An absolutely amazing place. Very well done. My son took me here during his family day graduation! He was a very proud Marine!!

We so enjoyed our guided tour of the Museum! Its something you dont want to miss while you are on base. These young men really take pride in being able to share all theyve learned during the 13week vacation

Amazing museum set up. The docent were amazing. I could have spent all day in here

Magnificent and intriguing historical displays for the young and old. Can take a self-guided tour. Be prepared to have a quick background check to get on the base where the museum is located. Well worth the time and effort.

The Museum has over 2,000 military artifacts spread out in 11 rooms. To appreciate everything, it would probably take more than three hours to tour the Museums displays which are excellently laid out. From the Marine Corps birth in 1775 to the current involvement in the Middle East, there is so much to see.Marines started building MCRD in 1919 so its over 100 years old. Not only is it home to Marines but it is also a treasure to San Diego. Best of all - entrance is free!

Great place, well worth the visit. Having a Marine son give the tour was great. Semper Fidelis.

My cousin graduated on January 11th 2019, and we had an awesome time, great prices

A visit to the MCRD museum really enriched our experience on Family Day. In addition to the usual historical displays, the artwork was a happy surprise. During our visit in February 2019, there was a series of paintings depicting the Mexican-American war for California done by a retired Marine colonel in a style similar to Frederic Remingtons Western paintings, and a photo essay Why I am a Marine from Afghanistan 2009.

Due to spend more time here.

Very interesting and well kept. Just put in new carpet!

Such a wonderful place to visit!?? Being a Marine and coming back to where it all began is such a great experience. The people there are so friendly and knowledgeable. Its an outstanding place, I go there every time I visit San Diego.

Amazing museum. I wish I had had more time to truly take in each area. Proud of our Marine history!

This afternoon I received my 1961 platoon photo. My original was so badly faded that some areas were illegible . The new photo is excellent! It appears to be as clear and sharp as my original was when I purchased it more than 50 years ago. The delivery time was longer than expected - over eight weeks compared to the advertised three to five weeks - but it was worth the wait.

This place is humbling to see what the Marines have done for us throughout the years. Its a must see when in San Diego. Make sure you talk to the ex-Marines that are the tour guides. I would go again in a minute!

My son graduated bootcamp here. Though strict, very beautiful and well kept

Very complete and relevant museum of the greatest fighting force on earth. Amazing weapons and uniform displays.

Fantastic place to experience military history. And remember the past.

Great place! A lot of history!

Great museum and a nice gift shop. This is a must see if you are at MCRD.

Fantastic Job Putting This All Together At Marine Recruit Depoit San Diego California August 2019! Semper Fi Oooh-Rah!

Its in an out of the way location but has the best gift shop on the base. We got a bunch of tshirts, marine dad cap, bumper stickers and challenge coins. Also the museum has photo ops.

Free and very nice facility. You will need to check in for a background check and vehicle pass at the visitors center first. All no charge.

The museum was very informative and since Ive never been in I found it very intresting

A fantastic synopsis of general Marine Corps history, and spectacular telling of Marine expeditions and training along the West Coast of the United States.

Brings back memories. Very nice, clean and nest. Great history. Would be perfect for school outtings

Really nice museum. It was like a flash back seeing the new recruits learning our history. I graduated in 1991 platoon 1058 semper fi!

Fascinating history and objects! If youre a fan of military history, absolutely go. If youre not, get some salt grains and go anyway, even if just for the artifacts.

Such a wonderful museum. Got to visit it while watching my son in law graduate Marine Corp Boot Camp

If your a Marine young or old you will love this place

Love the history but it felt more like a gallery than a museum.

This place was AMAZING

Great experience! Even better as my Marine lead the tour!

Cant say enough good things about this place. Of course my wife and I went there for two of our sons graduations. We are so proud of our young men. Take your time and walk around. A lot of great history everywhere and a lot of picture taking opportunities. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the Marines and their families! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

I love military history.

My future son in law gave us a tour and was very detailed and good on the history of the museum. He was our private tour guide.

This place is cool. Full of history and honor.

To use a USMC term, it was outstanding.

If you havent been there you should go there is a lot to see about all the historical Wars

Great museum for people who likes military history. It is free, but as it is inside an actual military base, you must be prepared to tell the sentries where are you going and show identifications.

Great musium to visit.

Oorah !!! Incredible military history.

Love this place, first time here.my sons graduation Feb 22.2019

The docents here do a great job. A must-visit spot.

Very interesting place and history museum

Great to visit the history, memories and get cool stuff.

It had a lot of interesting information a lot of interesting things to see

Very insightful of the history my son signed up for.

Awesome! Well thought out and lot of interesting stuff to see and learn

Great to be back. Brings back memories of boot camp.

It was very interesting to know what went on through the years.

A wonderful museum display the history of the Marine Corps.

