The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego, located downtown near the Embarcadero at 1001 Kettner Blvd., will open to the public beginning on Oct. 4.
Navy SEAL Museum San Diego (NSMSD) will provide a world-class experience to hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and will offer unparalleled access and insight into the secretive world of U.S. Navy SEALs. NSMSD will bring the Navy SEAL story to life through educational exhibitions, retired SEAL docents, sensory interactive experiences, virtual reality environments, and community engagement impact programs which will impart values found in the Navy SEAL Ethos like leadership, adaptability, perseverance, and serving something higher than oneself.
NSMSD hours of operation:
Monday – 10 am to 5 pm
Tuesday – Closed
Wednesday through Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm
Tickets will go on sale on September 1 (Labor Day). Visitors should buy their tickets online in advance. Admissions will be timed-entry tickets to ensure a smooth visitor flow.
“Navy SEALs have played transformational roles in our nation’s history through clandestine operations. And due to that fact, many Americans have no idea what it takes to become a SEAL, how we came to be, what our missions entailed, and where we’re going in the future,” says Museum Executive Director, Beef Drechsler.
“We will convey all of this through engaging and hands-on exhibitions that utilize cutting-edge technology, as well as face-to-face interactions with docents—most of whom served in the SEAL Teams—and other special warfare operators, giving the visitor an unparalleled learning experience and an appreciation of the sacrifices made by anyone serving in uniform.”
The National UDT-Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida was founded in 1985 on the same beaches where predecessors to today’s Navy SEALs trained for World War II. Established to honor the sacrifice of these men and preserve their legacy, Navy SEAL Museum Fort Pierce tells the story of their lineage, beginning with Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units, and Underwater Demolition Teams. The birthplace of Naval Special Warfare, Fort Pierce provided the perfect training grounds for the the teams that would ultimately become U.S. Navy SEALs in 1962.
The opening of Navy SEAL Museum San Diego represents an expansion of the organization into San Diego—one of the largest military concentrations in the country—and just across the bay from Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, where all Navy SEALs are created and trained.
“We have a very compelling and captivating history,” added National UDT-Navy SEAL Museum CEO, Rick Kaiser, “We have strong visitation despite Ft. Pierce being some distance from major tourist centers like Orlando, and so to be able to tell our story in a city that receives more than 30 million visitors every year made sense. We look forward to creating partnerships with our fellow museums and are eager to provide visitors with the opportunity for a ‘Maritime Triad’ experience given our proximity to USS Midway Museum and Maritime Museum of San Diego.”
