USS Midway San Diego – Tips to Plan Your Visit

by Maria Haase

The USS Midway San Diego is one of the top tourist attractions Downtown. It is fascinating to walk around the aircraft carrier and learn about the life of the sailors on board. If you visit San Diego, I highly recommend you add the USS Midway Museum to your San Diego Itinerary and visit the amazing military museum. Book your tickets here>>

USS Midway aircraft carrier inSan Diego Museum - SanDiegoExplorer — USS Midway San Diego Museum

USS Midway San Diego Museum Info

Opening Hours

Daily 10 AM – 5 PM (last admission is at 4 PM) every day.
Closed on Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) and Christmas Day (December 25th).

Location and How To Get There

USS Midway Address:
910 N. Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
+1 (619) 544-9600
Find on Google Maps

The USS Midway is located on the Bay, right between Seaport Village and the Maritime Museum. You can reach it on foot within 20-30 minutes from all downtown hotels.

old propeller airplane on the flight deck of the USS Midway San Diego — Plane on the Flight Deck of the USS Midway Museum

Parking near the USS Midway is very limited and I would highly recommend either walking or using public transportation/shared rides. If you live or stay in Downtown San Diego, you can easily walk there. You can also download the app RideCircut for a free ride.

If using the trolley, the closest trolley stop is Seaport Village on the Silver and Green line, America Plaza for the Silver and Blue line, and the Courthouse for the Orange line.

There are a few paid parking lots and garages nearby, but they are quite costly. Here is a Groupon for a 10$ Parking offer nearby that I would highly recommend if you plan to take your car.

Airplane tail on the airplane hanger on the aircraft carrier in front of San Diego downtown — Top San Diego Attraction – USS Midway

USS Midway San Diego Tickets

I highly recommend getting tickets online before, so you can skip the line. Especially in the summer time and on the weekends, this can save you a LOT of time. When it is busy, the wait time can be easily over 1 hour.

Tickets include a free self-guided audio tour that will tell you interesting stories, fun facts and fascinating details about the exhibits you are seeing.

USS Midway Museum Ticket Prices:

Adults: $31 (check for deals on Viator and Groupon)
Veterans (with ID/only at Ticket booth): $18
Youth (6-12): $21
Small Children (under 6): FREE
Active Duty Military/Law Enforcement/Fire Fighters w/ID: FREE

Old WW II Airplane inside the aircraft carrier USS Midway — USS Midway Airplane

USS Midway Museum Exhibits & Things to Do

Things to Do

Flight simulators (additional cost)
Battle of Midway Theater
Catapult and Trap Talks
Free Guided Island Tour
Junior Pilot Program
Overnight adventure

Exhibits

Hanger Exhibits
Flight Deck Exhibits
Below Deck Exhibits
Remembrance Wall

View over Downtown San Diego from the flight deck on the USS Midway — View over Downtown San Diego from the USS Midway

My favorites were the below-deck exhibits, as they gave me a feel for what everyday life on board of the ship must have been like during those long months at sea.

Another super interesting part was the Command Information Center which looked like a movie set. There were quite a few veteran volunteers that shared their stories and explained the equipment. Don’t be shy, ask them questions and talk to them about their service.

Officer quarter on the USS Midway museum with bunk beds and desk with plastic mannequins — Lower Decks at the USS Midway

Command Center at the USS Midway - plastic Mannequins standing in front of glass white-boards — Lower Decks at the USS Midway

Best Time to Visit

If you are flexible, I would recommend visiting during the winter months or if at all possible at least outside of the summer school holidays. During the week it is always less crowded as well and the earlier in the day you go, the better.

Get your skip-the-line tickets, so you can walk right in at 10 AM when they open the door. Check for deals on Viator and Groupon here.

USS Midway looking up from the boardwalk in Downtown San Diego — San Diego USS Midway Museum

Best Tips for Your Visit

Go in the off-season, during the week, early in the morning to avoid the crowds
When you get on the ship, they will steer you towards the right. We recommend turning left and heading straight to the Ships Island/Bridge. Take the guided Bridge Tour as early as possible. On busy days, last admittance might be as early as 3:30 PM.
Talk to the volunteers. Many of them are veterans and they have incredible stories to share about their time in service. This was by far my favorite about this museum. It was fascinating to hear their personal stories and anecdotes about life as a sailor.

red and blue fighter pilot jet with a white star, red lightning bolt and the number 106 written on its side.

USS Midway History

While the USS Midway as the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the last century. It was commissioned just one week before the end of World War II.

It played an important role during the Cold War but did not see any battle action until 1965 during the Vietnam War, followed by missions in Japan, the Persian Gulf, and the Philippines.

Yellow and black seats in the pilot ready room in the San Diego USS Midway Museum — Pilot Ready Room on the aircraft carrier USS Midway

The USS Midway was decommissioned in 1992 and opened as a museum in San Diego in 2004. San Diego has a long history as the country’s top Navy town and this is the perfect spot for this historic aircraft carrier.

I hope this article helped you plan your visit to the USS Midway Museum in San Diego and provided you with some helpful information.