This place is amazing.I only went through the first floor, but it was so much fun having my marine tell me about all the stuff they did in boot and sharinf that experience with all the other families too.I would have liked to go to the 2nd floor but it was a very old staircase and i have some mobility issues. If there was an elevator, i never figured out where it was, and the volunteers at the front desk were not very helpful.My biggest complaint was how hot it was in there. i understand budgets and all that nd it most be impossibly difficult to get good hvac in such an old building, but ceiling fans are a thing, and they work really well.The gift shop is nice, fairly priced, and wide selection.The bathrooms were very well kempt.If you are out there for family day, def have tour marine take you through.

The MCRD Command Museum is definitely worth a visit, even if youre not affiliated with a graduating Marine. Before visiting San Diego, I was under the impression that it was reserved for Marines and their families, but it is actually open to the public and Im glad I checked it out! Aside from the beautiful location on base (which is on the National Register of Historic Places), the museum has exhibits on two levels with rich history, artifacts, videos and photographs of the USMC, including rooms dedicated to the wars in Vietnam and Korea. Theres a separate hall showing what recruits go through during basic training. If you appreciate military history and are planning to visit San Diego, I think this place, although not as big, deserves your attention, along with USS Midway and the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum. A few things to keep in mind: Make sure to verify the opening hours well in advance. To access the base, you must bring your drivers license and registration (or car rental agreement, if applicable). If youre not a US citizen, bring your passport just in case. Specify to the gate sentry that youre here to visit the Command Museum. There is plenty of parking available. And admission is free. Keep in mind that this is a Marine Corps Recruit Depot with training and graduations happening year-round. During Graduation (but mostly) on Family Days, the museum may get crowded. If youre keen on avoiding such crowds, check the schedule by Googling MCRD San Diego graduation schedule. On most days, you may enter the base via Gate 4 (Witherby St & Barnett Ave) which is closest to the museum, or Gate 5 (W Washington St). During Graduation Days however, entrance may be restricted to Gate 5 with vehicle search in the morning. The museum is located in James L. Day Hall. If you have a GPS, the nearest intersection is Cuba Ave & Tripoli Ave, immediately across Gate 4.

Very interesting a trip back in time for Marine husband did his Basic there in 1969

Beautiful and tons of great staff

My son took me on a tour and I learned a lot about the Marines

Awesome display and amazing dedication to the Marines!

If you are a Marine or have a family member who is in the Marine Corps this museum will stir emotions. Pride, sorrow, even laughter.

I purchased Marine T-shirts while there visiting my Son, the Marine. Nice and informative place.

Generations and centuries of history right before your eyes will go back and visit again.

Awesome Display of History! A+++

Awesome

Get a feel for the first to fight Marine life and history of the United States Marine Corps! Must see museum while in San Diego.

Wonderful docents, amazing exhibits, great experience!

A very informative tour, and great giftshop.

I love this place

Great. Please to learn about the history of USMC.

Very informative about Marines in different campaigns.

On my last visit to the museum a couple of months ago, I noticed many changes from the previous times Ive visited the Museum. I asked one of the staff members that day if they had any shortage of displays or construction going on, because there are many displays missing from the previous times Ive been there. He stated that, the change were made to ONLY display those historical events that the Depot were credited for historically ... WHAT? What do you mean, West coast/ East coast events? It didnt make sense to me, but after looking around, I did noticed the most of the displays at this time were based on units from the West coast. Meaning, 1 Mar Div, 5th Marines, 3rd Mar Div and so on. Theres hardly any displays from the early colonial Marines for example, Boxer Rebellion, WWI and so on. I must say that since my first steps at MCRD and the museum visits, this is the first time I was disappointed of what is saw and heard. Im a Retired MSgt. with over 27 years of service to our Corps, I love the history and the traditions we have which compare to no other, and to see the displays and the reason of the changes!!, It made me sad to the last. I hope that in the near future a change is made to ensure our traditions and history of ALL our Corps is displayed properly as before. Semper FiV/RMSgt Guillermo R Guillen (Ret)

Had a great time walking back in time

Well done! The staff is knowledgeable and helpful.

Very nice museum

Very old needs remodeling. It is in the process as far as I could see

Incredible history

Not bad! But hard to get too.

Interesting museum with a lot of Marine Corps history.

Semper Fi

Really informative and great for family day with the marines.

So cool very interesting

Great time a must see

Semper Fidelis!

Great place, loved the Graduation

Beautiful place!

Awesome.

Awesome...wish it was bigger

I really enjoyed it

Great experience.

Really interesting place!

Interesting, informative

Loved it!

I love this place.

Excellent exhibits and the staff is most helpful.

You can learn information/History.

Great place to show off

Nice history here

Wish we had more time

My son graduated from there

My experience at MCRD was very up lifting. The Marines know thier history,

Great place.

Super