USS Midway Museum: tickets, hours, parking and how to plan a visit

The USS Midway Museum is the aircraft carrier parked at Navy Pier on the downtown waterfront, and it is the attraction most first-time visitors put near the top of their list. The ship served the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1992, and it opened as a museum on June 7, 2004. Today you can walk the flight deck, climb into cockpits, see the bunks where sailors slept and stand on the bridge where the captain ran the ship.

Below are the current prices and hours, where to park, how long to budget and a deck-by-deck plan so you see the best parts before your feet give out.

For more of the city’s big sights, see our San Diego attractions hub, and if you have kids along, our San Diego family vacation guide pairs well with this page.

USS Midway Museum at a glance

All prices and hours come from the museum’s Know Before You Go page, checked in October 2026. The museum can change them, so check before you go.

A short history of the ship

Midway was commissioned in 1945, just after World War II ended, and the museum says it was the largest ship in the world when it entered service. It is 1,001 feet long and carried a crew of about 4,500. About 200,000 sailors served aboard over 47 years, and Midway was the only carrier to serve through the entire Cold War.

After the ship was retired in 1992, a nonprofit group spent years raising money and restoring aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island before Midway was towed to Navy Pier. Since then it has become one of the most visited naval ship museums in the country. More than 30 restored aircraft sit on the flight deck and in the hangar, spread across nearly 10 acres of exhibits.

Tickets and discounts

General admission covers the flight deck, the hangar deck, the below-deck spaces, the self-guided audio tour and the docent talks. Buying online saves $2 per ticket and comes with the museum’s Embarcadero Adventure Offers, a set of discounts on other activities along the waterfront.

Other ticket types worth knowing about:

• Veterans pay $26 with proof of service at the entrance.
• Children 3 and under and active duty military with ID get in free. Pick up those free tickets at the ticket booth on the day of your visit.
• Guests with a SNAP EBT card and matching photo ID pay $5 through the Museums for All program, for up to four people. This is only at the ticket booth.
• An annual pass for two costs $115, and a pass for four people costs $180. Locals who visit with kids more than once a year come out ahead.

For more cheap and free ideas around the city, see our list of free things to do in San Diego.

Hours and the best time to go

The ship is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. It closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Weekday mornings are the calmest. Summer weekends and the week between Christmas and New Year’s are the busiest times, and the museum warns that parking on the pier fills up in summer.

The flight deck has no shade. On a clear day the sun and the glare off the bay are strong, even in winter, so bring a hat and sunscreen. Our San Diego weather by month guide has the averages if you are planning around the season, and the best time to visit San Diego page covers crowds and prices across the year.

Getting there and parking

Midway sits at 910 N. Harbor Drive, next to the Embarcadero walkway and a short walk from Seaport Village and the Gaslamp Quarter.

The closest parking is the Navy Pier lot right beside the ship. The Port of San Diego owns it and Ace Parking runs it. The museum lists $20 for up to six hours, $25 for more than six hours and $30 during special events, though rates can change and tend to rise on holidays. The lot is for passenger cars only, and RVs are not allowed. Front-row accessible spaces are first come, first served.

Other options:

• Metered and pay-station spaces line Harbor Drive and nearby streets, but most have a two- or three-hour limit, which is short for a full visit.
• Underground public parking at the IQHQ RaDD complex across the street is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
• B Street Pier allows all-day parking only on days without a cruise ship in port.

Transit is easy. The Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza trolley stations are about a five-minute walk away, and the Coaster and Amtrak stop at Santa Fe Depot. Inside downtown, the free Circuit electric shuttle can drop you near the pier. Our getting around San Diego guide explains trolley fares and the PRONTO card.

What to see on the flight deck

Most people start up top, and it makes sense to. The flight deck holds the bulk of the aircraft collection, from propeller planes of the 1940s to jets that flew from carriers into the 1990s. You can look into cockpits, read the placards and talk to the docents, many of them Navy veterans who served on carriers.

Two talks are worth catching. The Catapult and Trap talks explain how jets were launched and caught on a moving ship, which is hard to picture until someone walks you through it on the deck. The guided island tour takes you up into the island, the tall structure on the side of the deck, including the bridge and primary flight control, where the air boss ran launches and landings. Expect narrow ladders and lines on busy days.

The views from the deck are some of the best on the waterfront. You can see Coronado, the Coronado Bridge, the downtown skyline and the Navy ships at North Island across the bay.

Below decks and the hangar deck

The hangar deck is where you enter, and it holds more aircraft, the flight simulators, the gift shop and Cafe 41. The Battle of Midway Immersive Theater, added in 2017, uses holographic projection to tell the story of the 1942 battle the ship was named for.

