Coronado Museum of History and Art

Coronado celebrates and preserves its past, and with good reason. Archaeological excavations show that this seaside resort has attracted visitors for thousands of years. That makes the Hotel del Coronado, which opened in 1888, a relative newcomer. Dive into the stories at the Coronado Museum of History and Art, located in a 1910 neoclassical building that once housed the Bank of Commerce. Permanent exhibits include photographs and artifacts from the turn of the century when the area was known as "Tent City," and the significance of the Naval Air Station North Island, where naval aviation began.

For more of Coronado's past, make a stop at Bay Books across the street. One of the few remaining independent bookstores, it's particularly strong in biographies and military history.

Where: 1100 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

Mingei International Museum

Everything about the Mingei bespeaks elegance, from the clean lines of the glass and steel entry doors, to the soft lighting, honey-colored birch floors, and vibrant raw silks in the gift shop. It all stems from the museum's focus. The word "mingei" was coined by Japanese philosopher Sōetsu Yanagi, and translates to "art of the people." Exhibitions center on beauty found in daily life: the patina of a child's wooden toy or the graceful lines of a mid-century modern chair. Fans of decorative arts will find much to appreciate in Mingei's permanent collection and rotating shows, which are anchored in the Japanese aesthetic but feature craftsmanship from many cultures.

Where: 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

San Diego Museum of Art

With an extensive collection of European, American, Latin American and Asian art from 5,000 B.C. to the present, SDMA is high on the list for those seeking the classics. And while everyone has their favorites, from the massive Japanese urn to the German Impressionists, visitors invariably gravitate to Juan Sánchez Cotán’s "Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber." This masterpiece, now over 400 years old, looks strikingly contemporary in its composition and high contrast. Michael Brown, associate curator of European art, calls it "utterly revolutionary." It was one of the first still-life paintings made in Spain and marked the birth of naturalism. Also on the "don't miss list" are works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the Visible Vaults. Thanks to a creative solution of storage and display, visitors can enjoy an intimate look at his drawings and illustrations.

Where: 1450 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92102

San Diego Natural History Museum

A major renovation in 2016 made the Natural History Museum's research library into an airy, welcoming space for the public, and created a gallery for their collection of watercolor "plant portraits" by Albert Robert Valentien. In 1908, the journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps commissioned Valentien to document the wildflowers of California. For ten years, he traveled from the Mexican border to the northern California coast, and the results are the marriage of a botanist's eye and an artist's touch. The collection consists of 1094 paintings depicting 1500 species, with approximately 10 paintings on display at a time.

Also popular are illustrations of dragons and mythical beasts, taken from the 1640 "Serpentum et Draconum Historiae" by Ulisse Aldrovandi and the rare 1517 "Hortus Sanitatis," one of the first encyclopedias of natural history. The museum is understandably proud of their complete "Birds of America," a Double Elephant Folio from John James Audubon. The term refers to the size of the book, 40 inches by 30 inches, large enough that birds could be shown life-size.

Where: 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101