USS Midway Museum: How to Plan Your Visit

The USS Midway Museum is a decommissioned aircraft carrier moored on the downtown San Diego waterfront at 910 N. Harbor Drive. You walk aboard, explore the hangar deck full of aircraft, climb to the flight deck and work your way through the crew spaces below. To plan a good visit, give it most of a day (the museum recommends at least four to five hours), sort out parking or transit before you leave home, and decide which decks matter most to your group.

That's the short version. Below you'll find how to get there, a sensible route through the ship, what's accessible and what isn't, and how to fit the Midway into a day on the bay. For more ideas around the county, see our Things to Do section.

What the Midway is

The Midway was built in 17 months and commissioned on September 10, 1945, a few days after World War II ended. It stayed in service for 47 years. According to the museum's history page, it was the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. It was decommissioned on April 11, 1992, after sailing into Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, then sat in the inactive fleet in Bremerton, Washington.

In 2003 the Navy donated the ship to a San Diego nonprofit, which towed it south and opened it to the public on June 7, 2004. Today it's a floating museum run by that nonprofit, with aircraft on the hangar and flight decks and restored spaces throughout the ship.

Getting there

The ship sits on Navy Pier along North Harbor Drive, between the Broadway Pier cruise terminal area and Seaport Village. It's an easy walk from most of downtown.

Parking on Navy Pier

The closest parking is the lot on Navy Pier itself, right beside the ship. The museum's Know Before You Go page says it's owned by the Port of San Diego and managed by Ace Parking, open to passenger vehicles only, with no RV parking. Rates are posted on that page and change by season. In summer the lot fills, and the museum advises arriving early. Metered and pay-station parking is also available along Harbor Drive and on downtown streets.

Trolley, walking and bikes

If you'd rather skip the car, the San Diego Trolley stops at Santa Fe Depot, a short walk from the waterfront; from there you head south along Harbor Drive to Navy Pier. The waterfront path along the bay makes the walk pleasant, and it links up with the Little Italy neighborhood just to the north if you want lunch before or after.

How much time to plan

Four to five hours sounds like a lot until you're on board. A carrier is huge, and the interesting parts are spread across several levels connected by steep ladders and narrow passageways. Same-day re-entry is allowed, so you can leave for a meal and come back. Stop at the Visitors Information Center by the ship's exit to sort that out.

A route through the ship

There's no single correct order, but a few principles help. Start below decks while you're fresh, save the flight deck for when you want to sit in the sun, and keep the island for whenever the line is short.

Hangar deck

You come aboard on the hangar deck, which is where the ship stored and repaired its aircraft. It's the most open space inside the Midway, and it's where you'll find a lot of aircraft and exhibits. The museum offers a self-guided audio tour, and it's worth using from the start. It gives you the background for each stop, so you're not just looking at gray metal.

Below decks

Under the hangar deck are the spaces where the crew lived and worked: sleeping quarters, the galley and mess, and working compartments. These areas are tighter and more interesting than people expect. They show you what daily life on a carrier looked like, and they're often quieter than the flight deck.

Flight deck

The flight deck is the big open runway on top. Aircraft are parked along it, and the view takes in the bay, Coronado and the downtown skyline. Bring a hat and sunscreen. There's very little shade up there, and on a bright day the deck reflects a lot of glare. If you like boat-watching, our guide to the best spots to watch ships on San Diego Bay covers other good viewpoints along the water.

The island

The island is the tower on the starboard side of the flight deck where the ship was steered and flight operations were controlled. Getting into it means climbing steep ladders. Access and any age or height limits can change, so check the museum's website or ask staff on the day.

Accessibility

A carrier was never designed for wheelchairs, but the museum has added a lot since 2004. Its accessibility page lists:

• Elevators between Navy Pier and the ship's entrance on the hangar deck, between the hangar deck and the deck below, and between the hangar deck and the flight deck
• Wheelchair-accessible restrooms on the hangar and flight decks
• Complimentary loaner wheelchairs, first come, first served
• Video kiosks on the flight deck, hangar deck and second deck showing spaces that are hard to reach
• ASL and audio-descriptive tours, which you arrange ahead of time

Even with all that, some areas still involve ladders and tight hatches. Plan to cover the hangar and flight decks fully, and use the video kiosks for the rest.

Tips for families

Kids usually love the Midway, mostly because they get close to real aircraft and have a whole flight deck to roam. A few things make the day smoother:

• Go early, before the ship gets busy.
• Bring water and snacks you can carry. Below decks gets warm, and the walking adds up.
• Agree on a meeting spot on the hangar deck in case anyone gets separated.
• Take breaks on the flight deck, where there's room to spread out.
• Let older kids pick the next stop on the audio tour.

Wear closed-toe shoes with grip. Ladders on a warship are steep, and the edges of hatches catch toes.

Pairing the Midway with the rest of the waterfront

The Midway sits in the middle of a walkable stretch of bay. North of the ship, the waterfront path continues toward the cruise terminals and Little Italy. South, it leads past Seaport Village and toward the Convention Center. Plenty of visitors do the Midway in the morning and spend the afternoon walking the bay.

If you have more than one day, the Midway pairs well with a museum day in Balboa Park, which has a very different feel: gardens, Spanish-style buildings and a long list of indoor museums. One day on the water, one day in the park is a good rhythm for a first trip.

My advice, from someone who walks this part of the waterfront often: arrive early, start below decks, and leave the flight deck for the hour when you're ready to sit down and look at the bay.