This February in San Diego County is Museum Month. Presented by Macy’s in conjunction with the San Diego Museum Council, patrons can get half-off a Museum Month Pass at over 40 museums in the area. Passes are available at any Macy’s store beginning Feb. 1 in San Diego, Temecula, and Imperial Valley.

If you’re interested in upping your arts game and visiting some museums but don’t know which ones are worth it, Neighborhoods.com has compiled some of the best options to consider.

California Center for the Arts - Escondido

Photo courtesy of California Center for the Arts

Located in Escondido, the California Center for the Arts houses a 406-seat theater, a 1,523-seat concert hall, art and dance studios, and a visual arts museum, all of which are located on a 12-acre campus. The center produces free community events and has an extensive education program. From Jan. 13 to March 4, the museum will host the work of artist Niki de Saint Phalle, titled “Mythical California,” with sculptures, video, models, photographs, blueprints, and maquettes.

Museum of Photographic Arts - Balboa Park

Museum of Photographic Arts photo courtesy of Balboa Park 

Located in Balboa Park, the Museum of Photographic Arts is dedicated exclusively to the preservation of photography. The museum showcases the history of the medium through their permanent collection, collecting thousands of photographs since their opening in 1983. Currently, they are exhibiting “Animals Among Us: 11th Annual Youth Exhibition” through Feb. 5, “Point/Counterpoint: Contemporary Mexican Photography” through April 15, and “Defining Boundaries: 12th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition” through March 18.

Oceanside Museum of Art - Oceanside 

Photo courtesy Oceanside Museum of Art

The dual-building Oceanside Museum of Art hosts contemporary art, from sculptures to quilts and paintings to glass, exclusively by Southern California artists. Depending on the day, the Oceanside museum also offers tours, concerts, lectures, films, and varying events, including chartered travel to community exhibitions. Current exhibitions include “It’s Kind of a Cute Story” by Rolly Crump through Feb. 18 and “The WildLIFE Project” by Wendy Maruyama, extended through March 4. They also have a slew of exhibitions running through March 18, including “Little Doors” by Neil Brooks, “Color, Joy, Shape, Vitality” by Ellen Dieter, and “The Infinite Hope” by Julia San Román. 

San Diego Museum of Art - Balboa Park

Photo courtesy of San Diego Museum of Art

Located in the heart of Balboa Park in San Diego, the San Diego Museum of Art houses fine art, including South Asian paintings, collections from Italian and Spanish old masters, and 19th- and 20th-century American sculptures and paintings. Open Thursday through Sunday, current collections on view feature art from America, East Asia, Iran, and South and Southeast Asia. Featured exhibitions are “Frida and Me” and “The Pérez Simón Collection” through March 11.

Timken Museum of Art - Balboa Park

Timken Museum of Art photo by Bernard Gagnon

The only Balboa Park museum with free admission, the Timken Museum of Art’s white, marble, and bronze modern building houses a six-room gallery. While the museum predominantly exhibits European old master paintings, tapestries spanning 700 years, and collections of American and Russian painting icons. The Timken also has a Rembrandt in its permanent collection, the only San Diego museum to have the privilege. An upcoming exhibition, on view from Jan. 26 to April 29, will be “The Romantic Impulse in the American Landscape Tradition.” 

Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles - Liberty Station

Photo courtesy of Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles

A nonprofit arts organization founded in 1985, the Visions Art Museum promotes contemporary quilt making as fine art in Liberty Station. It features over 20 exhibitions a year, including online exhibits. The museum also offers challenges to its members, workshops by prestigious textile and quilt artists, and lectures. Beginning Jan. 20 through April 8, exhibitions include Betty Busby and Jane Sassaman’s “The Nature of Things,” Regina Benson’s “Rust and Rain,” Erma Martin Yost’s “Felted Gardens, the Canyon’s Quilters of San Diego’s Organic by Design,” and “Blooming, the Visions Members’ Challenge.” This museum also has an online exhibit titled “Nature,” from Jan. 1 to March 31.