Community Corner

Tour San Diego's Military Heritage on Veterans Day Weekend

Visit San Diego's military museums over the next week in honor of Marine Corps Day and Veterans Day.

With Marine Corps Day on Sunday and Veterans Day following on Monday, what could be a more appropriate weekend outing than a tour of San Diego's military heritage?

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at Miramar traces the history of Marine aviation with a collection of 49 aircraft. The aircraft are displayed outdoors in a park setting, making it a great place to bring children.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. Enter via the North Gate to the Miramar Air Station off Miramar Road.

The Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in a former Naval hospital chapel in Balboa Park is a particularly appropriate destination. It's open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday though Sunday. General admission is $5.

Displays cover the involvement of all branches of service from World War I through Desert Storm.

Outside in the memorial garden is a statue of a B-24 Liberator bomber, thousands of which were built in San Diego during World War II.

The MCRD Command Museum isn't open this weekend or Veterans Day, but is typically open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as many Saturdays.

Enter the museum through Gate 5 at the Marines Corps Recruit Depot off Washington Street in Old Town San Diego.

Don't forget the USS Midway Museum, easily the most visible example of military history on the downtown waterfront. The historic aircraft carrier is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $19, but less for veterans, seniors, students and children.

You can combine a visit with San Diego's traditional Veterans Day parade at 11 a.m. on Monday.

The one other military museum in San Diego County, the Marine Corps Mechanized Museum at Camp Pendleton, is temporarily closed for renovation.


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