Below decks is where the ship starts to feel lived in. The audio tour, narrated by former Midway sailors, covers more than 60 stops, including:

• Sleeping quarters and the galley
• The engine room
• The brig, the post office and the officers’ quarters
• Pilots’ ready rooms and primary flight control
• The Carrier Intelligence Center

Two exhibits on board in 2026 are “Midway’s Engineers” and “Top Secret: Inside the High-Stakes World of Naval Intelligence.” The museum also runs docent VIP tours for a deeper look at spaces most visitors pass by.

Visiting with kids

Midway works well for kids from about age 5 up. They can sit in cockpits, ride the flight simulators and earn their own pilot wings through the Junior Pilot Program. Ask at the information booth by the entrance to get started.

Strollers are allowed on board, but the ladders between decks are steep, and a baby carrier is easier below decks. Youth groups and families can also book the Overnight Adventure, a sleepover on the ship; the museum says about 5,000 children take part each year.

If Midway is one stop on a bigger family trip, our guide to things to do in San Diego with kids covers the zoo, beaches and other attractions that suit younger children.

Food, bag rules and accessibility

Outside food and drinks are not allowed, and every visitor goes through a bag check. Clear plastic water bottles, strollers, umbrellas and service animals are fine. Pets, glass containers, bikes, scooters, skateboards and weapons are not.

You can eat on board at Cafe 41. Same-day re-entry is allowed if you want to walk to a restaurant and come back; stop at the Visitors Information Center at the ship’s exit before you leave. For meals nearby, see our best restaurants in San Diego hub.

Elevators run from Navy Pier to the hangar deck entrance, from the hangar deck up to the flight deck and down to the second deck. Spaces that are hard to reach by wheelchair have video kiosks with short tours, and loaner wheelchairs are free on a first-come basis. ASL and audio descriptive tours are included with admission, and a professional caregiver with a guest who has a disability gets in free. Details are on the museum’s accessibility page.

Wear closed-toe shoes with grip. The ladders are steep, the metal edges catch sandals and temperatures change from the sunny deck to the cooler spaces inside.

How long to spend on board

The museum recommends four to five hours, and that is realistic if you want the audio tour, the island and a simulator ride. With two hours you can cover the flight deck and the main below-deck route. Plan for a full day if you want to add a harbor cruise or lunch on the waterfront.

A plan that works for most people:

• Arrive at 10 a.m. and go straight to the flight deck while it is cool and quiet.
• Join the island tour line before late morning, when it gets longer.
• Eat at Cafe 41 or step out for lunch.
• Spend the afternoon below decks with the audio tour.
• Finish with the theater or a simulator, then walk the Embarcadero at sunset.

Nearby things to do

Midway sits in the middle of the downtown waterfront, so it is easy to fill the rest of the day on foot. The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a short walk north along Harbor Drive, and your online Midway ticket knocks $5 off adult admission there. Harbor cruises leave from the piers nearby, and whale-watching trips run from the same area in winter; our whale watching in San Diego guide has the season and operators.

Walk south and you reach Seaport Village and the Convention Center. Walk inland and you are in the Gaslamp Quarter within 15 minutes.

For a full day plan, our guide to things to do in San Diego has more ideas, and the where to stay in San Diego page lists the downtown hotels within walking distance.

What is coming to Navy Pier

The museum is building Freedom Park at Navy Pier, which will turn much of the parking pier next to the ship into a park. The old headhouse building on the pier is coming down as part of the project. The museum says the ship and the pier parking lot stay open during the demolition, and it lists 2028 as the opening year for the park.

Frequently asked questions

How much are USS Midway Museum tickets?

Adult tickets for ages 13 and up are $39 online or $41 at the door. Youth tickets for ages 4 to 12 are $29 online or $31 at the door. Veterans pay $26, and children 3 and under and active duty military get in free.

What are the USS Midway Museum hours?

It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

How long does it take to see the USS Midway?

The museum suggests four to five hours to see the flight deck, hangar deck and below-deck spaces with the audio tour. Two hours is enough for the main exhibits.

Where do you park for the USS Midway Museum?

The Navy Pier lot next to the ship is the closest. The museum lists $20 for up to six hours and $25 for longer, with higher rates during special events. Metered street parking and garages across Harbor Drive are other options.

Can you bring food on the USS Midway?

No. Outside food and drinks are not allowed, except clear plastic water bottles. You can eat at Cafe 41 on board or leave and come back the same day.

Is the USS Midway Museum good for kids?

Yes. Kids can climb into cockpits, try the flight simulators and earn pilot wings through the Junior Pilot Program. Children 3 and under get in free.

Is the USS Midway wheelchair accessible?

Elevators connect the pier, the hangar deck, the flight deck and the second deck, and loaner wheelchairs are free. Areas reached only by ladder are covered by video kiosks.

Photo credits

Featured image: Gankbank789 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.