Immediately after I checked in at my hotel, I went to see the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier in San Diego, California. The aircraft carrier was only a 20-minute walk from the Gaslamp Quarter where my hotel was located. Walking in San Diego was not bad at all. In fact, I felt very safe walking downtown. I was in the company of many others — walking, few were running, a number of them in slow-moving bicycles. I passed by a few vagrants roaming the streets of the city, but they were pretty harmless. These homeless people seemed not to care about the number of tourists crisscrossing their favorite spots everyday.

The USS Midway is located at the North Harbor Drive, alongside Navy Pier. It is hard to miss this gigantic vessel docked at the port and surrounded by vendors and tourists taking photos. Entrance to the USS Midway is on the port (left) side of the ship. I visited on a Friday afternoon and the ticket line was not long.

The USS Midway was in service from 1945 to 1992, making it USA’s longest-serving aircraft carrier. The ship became a museum in 2004, and in recent years, the number of visitors exceeded 1 million annually.

See more museums and attractions within San Diego.

What would you see inside the museum? I visited sleeping quarters, engine room, galley, bridge, brig, post office, pilots’ ready rooms, officers quarters, and primary flight control. I got to climb aircraft and cockpits and see flight simulators.

There were many ins and outs of the museum that many visitors easily missed. I advice that if you see a small door with stairs going down, then go down. You’d be surprised of what lies below. If you don’t want to miss anything, start at the topmost level…at the flight deck, then move downwards. On the flight deck alone, you could spend an hour looking at aircraft displays and listening to flight histories from retired Navy men.

Museum Experience Rating: 9/10

Watch this walk-through inside the USS Midway.

Here are photos I took. Click on the image to enlarge.
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Hours of operation.

Open 10 AM – 5 PM
Last Admission at 4 PM
Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

Admission fee.

$20 Adults (18+)
$17 Seniors (62+)
$15 Students (13-17 or w/ college ID)
$10 Retired Military (with valid ID)
$10 Youth (ages 6-12)
Children under 5 are free

Note: I recommend buying the tickets online to avail of discounts.

See also: My other travel adventures in the USA.

See also: List of National Parks.

Ready to travel? Where to stay in San Diego, California.

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