Balboa Park

Art, music and performance bloom year-round.

Spanning 1,200 acres of lush, beautifully landscaped terrain, Balboa Park is known as San Diego’s “crown jewel,” offering a variety of outdoor recreation options for kids and adults alike, not to mention a verdant respite from the bustle of the city’s increasingly metropolitan pace. The park is also the seat of San Diego’s thriving cultural scene.

Nestled between palm trees and botanical gardens, ornate Spanish Colonial buildings house many of the park’s museums and art exhibits. Several of the buildings were constructed as part of two world fairs: the Panama-California Exposition in 1915–16, and the California-Pacific International Exposition in 1935–36.

It can take more than one day to see and enjoy each museum, garden and attraction. The Visitors Center (619.239.0512) in the House of Hospitality offers a Passport to Balboa Park, allowing admission to any of the park’s museums for one week. (Keep in mind some museums are closed on Mondays.) Deluxe packages include passes to the neighboring San Diego Zoo. Or go high-tech and let the park’s iPhone app be your guide.

ARTS & CULTURE

Performing arts abound in the park. The Old Globe Theatre routinely presents top talent in world-renowned productions; spring features include A Room With a View (March 2-April 8), a musical adaptation of the novel that inspired the Oscar-winning film, and The Scottsboro Boys (April 29-June 10), directed by five-time Tony-winner Susan Stroman.

Elsewhere in the park, the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre presents whimsical puppet shows, while Spreckels Organ Pavilion houses the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ, with some 4,500 pipes. Free concerts are offered Sundays at 2 pm.

The park is also home to groups celebrating culture. The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages promotes the heritage of countries around the world by hosting open houses and weekend festivals. Neighboring WorldBeat Center uses art, music, dance and education to celebrate African and indigenous cultures, while Centro Cultural de la Raza is a multidisciplinary center dedicated to the preservation of Chicano/Latino culture.

The park has a vast array of institutions celebrating the visual arts, past and present. Known for its presentation of eclectic traveling exhibitions, the San Diego Museum of Art also has a trove of Renaissance and Baroque works, plus a large Asian collection; exhibitions of modern French paintings and Buddhist cave sculptures are on view this season. The world-class Museum of Photographic Arts showcases compelling photography and also presents films in its state-of-the-art theater. The Mingei International Museum is dedicated to folk art, craft and design from around the world, while the Timken Museum of Art is home to the Putnam Foundation’s renowned collection of European and Byzantine art, including Russian religious paintings.

The San Diego Art Institute’s Museum of the Living Artist presents exhibitions by contemporary local artists every four to six weeks, and the historicSpanish Village Art Center is a collection of 37 studios representing more than 200 artists working in media ranging from sculpture to blown glass; the charming courtyard setting is meant to evoke an Old World town square.

SCIENCE & HISTORY

Balboa Park’s many non-visual-art museums are a huge draw for children, but most distinguish themselves by crafting exhibitions that also appeal to adult sensibilities.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum salutes aviation with 68 original, reproduction and model airplanes and spacecraft. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center has interactive science exhibitions and an IMAX Dome theater. The country’s largest multi-sports museum, the San Diego Hall of Champions has interactive displays inviting sports fans to test their athletic and broadcasting skills. From antiques to hot rods, the San Diego Automotive Museum’s collection illustrates the evolution of the automobile.

The San Diego Natural History Museum’s life-sized T-Rex skeleton, fossil exhibits and 3-D theater let visitors explore the natural world. Dedicated to the study of anthropology, the San Diego Museum of Man explores cultures of the world, especially the Americas.

The largest of its kind, the Model Railroad Museum boasts scale models and interactive features for children. The Museum of San Diego History features traveling shows and exhibitions culled from the Historical Society’s vast collection.

At the Veteran’s Museum & Memorial Center visitors will find military uniforms from World War I, Vietnam and the Korean War, as well as maritime paintings by local artists and other displays.

The Marston House, an Arts & Crafts mansion designed in 1905 by noted architect Irving Gill, is a must for history and architecture buffs; the grounds also feature a carriage house and gardens.

ATTRACTIONS & GARDENS

The park’s major attraction is, of course, the San Diego Zoo, with some 4,000 rare and endangered species. Among the animal residents you’ll find the much-beloved meerkats, Asian and African elephants, monkeys, birds and more. Be sure to stop by Panda Canyon to say hello to the newest member of the clan, Yun Zi.

After visiting the zoo, try your hand at the brass ring game from your perch atop a hand-carved pony on the Balboa Park Carousel. Both kids and grown-ups are welcome on the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad, which takes a three-minute, half-mile trip through four acres of the park.

The park also features several gardens, a legacy left by its founding “mother,” botanist Kate Sessions. Complete with ornate fountains and colorful tiling, the Spanish-style Alcazar Garden, which abuts the Art Institute and Mingei Museum, blooms with 7,000 brilliantly colored annuals. The Japanese Friendship Garden features a Zen meditation garden and bonsai exhibit, while the sunken Zoro Garden has an interesting history: It was designed as a nudist colony during the 1935 California-Pacific International Exposition but is now a habitat for monarch, sulfur and swallowtail butterflies. Also built for the Expo, the Old Cactus Garden has succulents and other exotic plants.

With some 2,100 orchids, ferns, poinsettias and other plants, the Botanical Building is among the world’s largest lath structures; along with its gorgeous Lily Pond, it’s one of the park’s most photographed sites.

RECREATION

From hiking and jogging to tennis and bocce ball, you’ll find it in the park. The Balboa Park Activity Center has facilities for badminton, table tennis, volleyball and more, while the Balboa Park Municipal Golf Course offers striking views of downtown and Coronado.

At Texas and Upas streets, on the park’s northeast end, the Morley Field Sports Complex is a haven for disc golf fans and other sports nuts, boasting a pool, velodrome, archery range and bocce court. Check in here for information on the many hike and bike trails through Florida Canyon, a popular workout spot for joggers.

The nearby Balboa Tennis Club is open to the public, with 25 courts and a full-service pro shop, plus lessons and clinics.

The dapper, white-clad members of the San Diego Lawn Bowling Club, which has been around for more than 75 years, play seven days a week near the corner of Sixth Ave. and Laurel St. Visitors are welcome to join the fun and receive a free lesson.

There are also a few leash-free dog parks here, including one at Balboa Drive and El Prado, south of the Cabrillo Bridge, and another at Morley Field, northwest of the tennis courts.

DINING

Several casual snack bars and coffee carts can be found throughout the park and inside certain museums. For a sit-down experience, try The Prado, whose lively, colorful interior and charming garden patio—not to mention hearty American cuisine, refreshing salads and exotic South American cocktails—have made it a longtime local favorite.

The Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden serves tea, noodles and sushi in a casual setting, while the Sculpture Court Café at the San Diego Museum of Art is a good bet for salads and sandwiches.

For the at-home gourmand, the Balboa Park Food & Wine School has classes in everything from fondue-making to sushi rolling taught by celebrated local chefs, plus wine education. Be sure to make reservations in advance, though, as classes tend to fill up quickly

Click HERE for a detailed map of Balboa Park.