If you ever find yourself wandering the San Diego waterfront with your crew in tow, do yourself a favor and step aboard the USS Midway Museum. It’s not your average museum- it’s a floating city, a walk-through time capsule, and one of the most unexpectedly fun places for both kids and adults.
From the moment we stepped onto the massive aircraft carrier, Mai Boys were wide-eyed. It’s hard not to be. You’re standing on a real-deal Navy ship that once carried over 4,000 sailors through missions around the world. And now? It’s parked right in San Diego Bay, open for climbing, exploring, pretending, learning, and, let’s be honest, burning some serious kid energy.
The kids ran straight for the cockpits- yes, real fighter jets that they could sit in and play pilot. It’s one thing to see this stuff in a movie, but climbing into a jet on the actual flight deck? Next level. Throughout the ship, we found tight sleeping quarters, long hallways filled with buttons and switches, and even the mess hall, complete with fake food trays that somehow sparked a deep conversation about what Navy lunches might’ve tasted like.
For us adults, the magic was in the storytelling. Veterans, men and women who actually served on this ship or others like it, walk around sharing first-hand memories. One retired pilot told us about launching off the deck during combat missions. Another pointed to photos of his squadron and beamed with pride. Their stories brought the ship to life in a way no textbook ever could.
So if you’re looking for a day in San Diego that blends fun with meaning, this is it. The Midway gives you the kind of experience that leaves everyone, big and little, feeling just a little more in awe of where we’ve been and who’s gotten us here.
Mai Household Mayhem 