San Diego · San Diego on a rainy day
Things to Do in San Diego on a Rainy Day (for Grown-Ups)
It doesn't rain often in San Diego, so when it does, the city isn't quite sure what to do with itself. Grown-ups have it easy: an aircraft carrier you can explore below decks, an art museum and a Tony Award-winning theatre in Balboa Park, an aquarium above La Jolla Shores, a food hall in an old naval building and some of the best hidden bars in California. Here is how to spend a wet day well.
- Morning
- USS Midway Museum (much of the tour is inside the ship)
- Lunch
- Liberty Public Market or Ironside Fish & Oyster
- Afternoon
- The San Diego Museum of Art or Birch Aquarium
- Evening
- The Old Globe, then Noble Experiment or False Idol
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Below decks on the Midway
The USS Midway Museum is the obvious rainy-day pick: a retired aircraft carrier on the waterfront with a self-guided audio tour of more than 60 stops, narrated by former Midway sailors. Much of it runs inside the ship, from the engine room up to the island; save the flight deck for a break in the clouds. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4.
USS Midway Museum
910 N Harbor Dr, Navy Pier
A retired aircraft carrier on the waterfront, with a self-guided audio tour of more than 60 stops, from the engine room to the flight deck and island, narrated by former Midway sailors. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (last entry 4 p.m.).
Art and aquariums
In Balboa Park, The San Diego Museum of Art has European old masters, Asian art and changing exhibitions behind its Spanish plateresque facade; it's closed on Wednesdays and opens at noon on Sundays. Up the coast, Birch Aquarium at Scripps has a kelp forest tank and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Sundays through February 2027.
The San Diego Museum of Art
1450 El Prado, Balboa Park
The city's main art museum, behind a Spanish plateresque facade on El Prado, with European old masters, Asian art and changing exhibitions. Closed Wednesdays; opens at noon on Sundays.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla
The public aquarium of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, on a hill above La Jolla Shores with a kelp forest tank and an ocean-view plaza. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (7 p.m. on Sundays through February 2027).
Lunch indoors
Liberty Public Market fills a former Naval Training Center building at Liberty Station with local food vendors, open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (vendor hours vary). In Little Italy, Ironside Fish & Oyster is a buzzy seafood hall with a raw bar and lobster rolls, open for lunch and dinner every day with a weekday happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m.
Liberty Public Market
2820 Historic Decatur Rd, Liberty Station
A food hall of local vendors in a former Naval Training Center building at Liberty Station, good for a relaxed lunch on the way to Point Loma. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; vendor hours vary.
Ironside Fish & Oyster
1654 India St, Little Italy
A buzzy, nautical seafood hall with a raw bar, lobster rolls and a long cocktail list. Open for lunch and dinner every day, with a weekday happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m.
Dinner with the storm outside
A rainy evening suits a dining room with a view. Mister A's has watched the skyline and the bay from its penthouse since 1965. Born & Raised in Little Italy is a glamorous art deco steakhouse with camel-leather booths and tableside carts. For a once-in-a-lifetime night, Addison serves a ten-course tasting menu in Southern California's first three-Michelin-star dining room.
Mister A's
2550 Fifth Ave, 12th floor, Bankers Hill
A penthouse dining room on top of the Manchester building since 1965, with views over the skyline, the bay and the Pacific, and planes gliding past at eye level on their approach. Recently renovated, with a bigger bar and rooftop patio lounge.
Tip: Ask for a window table at sunset, or just have a cocktail on the patio.
Dress: Business casual
Born & Raised
1909 India St, Little Italy
A glamorous, art deco steakhouse with camel-leather booths, dry-aged steaks and tableside cart service, plus a rooftop bar over the Little Italy rooftops. Listed in the Michelin Guide.
Tip: Book the dining room, then take a drink upstairs on the rooftop.
Addison
Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way
Chef William Bradley's three-Michelin-star dining room, Southern California's first, serving a changing ten-course tasting menu. It marked its 20th year with a redesigned room and a new Champagne lounge.
Tip: About 25 minutes north of downtown; plan a car both ways.
A show and a hidden bar
The Old Globe in Balboa Park has three stages, including an outdoor festival theatre, so check which one your show is on; fall 2026 brings Topdog/Underdog and the pre-Broadway musical Begin Again. Afterwards, go underground. Noble Experiment is a 32-seat speakeasy behind a secret door, open Tuesday to Sunday from 7 p.m.; False Idol is a tiki temple reached through a walk-in cooler; and Prohibition Lounge has live jazz and blues from about 9 p.m. Our San Diego at night guide has more.
The Old Globe
Balboa Park
A Tony Award-winning theatre in Balboa Park with three stages, including an outdoor festival theatre, staging new plays, pre-Broadway musicals and Shakespeare. Fall 2026 runs include Topdog/Underdog and the pre-Broadway musical Begin Again.
Tip: Parking in the park has been paid since January 2026; allow time.
Noble Experiment
777 G St, East Village (inside Neighborhood)
A 32-seat speakeasy hidden behind a secret door at the back of the Neighborhood restaurant, with a wall of brass skulls and bespoke cocktails. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7 p.m.
Tip: Reserve by text message on the day; you'll hear back by early evening whether you're in.
False Idol
675 W Beech St (through Craft & Commerce)
A basement tiki temple from Martin Cate of Smuggler's Cove, entered through a walk-in cooler inside Craft & Commerce, with carved panels, glowing glass floats and 100-plus rums.
Tip: Reservations open about a month ahead and are strongly recommended.
Prohibition Lounge
548 Fifth Ave, Gaslamp Quarter
An underground 1920s-style lounge behind a door marked as a law office on Fifth Avenue, with live jazz, blues, soul and rockabilly bands from about 9 p.m. and proper cocktails.
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights ask for 1920s-style dress; arrive early, as the room is small.
Our advice
- Rain is rare here, so rooftop bars and patios may simply close: have an indoor plan for the evening.
- Avoid Wednesday for the Museum of Art (closed), and remember the Midway's last entry is 4 p.m.
- Skip the coastal walks at Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla Cove in heavy rain; the cliffs and paths get slippery.
- Check current hours, show times and prices before you go.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Hours, show runs and reservation rules change, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
What is there to do in San Diego on a rainy day?
Tour the USS Midway Museum, see The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park or Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, lunch at Liberty Public Market or Ironside Fish & Oyster, then a show at The Old Globe and a drink at Noble Experiment or False Idol.
Is the USS Midway Museum good on a rainy day?
Yes. Much of the self-guided audio tour is inside the ship, from the engine room to the island. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4.
What indoor things can adults do in San Diego at night?
See a play at The Old Globe, have dinner at Mister A's or Born & Raised, then try the hidden bars: Noble Experiment, False Idol, or live jazz and blues at Prohibition Lounge.
What should couples do in San Diego when it rains?
The Midway or the Museum of Art in the afternoon, an early dinner at Mister A's, then a nightcap at Noble Experiment.