The Junipero Serra Museum Reviews

Just had my wedding here 10/8/22 and I never regretted it for one second. The experience with the venue was a highlight in the stressful planning journey. I worked with Sue and she was incredible with responding to every question and inquiry I had. The venue is gorgeous and did not need much to impress people and provide a beautiful setting. The location is ideal due to being central and having so many hotels nearby. The one and only drawback was the lack of ADA accessibility. This made it difficult for some guests and vendors to access the spot but working with preferred vendors was helpful since they understood the difficulties already. For guests there is a stairway and also a more ramp to less stairs entrance that was preferred for guests who had trouble with stairs. In the end I would highly recommend this location for a beautiful wedding!

The Junipero Serra Museum created the most beautiful backdrop for our romantic summer wedding under the stars.

When looking for a venue, we had some pretty specific criteria:
-Outdoor Reception (the San Diego weather deserves to be taken advantage of)
-Beautiful view
-Dancing until 11pm
-Within the city of San Diego (less than 20 mins from USD)
-The right size for 100 guests (not too big, not too small)

You'd be surprised by how few venues fit this criteria. With our church wedding taking place at USD, we were firm on our criteria, but all it took was a few steps across the terrace at the Serra Museum to know it was the one.

First of all, the museum itself is stunning. They recently re-stucco'd the exterior of the building giving it a pristine white color. The arches across the terrace perfectly framed components of our event like our bar, DJ and lounge set up. Then, turn the other way and you've got a beautiful sunset view that stretches for miles. The sun set perfectly as our guests were seated for dinner and during dancing, we were treated to a spectacular firework show from Sea World.

Additional considerations when planning a wedding: If you wanted, you could hold your ceremony in the museum itself. The museum was available for use during our reception. They have plenty of parking. They have a preferred vendor list and you must use one of the approved caterers. The list was plentiful and we went with the Abbey Catering, who did a phenomenal job. The venue is a historic building and not ADA compliant. There are a lot of stairs, but the height on the hill makes for the perfect views.

We have to give a shoutout to the venue's coordinator, Sue, who is fabulous! She was so responsive and made herself available on numerous occasions for us to tour the space and walk through with our various vendors. We loved working with her and were so grateful for all of her help throughout the entire planning process.

You can walk the terrace at anytime so we love that for years to come, we'll be able to come back to revisit the special place that will forever hold a spot in our hearts.

A beautiful historic venue in San Diego. Besides it’s central location, the scenic views and beautiful architecture make for an unforgettable day. The museum events coordinator Scott Kelley was amazing to work with. He went above and beyond to ensure our every need was met. We couldn’t be happier with our choice.

I recently held my wedding here and I had the best experience at the Junipero Serra Museum!! My husband and I booked the Junipero Serra almost as soon as we saw it. It's beautiful, rustic, and historic! It's appearance resembles a mission and it's on top of Presidio park so you have beautiful views from every where. So if you're looking for a very "California" wedding, this is the spot! Another thing to note is that the venue is so naturally beautiful with lush trees all around, the cost to decorate was minimal, so that was a huge money saver for us!!

Aside from it's beauty, working with the staff at the museum was more than amazing. Joy served as out venue contact/coordinator and she made our day so easy for us! She was always responsive and more than accommodate our party before, during, and after. Joy communicated with our other vendors with us and was always there for questions and concerns.

A few things to note about holding events here:
1. The venue is a historic site so it's not ADA compliant and it's on a hill.
2. The outside area holds 140 people.
3. It is a museum! And they keep the exhibits up (that was my favorite part, being married next to exhibits).
4. They also have visiting hours so take a look yourself!

There were a few resounding compliments about our wedding and the beautiful location was on the top of the list!

I was feeling a little abandoned, having coordinator after coordinator leave the San Diego history center, until Joy became my final venue coordinator! And it felt like she was with us from the very beginning! She was very attentive, responsive to emails, calling to see if I needed anything else and being a recent bride herself, she knew exactly what was stressing me out and was very empathetic. She is the most kind, the sweetest and an all around good person! We loved our venue and her being our coordinator is the cherry on top!

The Junipero Serra Museum is the perfect wedding venue if you are looking for something with character and unique charm. Our guests continue to tell me what a cool venue we selected for our wedding. From the history of the museum to the outdoor scenic terrace to the fireworks hosted by Sea World guests will appreciate this spot. The staff were very responsive and great to work with. All and all it was the perfect site for our perfect day!

The Bach Collegium San Diego enjoys using the atrium as a performance space, as well as working with Nicole George.

We had our daughter's wedding reception at this site (the actual wedding was nearby at the top of the hill of Presido Park). Nicole George was exceptionally good to work with at this historical venue. She met with us several times and explained to us the conditions for using this site. It was a bit of a challenge with our other vendors (set up area for the caterers was something the caterers had to work with, and needing to climb the hill to bring in tables/chairs, etc) but this is what my daughter wanted, and it all eventually worked out. On the day/evening of our event, Nicole was there to supervise and assist us. She was a great resource for assisting us in our wedding decorations. I did "fancy" up the bathrooms by bringing in my own rugs, flowers, hand lotion, and other accessories. There was no "handicap" ramps up to the main deck area so a couple of our older guests had to be helped up the stairs, and one wheelchair-bound guest had to be carried up the stairs. The view from this area was beautiful and we lucked out with beautiful weather for our event….very little wind. We used a shuttle service and the San Diego Trolley to transport many of our guests due to the limited parking available. We were glad we did this as there was another wedding at a lower park area for the afternoon, and thus even fewer parking spots were available to us. Also, the Saturday we chose happened to be a High School prom night, and several times limos came into the parking lot to drop off some prom goers who wanted their pictures taken at this site. So, just be aware that this is a very touristy and public area. We did have one homeless man attempt to "crash" our wedding party, but security helped us escort the gentlemen off of our dance floor…ha! It was a lot of work prepping the venue, but the event was a success, and I give a lot of the credit to Nicole George and to this historical site.

