USS Midway Museum

Out of all the touristy stuff we did in San Diego, this was one of my favorites. It’s a big-​ass aircraft carrier after all, so being able to wander through it and see all types of planes and helicopters up close made it worth the price of admission. You can get tickets right at the entrance or you can save a couple bucks by buying them online. You’ll also save yourself some time waiting in line by doing so.
An audio tour is included with your admission that is incredibly insightful. You could easily spend several hours here listening to the tour and seeing all the sights or, if you’re here with kids who are less patient, stay for an hour or two and still feel like you’ve seen plenty. Bring your camera because there are plenty of great photo ops to be had from sitting inside planes and helicopters to checking out living quarters and other day to day functions within the ship.
One of the coolest things about this landmark are the vets working here. There was one working at a table who was happy to answer any questions — from kids or adults — we had about his time in the service.

I took my boys to downtown San Diego, didn’t plan on going to this museum but I’m glad we stumbled across it! My boys really enjoyed the museum. It was really cool to walk through all levels of the ship and to see the awesome aircraft above! Not to mention the really cool V-​J day statue of the sailor kissing the nurse. They have some cool activities to do on the inside and you also get headphones to listen to the description of the area you are in. Nice souvenir shop as well. My boys really enjoyed their day here!

It brought back a lot of memories being back on a ship. Great history lesson for the kids. Grab a set of headphones to make it more interesting.

In downtown for the first day of the final leg of our trip, The Wife had some interest in visiting the Midway, so we changed plans a bit to make time for a visit.
Myriads of times during my visits to San Diego, I have shunned the Midway for one reason or another. Now, I am definitely glad we made a visit.
The cool thing about the Midway is that it is what you make of it. The staff told us it would be at least 2 hours to cover everything. We were on a bit of time crunch, so did everything in an hour and a half. Either way take your time or speed through it, you’ll definitely have an enjoyable experience.
We often forget that these aircraft carriers are essentially floating cities, with everything from cafeterias to barbershops to service our troops. Obviously, being able to explore all the aircraft on the deck will probably be everyone’s favorite, but I think I enjoyed visiting the Bridge the most. You get a slightly more elevated view of the area as well as are able to see everything from the Captain’s perspective.
Also, standing on the deck gives you great views of downtown San Diego and the bay in general, so stop to take a few nice pictures before moving on.
All in all, we found our trip to be quite enjoyable. Resident or visitor, adding a stop to the Midway is a great way to spend a couple hours in downtown San Diego.

I’ve lived in San Diego for years and for the first time i finally went to the USS midway and I can’t say thank you enough for the servicemen and women who work and have worked on that amazing ship.
Don’t be lazy and go see it for yourself. Great people and history.

I really like enjoying this tour! I did the complementary self audio tour! Unlike other museums where you have to read what is written on the wall and stuff… It makes it a lot more interesting! I mean it’s basically like having a tour guide but definitely get to do it at your own pace! You do not have to worry about bugging others on their part of the tour and if you take a little longer on something that you are interested in, etc! I definitely recommend it! I did not eat lunch here because I can imagine the food will probably be a little more expensive! Seaport village and gaslamp is seriously walking distance… San Diego has almost perfect weather everyday! Walk off the calories before you eat and go to a restaurant near by! OR… you can most definitely bring your own snacks! :)

Wow, oh wow! This museum is FANTASTIC! All over an impressive experience.
During my visit I easily spent 5 hours here and didn’t get to see everything. There is SO much to do and see here. While the USS Midway itself, is an incredibly impressive ship, the history behind it all is amazing too.
The line going into the ship once you hand over your ticket dissipates quickly, at the end they’re getting souvenir photos so if you don’t want to participate it’s easy to say «no thank you» and excuse yourself once you’re inside.
I highly recommend you watch the movie «6 minutes that changed the war: Voices of the Battle of Midway», or at least, I think that’s what it’s called, directly to your right when you enter. It sits between the Douglas SBD Dauntless and the F6 °F Hellcat (both extremely rare to see). It’s an informative 15 minute movie that explains the name behind the USS Midway. It succeeded into turning my face into a faucet.
One thing that I really love about this museum is that it is filled with volunteer veterans who are all super friendly and would love to talk to you and share their experiences. My husband spend a good deal of time talking to the Vietnam vets over by the Huey helicopter. It was wonderful hearing their stories (especially considering it was Memorial Day weekend). There is a gentleman there who does a talk on how you land a plane on an aircraft carrier like the USS Midway, and it’s not to be missed! Utterly fascinating at the skill needed to do such a thing.
If you are in San Diego this place is not to be missed!

