San Diego Automotive Museum, San Diego

San Diego Automotive Museum, San Diego

The San Diego Automotive Museum is located in the historic Balboa Park Sector of town. It is simply a wonderful collection of cars and motorcycles from all the various phases of automotive history. You really get to see it all here under one roof.

You can see Louie Mattar’s 1947 Cadillac that has been driven across the whole country. You may be more intrigued by the 1948 Tucker on display, or the 1969 Fiat 500. The nice thing is that the exhibits change about every three months. Traveling auto shows from around the United State come here, as the museum is tied to the Smithsonian Institute. So every time you come back you will get a new treat.

In addition to the wonderful cars on display here, there is a world class automotive library on the premises. They have automobile manuals on practically every car ever made. Imagine being able to go back and find the original manuals on the Model T, or an old Studebaker. It can happen in this library, and the staff is always willing to help you look.

Why You Should Visit:
If you're a lover of classic and vintage automobiles then this is for you.
There is also a large motorcycle section to see some really nice early bikes.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Diego. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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San Diego Automotive Museum on Map

Sight Name: San Diego Automotive Museum
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery

Walking Tours in San Diego, California

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
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Back in the 1860s, the area was known as New Town, in contrast to Old Town, the original Spanish colonial settlement. After a period of decay, the neighborhood underwent redevelopment during the 1980s and 1990s, and was...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
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The Native American culture in the area, however, goes back thousands of years. Historically, this land had been a home to the Kumeyaay people who settled on the banks of the San Diego river since around 1000 AD. The first European explorer to...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


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