The coordinator for the event, Nicole George, was exceptional in terms of responsiveness, flexibility, and professionalism. The event was a success and guests loved the venue. Thanks!

Nicole was great to work with and always replied promptly to any questions. She was very accommodating to our short planning schedule. During the event, everything was flawless and Nicole was there to make sure things went as scheduled.

Amazingly beautiful venue. The event celebrated lgbt marriage equality and I was a performer. It is a venue I would highly recommend who is looking for a historic, picturesque venue for their wedding or event.

Both Junipero Serra and the San Diego History Center are awesome. Junipero Serra is perched on a "precarious" hillside and overlooks most of Western San Diego, from La Jolla to Downtown. It's intimate terrace is perfect for an outdoor wedding reception. San Diego History Center has a great roster of exhibitions that lend another perspective to the depth of America's finest city. Nicole George, the Events Manager, has been incredibly friendly, helpful, and a professional at what she does. Not to mention her enthusiasm for the Junipero Serra and the History Center, which shows her where her passion lies. The Junipero is one of San Diego's best kept secrets for intimate, beautiful, let-San-Diego-charm-you styled weddings, and I thoroughly endorse both venues and Nicole George!

I utilized the San Diego History Center when I needed a Bridal Suite. Nicole George was the Event Coordinator and she was extremely helpful; she worked with me regarding rental times and picking which room was appropriate for my party size and needs. I had such a great time getting dressed at the Museum, and my photographer captured gorgeous pictures made possible by the lighting and historical aspects the building provided. Thank you Nicole, for your hospitality and willingness to work with me.

Such a cool venue - and fairly reasonable considering the chairs were included. It's historic, beautiful, and great value. Do you need anymore convincing?

This venue was so beautiful and romantic! It's such a special place for guests to visit who are from out of town as well.

We had our ceremony at Founders Chapel and our reception here, at the Serra Junipero Museum. It was perfect. The museum coordinator was very good at communication and working with the other vendors. We timed the event perfectly so the last song started as the Sea World fireworks started, and you can see the fireworks perfectly from the terrace. It was so nice being outside because I didn't get hot or sweaty in my wedding dress. There are a few things to keep in mind: 1. The museum is not handicap accessible. If you are planning on having many elderly guests (which we did not have) please keep in mind they (and all your vendors + gear) will have to make it up that hill. 2. If you're on a budget, keep in mind you will have to rent EVERYTHING from outside vendors... and it adds up! So have your other vendors and their prices in mind before booking. I recommend picking vendors who have worked there so they know what to expect. Other than that, it was everything we dreamed of. Thank you Serra Museum staff!

The Junipero Serra Museum was the perfect wedding venue for us! We wanted something unique, centrally located and historic to San Diego; The Serra is all of these and more. It's far from your usual hotel ballroom/wedding factory. It has a very intimate feel with a great view! Its also the perfect spot for both your ceremony & reception. The only downside is their 8-hour rental limit and making sure all of your vendors can set-up and takedown within this timeframe. We had to pay extra for this so just check with your rental company ahead of time to factor in these delivery & labor fees.

My husband and I picked this venue because we wanted to have our wedding somewhere unique and fun, along with being able to showcase San Diego well. This venue did just that at an affordable cost, and we knew the venue fees were going to a greater cause rather than someones investment. Also Bonus - if you book during the right time in summer, you can see the SeaWorld fireworks from the venue, a great surprise for our guests at the end of the night :)

This place is amazing and worth every penny. The staff is great, though I planned my wedding from out of town so I didn't spend too much time with them. The only drawback with the place is the contract which is rigid and specific as to the vendors that must be used. All of the vendors ended up working out, except the bar service which I found to be extremely overpriced and generally unresponsive to the plans I had laid out for the venue. Other than that, the venue is beautiful and completely worth it!

The Serra museum venue was the perfect setting for a San Diego spring wedding. We loved the ambience and authenticity the mission setting provided for our prohibition picnic themed wedding. Thank you!

Joe and Melanie were so helpful and professional. I am so happy we had our wedding there. And, for the $700, they provided the chairs!

Nicole at the San Diego History Center was a joy to work with on our event. She responded promptly to emails and was on-site the entire event.

Heads up. Susan Preis is no longer the events coordinator. When I wrote to them via the Wedding Wire link I received a reply from her thinking I was inquiring about the Mingle Museum. Took 2 more inquiries to be given the correct coordinator's name. Erwin Cruz. He responded promptly with a brochure though now it's been 3 days with no reply back for additional questions. This may be standard, yet other venues I've been looking into reply same day.