The new exhibit transports visitors to a time when ocean travel was sedate, luxurious, and exclusive. This exhibit draws upon some of the Museum’s hidden treasures, never shown to the public. Its collection of ocean liner and cruise ship ephemera, numbering thousands of individual items, is one of the largest in California. Coupled with vintage brochures, passenger lists, menus, cabin plans, and images of dining rooms and recreational areas, the curators have gathered rare ocean liner-related artifacts from both the Maritime Museum of San Diego collection as well as those generously loaned by local private collectors. Displays cover more than 100 years of ocean-going recreational and destination travel, during the great age of steam, and invite visitors to journey back in time to the era of the great ocean liners of the 20th century.

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is a time-honored holiday tradition brought to San Diego by the boating community. Continuing its long-standing San Diego tradition, the annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights promises to dazzle and entertain bayfront crowds during 2 evenings on Sundays, December 10 and December 17, 2023. Participants in this year’s highly anticipated holiday boat parade will decorate their boats to fit the Traditions of Christmas theme.

Maritime Museum of San Diego has been known for years as the best place on the waterfront to view the annual Parade of Lights on San Diego Bay from the Museum’s historic 1898 steam ferry boat Berkeley located along Star of India wharf. 

Parade of Lights Dinner tickets are a great value with dinner, boat parade viewing, and museum general admission (valid before the dinner only) included.

Discover the neighborhood of Barrio Logan, the hidden gem of San Diego, while eating and drinking your way through one of San Diego’s best-kept secrets. In between tastings, your local tour guide will give you a chance to explore a neighborhood that is loaded with incredible street art, epic art galleries, one-of-a-kind boutique shops, and some of the best food and drinks in San Diego. Don't forget about the history and transformation of this outstanding neighborhood. It’s time to eat some killer food at 4 of Barrio's best eateries, sip on some delicious craft cocktails from distilleries and sip on award-winning beers and an iconic brewery, and even try some delicious desserts all while understanding the foundation of San Diego. This is how we do authenticity.

Join us on Sunday, December 10 for Play Day!

Together, we will create holiday-inspired hanging mobiles to celebrate the season. Inspired by Kelly Akashi: Formations, we will use natural materials, such as pinecones, driftwood, and seashells.