

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Viejas Arena
$125.00-$792.40
Howl-O-Ween Yappy Hour at Monkeybar

Howl-O-Ween Yappy Hour at Monkeybar

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 from 4 PM to 7 PM
Monkeybar at Town and Country Resort
Menu items pricing varies

Lila Downs: Día de Muertos

Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Balboa Theatre
$70-$112
Hard Rock Halloween: Haunted Manor

Haunted Manor at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego

Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 9 PM to 2 AM
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego
Free for everyone
Free Trivia Wednesday Nights at Le Charcuterie Bar

Free Trivia Wednesday Nights at Le Charcuterie Bar

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 7 PM
Ongoing until March 24, 2027
Le Charcuterie Bar
Free
PRAYERS

PRAYERS – San Diego Music Box Show

Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Music Box
'Wild 'N Out' The Next Generation coming to Viejas Arena

Nick Cannon Brings: 'Wild 'N Out' The Next Generation coming to Viejas Arena

Sunday, November 15, 2026 from 6:30 PM to 8 PM
Viejas Arena
$128-$1206
Em Beihold

Em Beihold

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 8 PM
Music Box
$39.59-$117.61
San Diego Made Holiday Market

San Diego Made Holiday Market

Saturday, November 28, 2026 at 10 AM
Ongoing until November 29, 2026
NTC Park at Liberty Station
$5
Jo Koy: Koy Meets World Tour

Jo Koy Is Coming To San Diego!

Thursday, December 10, 2026 at 8 PM
San Diego Civic Theatre
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