Coronado Historical Association

Programs: Collections and exhibitsthe coronado museum of history and art (the museum) offers visitors an opportunity to learn about the history, people and culture that make coronado such a special place. The museum, which opened to the public in october 2000, houses the museums three exhibit galleries, a research library, state-of-the-art archives, a museum store, the tent city restaurant and the coronado visitor center. Since its inception, the museum has featured both permanent and changing exhibits with subjects as diverse as wings of gold: the centennial of naval aviation, coronado on the frontline (during world war ii), kingston trio: a world of music, and 100+ years of coronado yachting. The organizations collection has grown to over 20,000 photographs, 1,400 artifacts, and thousands of archival documents. Our library serves as a research destination for local historians and citizens who have purchased historic homes in coronado. We continue to identify, acquire and preserve artifacts and documents that fall within the scope of the museum. Taking its stewardship seriously, cha continues to identify ways to creatively present the history of coronado through its collections, exhibits, and programs.

education and outreach:in support of our mission, cha has a special focus on educational programs and outreach. Besides a year-round schedule of public lectures and other thought-provoking programs for adults, such as a preservation symposium every spring (co-presented with other coronado organizations), the coronado unified school district has designated cha to present local coronado history, with our museum staff and trained volunteers teaching students in the schools, as part of their 3rd grade history curriculum. We also present two large public events. The hugely successful historic home tour on mothers day, and the coronado art walk in september.

coronado visitor centerthe city of coronado visitor center is a partnership between cha and the city of coronado. Located in the heart of coronado (at 1100 orange avenue), our visitor center is staffed with knowledgeable ambassadors and stocked with an array of free resources to help visitors and residents experience coronado in a unique way. Whether in coronado for leisure, business or a special event; the visitor center has resources to help make each visit special. The visitor center has a team of docents who lead two tours: the hotel del coronado tour and the heritage walk. The hotel del coronado tour is offered five days a week and represents a partnership between cha and the hotel del; the tour script is even written by the hotel historian. The heritage tour includes the hotel del for a portion of the tour but also explores downtown coronado, ocean blvd, star park and other points of interest. Both tours are 90 minutes long. The visitor center responds to emails and calls from all over the world requesting information about coronado. Cha works with businesses and community organizations to promote their efforts. Additionally, cha works closely with other tourism agencies, including the san diego tourism authority, the coronado chamber of commerce, coronado tourism improvement district and coronado main street to collaboratively promote the one-of-a-kind community we call coronado.