Some suggestions for this Museum:
Complimentary Self-​guided Audio Tour~ Loved that you could take these along, got some great insight and enjoyed learning at my own pace! They do collect the gadgets as you are leaving at the end of the day.
*Suggestion would be is to have some drop off bins throughout the ship so you can easily dispose of them when you are done. Much better than holding on to them as you are taking pics or walking around.
Discounts on Food, Souvenirs, etc. ~Only for active Military with I.D. which had some people who served their time irritated by this. Why on earth would you leave them out? They did their time and served. It’s only a 10% discount but they seem to be pretty strict about who they give it to. We had gone on Memorial weekend so to be such sticklers about it was silly.
*Suggestion would be to change the policy and not leave retired military out of the discount. Maybe create a card that gives you certain percentage off depending on time served or if active military you receive more.
Other than that we had a great time! The food was just ok and pricey and same for drinks. I would suggest the Hot Dog, the Quesadilla, and grilled cheese (Our group had also tried the burger, salad, and some sandwiches). I would suggest bringing your own water and snacks.
Children LOVED the Flight Deck, especially when they were able to enter some of the aircraft. Any area they could touch knobs and interact with the exhibits was a great learning experience for them. They even participated in the brochure with specific questions corresponding to stop numbers on the family audio tour guide. You receive your wings at the end of turning it in and they were so excited to get them. For the little ones it might be better to wear some kind of hat/​hoodie before placing the headset on because they do have a tendency to fall off.
Also keep in mind that you will get warm inside especially if you are walking up & down steps so layering clothes is a great idea.

Purchased ticket online for $ 18 ahead of time.
Only allowed myself 1 – 2 hours on my last morning in town (late start), skipped the audio tour but did follow the numbering to self-​guide through the ship.
The flight deck is the most impressive, with views of the bay, Coronado island, and all the planes on deck. Seeing all the inner workings of the ship too was neat, sick bay, mess hall, barracks, to the mission briefing rooms, and the Top Gun 1980’s training. Flight simulators, green screen photos, gift shop.
A much bigger version of say, the USS Hornet in Alameda/​Oakland in Norcal. Docents are there to tell their stories, wish I could have devoted more time to check out all the nooks and crannies!

What a special experience it was to tour this ship! A very cool piece of history and I’m so glad someone decided to turn it in to a museum for the public. Prices are extremely reasonable and you could easily spend a half day here — we had about 3.5 hours and had to rush the rest of our tour due to closing time.
The tour through the ship is very clearly laid out and gives you a great feel of what life was like for sailors on the Midway. I loved the quotes from men who lived and worked aboard the ship — it gave it a very personal feel.
Getting to climb in the bunks, sit in planes, sit in the captains chair, practice knot tying, etc were very cool experiences and made it not just a museum but an interactive experience. I think this would be wonderful for the whole family!
The only downside was sometimes the numbers for the free audio guide tour didn’t match up, but we easily figured it out.

I don’t know what to say!
If you’re in San Diego, USS Midway is a must-​see! It’s a really great tour, that you’re more than likely to experience in great weather and you are in the US Naval base where most of these epic warships are designed!
I was lucky enough to experience the USS Intrepid on the same trip to the USA, within a week of eachother, and personally I thought the Midway visit was more interesting and more enjoyable (except that the Intrepid has a SR-​71 on deck and a Concorde parked out back)!

USS Midway is a must do if you are visiting San Diego. I am proud to have seen her when she was homeported in Yokosuka, Japan in the 90s.
Free for active duty service members and discounts for dependents are offered at the ticket booth.
Awesome and professional staff!

