February is San Diego’s 27th annual Museum Month, presented by Macy’s bringing half-off admissions to over 40 San Diego museums throughout the month of February.Adding excitement to the winter season, adults and children from all over San Diego are invited to experience Macy’s Museum Month with half-off admission at over 40 San Diego Museum Council member museums. From historians at heart to entertainment seekers, there is something for everyone at participating museums and historical sites during Macy’s Museum Month in February 2017.Participants can pick up a Macy’s Museum Month Pass at any area Macy’s store to enjoy half-off admission to all of the participating San Diego Museum Council member museums through the entire month of February. This popular program applauds San Diego’s rich arts and culture destinations while highlighting the amazing contributions of the local museum community. The roster of museums spans the likes of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, USS Midway Museum, The New Children’s Museum, Museum of Making Music, Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Natural History Museum, and much more.“San Diego is a rich arts and culture destination and we couldn’t be more proud to celebrate Macy’s Museum Month,” said Theresa Kosen, executive director of the San Diego Museum Council. “The heart of our local museum community blossomed in Balboa Park over a century ago and today we stand as an extraordinary footprint of museums located as far north as the Oceanside Museum of Art in the City of Oceanside and south toward the Tijuana Estuary at the International border. Our thanks go to sponsors like Macy’s who make February an exciting time to visit San Diego’s museums.”Macy’s Museum Month was created in 1989 to promote awareness of the region’s museums, historical sites, educational institutions, and cultural offerings. This month-long promotion has grown to become a cultural tradition unrivaled in the United States. Last year nearly 30,000 visitors used a Macy’s Museum Month Pass to enjoy half-priced admissions at San Diego area museums.Museum Month passes may be picked up at any of the 15 Macy’s locations in the San Diego area, including Temecula and Imperial Valley. Guests with a pass may bring up to three people to participating museums to receive half-off admission for the entire party. Additional fees may apply for special exhibitions and events at participating museums.Use the month to check out the Be the Astronaut exhibit at the Air & Space Museum. Now open, Be the Astronaut is a fun, interactive adventure where you are in control as you launch a rocket, pilot a spaceship, and drive a rover in space! Discover the solar system first hand with the help of virtual astronauts, and land on multiple worlds, including the moon, Mars, Jupiter and asteroids. Designed with the help of NASA experts, Be the Astronaut is fun for the whole family and takes STEM learning into outer space!Scientifically verified by experts at NASA for accuracy and feasibility, Be the Astronaut teaches you about the concepts, challenges, and excitement of spaceflight, through the use of touch-screen stations, artifacts, and interactive simulator pods built to look like space capsules. Throughout every stage of the exhibit, you have your own crew of virtual content experts. These digital characters help you learn what’s needed to fly a spaceship, pilot a lander, and drive a surface rover — then are with you as you climb into the simulators to actually perform these feats, in a thrilling narrative adventure spanning the solar system. In each space capsule, a massive 70” monitor serves as the ‘windshield,’ giving you a first-person view of your adventures. Touch-screens and an industrial-quality joystick put you in command. During missions, the entire cockpit comes alive with animated lighting effects, game visuals, and sounds that make you believe you ARE an astronaut. Special companion robots will move about the exhibit and interact with you as well.
