The Venue Space

SEFTON ATRIUM 

The Sefton Atrium is a stunning and versatile space with a four-story translucent ceiling and granite floor. The Atrium provides access to the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater, and the Alex and Elizabeth Wise Museum Store.

• 5,000 square feet
• Accommodates up to 270 guests for a seated event and 500 for reception theater-style seating.
• Additional second-story mezzanine space can be used to increase banquet seating to 300 and reception to 800 .

FOSSIL MYSTERIES

Take your guests back in time to experience the prehistory of San Diego County and the southern California region. See fossils found by the Museum’s paleontologists including a mammoth, manatee, and a life-size dinosaur towering over your guests. This interactive exhibition hall is the perfect location for any social gathering including VIP receptions, cocktail parties, mixers, networking events, and more.

• Accommodates up to 300 guests for a reception or 50 guests for a seated banquet.

THIRD- AND FOURTH-FLOOR GALLERIES

The upper floors of the Museum are home to beautiful and unique exhibitions. With open spaces for buffet tables, bars, and lounge furniture, these areas, which overlook the spectacular Atrium and Fossil Mysteries, often provide the needed overflow for larger events.

With a spectacular view of Balboa Park, the downtown skyline, east to the mountains, south into Mexico, and west to the San Diego Bay, this rooftop deck (the only one in the Park) is a spectacular location.

• 2,600 square feet.
• Accommodates 120 guests for a seated event or to 200 guests for a reception.

EL MIRADOR ROOFTOP TERRACE

With a spectacular view of Balboa Park, the downtown skyline, east to the mountains, south into Mexico, and west to the San Diego Bay, this rooftop deck (the only one in the Park) is a stunning location.

• 2,600 square feet
• Accommodates 120 guests for a seated event or to 200 guests for a reception
• 185 ceremony seating

CHARMAINE and MAURICE KAPLAN THEATER

The theater provides a comfortable, versatile venue for lectures, conferences, classes, symposiums, wedding ceremonies, concerts, and films. With a large-format screen and Dolby Digital sound, the Theater has multimedia capabilities and state-of-the-art acoustics and technology. 

• 3,800-square-foot theater
• 300 theater seats

J.W. SEFTON BOARDROOM

The room comes equipped with a large oval conference table and a side table which offers additional seating. It features wireless Internet access, rear-screen projection, a podium, and state-of-the-art audiovisual components. This elegant boardroom also features an outdoor terrace.

This room is perfect for a committee meeting or a bride’s “ready” room.

• 1,500 square feet
• 600 square-foot outdoor terrace space
• Conference table seats up to 24 with an overflow table that seats an additional 10

MEETING ROOMS

The San Diego Natural History Museum has four education classrooms. Conveniently located near the Atrium, these rooms can be used for event meeting space or green rooms for evening functions.

• Accommodates up to 150 guests for a reception, 100 guests for a seated event, or 75 for theater-style seating

UNIQUE GIFTS

The Alex and Elizabeth Wise Museum Store has long been recognized as a source for unique quality gifts. The San Diego Natural History Museum Special Events Department will be happy to assist you in selecting gifts for your guests. You may also request the Museum Store to be open during your event.