San Diego doesn’t have a ton of «must do» activities but I think the USS Midway Museum probably should be at the top of that list. Obviously, going to the Zoo and seeing the 2016 World Champion Padres should also be on there.
You could easily, easily spend all day here, if you do it right. We spent 5 hours (which included a half hour break for lunch) and left without seeing a lot of things (unfortunately, we had to leave early for another commitment).
The place is an absolute maze but the map is pretty good, signage is good, and there are docents everywhere who are helpful and friendly. Contrast this ship with the Queen Mary where the maps suck, there are no workers anywhere, but there is plenty of trash strewn about.
In fact, the docents on the Midway absolutely want you to talk to them and pepper them with questions. They are literally calling out for you to ask them something. Do it. They want to help.
I saw some Unilocalers complain about the food. Here’s a wild suggestion: Bring your own. It’s much cheaper and probably better.
We’ll be back for sure. A mark of a good place is having a great time and looking forward to your return visit. This is one of those places.

San Diego is a fun visit and the Midway is a must see. Buy your tickets on line from your smart phone and save $ 2 per ticket plus you don’t wait in the ticket line. Make sure you plan on 3 – 4 hours to see everything. I highly recommend this family fun experience.

The centerpiece of military tourism here in the San Diego area. CV-​41 was a remarkable ship that spanned an incredible period of time from the end of WW 2 to the first Gulf War in the early 1990’s.
This is a first class experience that is equal to any other naval ship museum in the U.S. At least the equal to USS Intrepid in NYC and maybe better because Midway is a larger carrier. This is at least a half day experience (4 hr) and that’s if you hurry. Many well preserved aircraft to see along with interactive displays and so many other things to read and see as you tour the ship. Another unique aspect of visiting Midway is that directly across the bay less than 2 miles away is the home port of some of our West Coast active duty carriers. This past week in full view was CVN-​70 Vinson and CVN-​71 Roosevelt.
Be sure to also visit the Bob Hope memorial and the Unconditional Surrender Statue on the port side of Midway next to the Fish Market restaurant.

Thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the USS Midway Museum! $ 20 for an adult ticket.
Since the entrance lead to the mid-​level floor, we explored the air crafts and visited the Battle of Midway 15 minute cinema experience about how 6 minutes changed the world. Amazing story — must watch!
Very interactive museum, although I would say its not for older folks since getting to many exhibits on the lower level require steep stairs. A few exhibits: sleeping quarters, post office, dentist, pilot ready rooms, engine room, etc.
Docents are standing around random areas throughout the ship if you have any questions.

One of the coolest museums I have ever visited! Decided to visit this aircraft carrier ship museum while we were having lunch, hubby bought tickets online, it was $ 2 cheaper for each person, just show them the e-​tickets on the phone, very sufficient and convenient!
The entire museum is a ship, it’s huge and open, will probably take at least one hour to visit everything, the line to the control center, chart room and bridge is kinda long, took us about 30 minutes to be able to get up there, but that was the only line in this museum. Women do NOT wear heels, it would be impossible to climb up and down the steep and tiny stairs, it’s very dangerous! The staffs will give you safety instructions before getting up, pay attention! Some of the tour guides actually flew some of the displayed aircrafts in Vietnam war, I think they volunteer to work at this museum, isn’t that SOMETHING!!!
Everything was so interesting and so much fun to look at! I have never seen so many military aircrafts in my life, they showed parts and insides of the aircrafts too, very detailed and so easy to look at. If you don’t have motion sick or claustrophobic, try to get on one of the plane simulations, they look like you can have close to real experiences in flying aircrafts, it’s too much for me, so I didn’t even think about getting on one of those!
The views were absolutely amazing, try to take a lot of photos, the weather was just perfect on that day, it was very pleasant to walk around and enjoy the tours, LOVED it! We also had our photos taken in the front, they came out pretty nice, hubby got a whole set for $ 39, including a three D picture frame, very cool to look at!
Definitely one of the best tourist attractions in San Diego, it’s next to seaport Village and Gaslamp quarter, no need to worry about getting hungry or thirsty, walking distance to lots of restaurants and bars nearby!
Ps. There is a decent café at the museum, they serve hot foods and wine & beers too! Also hand sanitizer all over the place, very thoughtful!

What a museum! I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was very impressed by everything about this museum.
We arrived right at opening on a Friday and quickly found a parking spot ($ 10 per car). We only had an hour and a half to explore and it definitely was not enough time. The museum offers headsets for self guided audio tours. I’ve never done this at other museums, but I’m so glad I did here. It definitely added to the experience. Each exhibit has a number so you can enter that number into the audio tour and hear a brief story about the exhibit. Each audio piece is less than two minutes.
The deck where you enter the museum has quite a few planes to view and learn about with the audio tour. There are also a couple of halls to take to other parts of the ship. The top level of the ship has even more planes to see. There are a few that you can sit in and get closer to than on the entry deck.
My favorite part was all of the different rooms you can access and walk through such as the Captain’s Cabin and Admiral’s Quarters. The boat is so large that it feels like the rooms keep going and there is also something new to explore.
In almost every part of the museum there are volunteers to explain the exhibits and answer questions. I could tell they are all passionate about the museum and had a lot of history to share.
Don’t miss this important piece of history if you are in the area!

