The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park occupies the former chapel of the Naval Hospital on Inspiration Point in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The original hospital buildings have been a familiar and nostalgic landmark to countless U.S. Servicemembers and San Diegans alike, since the early 1920s, including the chapel that was completed in January 1945.
Today, the Museum houses a unique collection of artifacts, memorabilia, artwork, and papers, as well as a Military History Reference Library holding more than 11,000 volumes. Dedicated to Veterans of all conflicts, the Museum’s exhibits feature World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan/Iraq, Women in the Military, and paintings of military subjects by local artists.
Ask about a living history tour by our docents who have been there! See the first American flag to fall in the Philippines in 1941, and the pen Admiral Nimitz used to sign the surrender documents in Tokyo Bay in 1945. Enjoy the Museum’s unique collections of memorabilia and artwork, dating from the Civil War to the present. This is the place to see and hear history.
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park is one of the very few places you will find that covers all branches of the service and is indeed a home for all veteran groups. Take a moment to view a sampling of the Museum.