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Balboa Park
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Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
Botanical Building - Richard Benton photo
The historic 1915 Botanical Building and Lily Pond is one of the largest wood-lath structures in the world.3 of 8
Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
Botanical Garden - Richard Benton photo
Beautiful fuchsia on display inside of the Botanical Building.4 of 8
Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
CA Towner from Alcazar - Richard Benton photo
The California Tower of the Museum of Man from Alcazar Garden.5 of 8
Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
Auto Museum - Richard Benton photo
The San Diego Automotive Museum.6 of 8
Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
House of Hospitality and Visitors Center - Richard Benton photo
The House of Hospitality, located in the center of Balboa Park, welcomes visitors.7 of 8
Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
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Photos by Richard Benton & Peter Carney
Spirit of St. Louis replica - Peter Carney photo
Spirit of St. Louis replica at the San Diego AirBy Debbie Petruzelli
Minutes from downtown San Diego, Balboa Park is a San Diego must-see and was recently ranked as one of the Best Parks in the World by the Project for Public Spaces. Balboa Park is home to 15 major museums, several performing arts venues, more than eight beautiful gardens and many other cultural and recreational attractions, including the San Diego Zoo. With a host of cultural institutions laid out among its 1,200 lushly planted acres, Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park.
The stunning architecture in the Park is the legacy of two Expositions. The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and provided a major impetus for the creation of the Park as it appears today. Most of the arts organizations along Balboa Park’s famous El Prado pedestrian walkway are housed in Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings constructed for the 1915 Exposition. It was the first time that this highly ornamented, flamboyant architectural style had ever been used in the United States. Also, the extensive landscaping that the 1915 Exposition brought to the Park has earned it the moniker, the “Garden Fair.”
The 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition, held to boost the local economy during the depression, added other structures and landscaping. Many of the buildings around the Pan American Plaza at the southern end of the Park were created for the 1935 Exposition and present a fascinating architectural history of the Southwest.
Kate Sessions was the early designer of the Park’s beautiful landscaping. She is known locally as “the mother of Balboa Park” and was a vital force for the Park’s horticulture with her many plantings and her popularization of several species, notably the bird of paradise, queen palm and poinsettia.
Many museums feature exhibitions that are perfect for all ages, ranging from dinosaurs and fossils to hands-on science fun to Egyptian mummies; and train, airplanes, and automobiles.
Some notable museums and performing arts venues include:
Mingei International Museum
Dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of art of people (mingei) from all cultures of the world featuring dynamic, changing exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art, craft, and design.
Museum of Photographic Arts
One of the few institutions in the country devoted to the photographic arts representing the entire history of photography, its aesthetic movements, and technological advancements.
San Diego History Center
Museum features the region’s unique, colorful history exhibiting artifacts, costumes, textiles, art, furniture and photographs detailing life and development of the local area.
The Old Globe
The internationally acclaimed, Tony Award® –winning Old Globe is one of the most esteemed regional theaters in the country. Founded in 1935, the Globe produces 15 plays and musicals annually from the renowned Summer Shakespeare Festival to world-premiere productions that have gone on to Broadway.
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Fleet is home to Southern California’s only IMAX® Dome Theater and 100+ hands-on science exhibits for all ages.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Five centuries of aviation history, demonstrating the remarkable progress of manned flight with more than 60 aircraft and space vehicles on display.
San Diego Automotive Museum
The permanent collection contains more than 80 historic autos and motorcycles, including a 1948 Tucker and the world-famous Louie Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000 Car (a vehicle equipped for non-stop distance driving back in the 1950’s).
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
At 28,000 square feet, the museum is the world’s largest operating model railroad museum.
The San Diego Museum of Art
As the region’s oldest and largest art museum, the San Diego Museum of Art’s renowned holdings include a fine selection of European old masters, 19th–20th –century American art, an encyclopedic Asian collection, and growing collections of contemporary and Latin American art.
San Diego Museum of Man
Located beneath the ornate 200-foot California Tower, the San Diego Museum of Man is the city’s only museum devoted to anthropology.
The NAT: San Diego Natural History Museum
Features fascinating exhibitions and a giant-screen Dolby digital 3D theater showing films with a focus on the natural world. The museum’s award-winning exhibit design team creates exhibitions on the unique and biodiverse southern California region
San Diego Zoo
Home to more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies, the San Diego Zoo is a world famous conservation organization where visitors view exotic animals in habitat environments.
Spanish Village Art Center
Daily art demonstrations featuring contemporary fine arts and crafts directly from San Diego County's largest community of artists.
One of the most lushly planted urban parks in the world; Balboa Park is a horticultural paradise offering a magnificent backdrop for its many cultural attractions.
Three centerpiece gardens—the award-winning Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, the historic Botanical Building and the colorful Alcazar Garden—are counted among Balboa Park’s most cherished assets. Continually evolving, these horticultural landmarks provide colorful, fragrant, and serene natural environments for the more than twelve million visitors that flock to Balboa Park each year.