Whenever I am in San Diego, I try to stop by and see the USS Midway Museum, even though I have some sad memories related to this ship.
I once had an opportunity to participate on a special tour with a delegation that my father was a part of.
Along with this tour, I could’ve had an opportunity to take a ride on a F-​4 Phantom II fighter jet — or at least that is what I was told later on.
I was just an excited little kid at the time, but I had challenges getting up earlier than 6AM.
To have gone on this trip to visit this particular ship, my father and I would’ve had to have left the house and driven to the naval base by 4AM.
Unfortunately, I never did get up, and my father left with the delegation.
To this day, I don’t recall ever been woken up by him, my mom, sisters, or staff. All I remember is the disappointment that I felt having never been able to experience this with my father. He never was one to wait, as he was always charging ahead, being a very high ranking military man.
This is probably why I rarely sleep, even to this day. I have been known to go for days with barely any sleep, always thinking about what other important event I may miss in my life.
In any case, I am so glad that I can always drive (or fly) to San Diego and enjoy going through each and every part of this moving city that once ruled the seas.
The history behind the Battle of Midway, where this ship gets its name from is the stuff of legends.
And now, generations get to enjoy the rich history that is so wonderfully preserved at San Diego Harbor.
Now, if I could just get a ride on an F-​4 Phantom II, I can bring closure to this memory in my life! **smiles**

I wasn’t initially too excited to go to the USS Midway. It was only because I had never heard of it before and really didn’t know what it was all about.
After spending a few hours exploring, not only would I go back, I would also recommend it to others.
The Midway was an actual aircraft carrier for the US Navy from the 1940s through the 1990s. You can read all about the history yourself or pay a visit to the museum.
What I found the most fascinating was being able to explore the carrier and learn about «life at sea.» You were able to see how the enlisted crew members and officers lived. As you can tell by my photos, I was also interested to learn about what they ate.
I’m not a big plane/​helicopter gal, but it was really cool to see all of these planes on the top deck and be able to go into them.
I didn’t do the audio tour and just wandered, but I could see how people could spend a whole day here. There’s so much to learn, so many things to read and so many details to absorb.
Be warned, there is A LOT of walking involved. There are elevators available to help with stairs.
I didn’t know what to expect and really enjoyed it. This is a site to see if you enjoy a combo of history and hands-​on.

Die Gelegenheit einen Flugzeugträger anzusehen muss man nutzen. Die USS Midway hat ihren Dienst getan und das sieht man deutlich. Der kostenlose (auch auf deutsch erhältliche) Audioguide ist gut gemacht, die volle Länge von 3:45 hört sich aber wohl Keiner an. Mir war der Träger zu vollgestellt, die tatsächliche Größe beinahe nicht erkennbar. Das Personal sehr freundlich.

Wir waren im Juni 2015 in San Diego. Die USS Midway war definitiv eines unserer Highlights !!! Ein absolutes MUSS für jeden San Diego Besucher.
Jeder hat sicher bereits einen Flugzeugträger in irgendeinem Film oder in einer Reportage gesehen und sicherlich ist jedem bewusst, dass ein solches «Schiff» grooooß ist. Trotzdem ist es extrem beeindruckend wenn man das erste mal auf dem Flugzeug-​Deck steht. wow!!!
Man kann sich auf dem Schiff frei bewegen und es gibt kostenlose Audio-​Guides in allen denkbaren Sprachen. Und selbst diese sind unterhaltsam produziert. Es macht einerseits Spaß sich auf den einzelnen Decks zu bewegen, andererseits ist es ebenso lehrreich und beeindruckend. Vor allem wenn man sich vor Augen hält, dass dieser Kollos in der jüngeren Geschichte (2. Golfkrieg) noch im Einsatz war.
Die pure Größe des Schiffes und das ein solches Monstrum aus Stahl schwimmen kann sollte selbst Pazifisten beeindrucken ;))
Zur Besichtigung sollte man jedoch definitiv mindestens 3 – 4 Stunden einplanen, nach der Besichtigung der unteren Decks eine Pause einlegen und definitiv die Führung auf den Tower mitmachen.
Fazit: Definitiv sehenswert!!! MACHEN!!! ;)

