This very large Hacienda Has a rich Mexican history This family was ahead of their time developing the area . It's too badd they were not able to keep it up and the state took it over on back taxes

If you are glued to your phone and need constant electronic stimulus, this place is not for you, BUT IF YOU HAVE A BRAIN and are CURIOUS and want to be MORE INFORMED, then stop in and spend some time READING (yes, my word THAT!) and learn some more about where you live or are visiting. Its small, but informative and a valuable resource for all in the County of San Diego and more should visit and support it. We were impressed and very glad we stopped and slowed down and read and learned. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

On our way back home, we decided to do a quick detour and visit this museum. My wife is an educator and we're both always looking to stop at any museum along the way (which ever way we're headed). This is a little place with some small exhibits highlighting the archaeology of the area. It'll take you only an hour to visit and see everything but it is worth the detour. Sometimes the small museums are the best - they can be intimate and very interesting. So, if you happen to be visiting the Zoo, make this an additional stop along the way.

I go to the San Diego Safari Park often and have seen the signs for the San Diego Archaeological Center. Finally, I had my chance to visit as it was on my way to Julian. It's not far from the Safari Park on the same main road. Although the building looks large, the museum is actually quite small. I got the impression that most of the building may be for research and storage of archaeological treasures. There are a few display cases with artifacts but again, it is very small. It's a good place to get a bit of information on archaeology without being overwhelmed. The displays were well presented and informative. You could spend an hour here or get a good overview in a few minutes, Admission was only $2 or $5 for a family. It was all low key and go at your own speed. I was wondering why their collection was not added to a larger museum's collection but this was a nice stop on my way to Julian. It's too small to recommend for a must see trip but if you are in the area and want something educational and interesting, here is your destination.

This appears to be a full fledged archaeological operational headquarters with an attached smaller museum in the front public areas. There are things for all ages but the museum has a focus on children's exhibits and education. Some of the cases were empty when we were there as they were transitioning to new exhibits. For adults there are cases that tell the story of the area back to the history of 10,000 years ago. There is a giftshop with very reasonable prices and they sell previously read archaeological publications once they have been read by the archaeologists. We also liked to see the presentation of the donut shaped stone carvings found locally. If you like museums you will enjoy this visit.