San Diego Air and Space Museum

The San Diego Air and Space Museum, located in Balboa Park in the centre of the city, opened its doors in 1963. Ever since, visitors have been letting their imaginations take flight as they admire the dozens of flying apparatus throughout the museum. Trace the incredible evolution of mankind's attempts to conquer the skies, from a 1793 hot-air balloon all the way through to the command module from the Apollo 9 space mission.A reproduction of Amelia Earhart's record-breaking Lockheed Vega from the Hollywood film, “Amelia”, is also on show, as are several airplanes from the First and Second World Wars, with the latter conflict showing a huge increase in the importance of the role of aircraft. The interwar “Golden Age of Flight” is also examined in loving detail. Cutting-edge technology in use in today's rockets is on show in the Modern Jet and Space Age Gallery, alongside the only GPS satellite exhibited publicly in the world.Family days at the centre for education in the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight guide children through the science and excitement of learning about flying part of the day even involves them building their own gliders or hot-air balloons. These activities take place on a monthly basis, and you can enquire about them at the ticket office or at Balboa Park's visitor centre.Soar through space on your own trip to the moon, swoop high and low with a jetpack on your back, or explore the red planet of Mars. All of this, and more, is possible in the museums cutting edge flight simulators, each of which provides an exhilarating experience for a small extra charge.If your time is limited, check out the Theodore Gildred Rotunda area for a more compact display of aircraft. The San Diego Air and Space Museum is open every day, except for major public holidays, and opens until later in the evening in the summertime.