Once again, February is front and center as Museum Month — a time when thousands of families can enjoy at half price the vast cultural and historical sites in San Diego County. These choice experiences cover everything from ships, space flight, contemporary art, science and even an aquarium. “This is our 22nd year in which we work as corporate partners with Macy’s half-price pass program,” said Theresa Kosen, executive director of the San Diego Museum Council, which numbers 37 museums as its members. “We’re the only city that does something on this grand a scale. And it has increased in popularity.” She said the basic role of the council is to make more people aware of the collaborative efforts by these small and large institutions in the county and in Temecula to educate and entertain. “Operational funding is obtained from the city’s Commission of Arts and Culture,” Kosen said. “It (the council) has been in operation since 1977, helping museums work together. The council provides support services to the museum industry in management, resource networking, advocacy, education and promotional opportunities.” The department store participation began with the old May Co. and has been continued by Macy’s. The month’s activities include such versatile locations as the USS Midway Museum and the New Children’s Museum. It also includes the Museum of Contemporary Art, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla and 13 world-class facilities in Balboa Park. “Museum Month is a treasured, month-long event for our region,” said Vanessa Ruiz, president of the council and marketing director of the USS Midway. “It is an opportunity for residents to visit a variety of museums during the month at a steep discount. For a family of four, that’s a savings of $28 to visit the Midway. With those savings, they can head to more museums and make it a month to remember.” In honor of the Centennial of Naval Aviation, the aircraft carrier Midway will host a series of exhibitions depicting San Diego as the birthplace from naval aviation to the jet age and beyond. Samplings of other museums include “Madame Curie,” the Contemporary Art museum’s exhibits of renowned digital-video artist Jennifer Steinkam, with a seven-channel projection inspired by the artist’s recent research into atomic energy, atomic explosions, and the effects of these forces on nature; and the Children’s Museum’s Animal Art displays. In collaboration with NASA, the Air and Space Museum will offer “SPACE: A Journey to our Future” as one of the largest-ever touring exhibitions on space exploration and the history of space. The museum of Photographic Arts brings “Imagine That! Photographing an Invisible World” as an in-depth examination of the pursuit of photography to capture invisible worlds and unseeable phenomenon. For young children age five and under, the recently-improved Rueben H. Fleet Science Center’s “Kid City” exhibition will include a fire truck and fire station, new little learner’s lab and an exciting ball wall with multiple chutes, ladders and levers. The Birch Aquarium will highlight “Seahorses Alive,” featuring more than a dozen threatened species of seahorses and 60 tanks of Pacific fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico. For more information, visit www.sandiego museumcouncil.org/museum_month.