Timken Museum of Art — Attraction in San Diego

Oh what an experience visiting Timken Museum of Art for the first time on October 14th! My husband and I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Mary Cook, the Docent on that day, and I must say she literally changed how we viewed each painting! Her knowledge base was impressive as well as inspiring. She made the museum experience exceptional. Her demeanor was welcoming and we felt privileged to be under her tutelage when viewing various painting. We left the museum changed by the experience we had with Mary and my husband commented later that he found himself interested in all paintings where in the past that would not have been the case because of what Mary educated us on in terms of light, face, place, clothes and pose. She is a gem and having her there made the whole experience exceptional and educational. Thank you Mary Cook! We will never forget you. You are a rare find. Melody...

Small, but very nice. The Timken is inside a big park, and it was close to the parking and donation-based, which is the main reason we went there. There wasn't a lot of time before we had to leave the area. It's a small building - 4 rooms plus the central lobby area - that was built to house the Putnam collection.

I'd never heard of most of the artists, but the works were very good. They have one Rembrandt, a rather dark and serious work. He's not one of my favorites. Some large, really nicely done tapestries grace the lobby walls, a room of Russian icons that were very good, and more. It's worth a look if you're neaeby. It won't take long to go throuh, and it was rather pleasant not to feel numb after going through a museum. Most are so large that they're a bit overwhelming. This one is more like an art snack than the usual 17...

It's a cute little museum hidden in the shadows of the San Diego Museum of Art, in the heart of Balboa Park.

It's FREE ADMISSION, because the directors are avid art collectors who just want to share their art with the world. The place survives on donations, gift shop items, and selling guides.

Naturally, you have to check your bags and water bottles in at the front desk, and everything goes safely in their coat room.

The art isn't even set back behind ropes or anything, so you can get a close-up view of the pieces. The guards are nice old men who just want you to enjoy the art, but will definitely tell you off if toy try anything funny. They're always open to answer questions too!

The place is very kid friendly, it's quiet, but not oppressively so.

Worth a visit if you're in the area already, and have...