Wir waren begeistert. Meine Frau hatte anfangs keine richtige Vorstellung, fand es dann aber auch toll. Für mich entsprach der Besuch voll und ganz meinen Erwartungen. Es gibt Audioguides in vielen Sprachen. Teilweise erklären Veteranen live Einiges. Wir waren ca. 3 Stunden auf der Midway.

Wow!
Einfach nur großartig, wer sich für die Navy interessiert, ist hier garantiert richtig! Der Preis war auch gerechtfertigt.

Selbst als Frau fand ich es echt interessant! der flugsimulator ist das beste dran!
Auf jeden Fall die Führung mitmachen und mit auf die Brücke gehen.
Hier arbeiten fast ausschließlich Veteranen und zwar ehrenamtlich.
Man kann fragen stellen und bekommt echt interessante Geschichten zu hören.

War den Besuch absolut wert. Auch den Flug-​Simulator im Schiff kann ich nur empfehlen!

Leider nur von Außen gesehen, beim nächsten Mal… sehr Beeindruckend.
San Diego ist überhaupt sehr angenehm.

–USS Midway–
Dieses Schiff ist eine Legende der US Navy. Dieses Schiff hat an so vielen Kriegen teilgenommen wie kein anderer Flugzeugträger und trotz ihres Alters war sie bei Desert Storm immer noch von erheblicher Bedeutsamkeit. Dieses Ungetüm mit ehemals rund 4000 Mann Besatzung zu besuchen ist Pflicht bei einem Besuch in San Diego.
Besonders spannend:
Veteranen erzählen von ihren Erlebnissen während der Einsätze und erklären wie alles funktioniert hat.
Absolut Pflicht!!!

Die USS Midway ist ein stillgelegter Flugzeugträger der Navy, der zu einem Museum umfunktioniert wurde. Es werden alle Flugzeugtypen der US Army ausgestellt. Neben der Audio Tour (leider nicht auf deutsch) gibt es auch andere kostenfreie geführte Touren, z.B. durch den Tower. In dem Museum arbeiten größtenteils freiwillige ältere Leute, von denen viele auch der US Navy gedient haben und daher auch noch mehr Hintergrundinformationen geben können. Bei Glück kann man auch Veranstaltungen der Navy sehen.
Wenn man in San Diego ist, ist das Museum ein Muss, auch wenn man kein Militärfan ist.

In San Diego gibt es die einmalige Möglichkeit einen echten Flugzeugträger zu besichtigen.
Auch wenn ich Militär überhaupt nicht mag und mich auch auf Schiffen nicht übermäßig wohl fühle, ein unvergessliches Erlebnis.
Auch wenn dieses Schiff schon über 50 Jahre alt ist, so sind die schieren Ausmaße kaum zu fassen. Man kann sehr viel von dieser schwimmenden Festung besichtigen und einen überraschen tiefen Einblick bekommen.
Schön ist hier nichts, im Gegeteil. Aber sehr sehenswert!

Einmal das Leben auf einem Flugzeugträger Live erleben! Auf dem Museeumsschiff USS Midway ist dies möglich. Die Audiotour ist sehr interessant, aber auch sehr lang. Wenn man noch ein wenig gucken und sich unterhalten will, sollte man daher einiges an Zeit für die Midway einplanen.

Visitez ce porte-​avions de 1945, retiré du service après Tempête du Désert en 1991, il est devenu un musé depuis 2004.
Vous y trouverez de nombreux avions embarqués dont l’impressionnant Vigilante de North American, presque 15 tonnes à vide, il était le seul vecteur de l’arme nucléaire embarqué. On y trouve aussi des hélicoptères, mais surtout des Volunteers (ancien de la Navy) qui vous comptent leur histoires et vous renseignent sur les avions, le porte-​avions et leurs passés.
Bref un musée presque vivant comme je souhaiterai en voir en France, plutôt que de voir croupir nos vieux avions sur un rond-​point à l’entrée des base aérienne.