Spotlight: San Diego - Balboa Park

Spotlight: Balboa Park large urban park combining a variety of museums, gardens, theaters and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The land was first set aside for recreational use in 1835, before California was even a state. The park was formally established in 1868 with 1,400 acres, which were later reduced to 1,200. It was named for Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa and has hosted two international expositions - the Panama-California Exposition (1915-1916) and the California Pacific International Exposition (1935-36). Some of the earliest efforts to beautify the park were made by Kate Sessions, who earned the title Mother of Balboa Park by planting most of the first trees to adorn the park, some of which still survive today. El Prado, a wide boulevard that runs through the center of the park, is lined by buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style that characterizes much of the park. In 1977, the park and many of its buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location: Balboa Park covers a 1,200 acre area of downtown San Diego, just northeast of I-5 where it intersects HWY 163.

Cost: Admission into the park and most of the gardens is free. However, since most of the venues are independently managed by non-profit organizations, price will vary from venue to venue.

Time: The Visitor Center is open from 9:30-4:30 daily. Schedules vary from venue to venue, so you might want to stop by there first to plan your day. If you are only visiting one venue, you may only stay an hour, but you could easily spend a full day (or two) exploring the various venues.

Description: The park has a vast array of museum, gardens and other attractions. Due to the park's vast size, you can only visit a fraction of them in a single day. Since we'd just visited the Safari Park, we skipped the famous zoo and visited some of the other venues. First we went to the Air & Space Museum. It displayed many interesting historic planes and exhibits from WWI, WWII, the barnstorming era, and the start of the commercial plane era. My favorite part was riding in the F-18 simulator. I quickly lost my hat which flopped around the cockpit every time I did a barrel roll, dive, etc. I crashed twice at the beginning, but then got the hang of it.

     We had lunch at the San Diego Hall of Champions, which honors outstanding athletic achievements in more than forty sports. I quickly ordered, then visited the Breitbard Hall of Fame while waiting for my food. The HOF honored athletes who either excelled in sports in the San Diego area, or were native to San Diego and excelled in sports elsewhere. Naturally the bulk of the players honored played for either the Chargers or Padres.

      After lunch, we visited the Model Railroad Museum. It was a model train enthusiast's version of heaven. Many famous railway venues throughout the country were recreated in detail with model trains crawling along the tracks. They also had an area dedicated to fictional city scenes which included amusement park rides, interactive buildings and cars as well as trains.

     Our final stop was the Japanese Friendship Garden, which symbolizes the friendship between San Diego and its sister city Yokohama in Japan. Although the garden is constantly changing, it is designed using original Japanese garden principles while incorporating aspects of native landscape and climate. The goal is to establish a peaceful haven that encourages balance and harmony in nature.

     Some of the other popular attractions include: the San Diego Automotive Museum, the San Diego Museum of Man, the Botanical Building, the Alcazar Garden, the Casa del Rey Moro Garden, Centro Cultural de la Raza, the George W. Marston House, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the San Diego Art Institute, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center, the Old Globe Theatre, the Balboa Park Carousel, the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad, the Casa del Prado, the House of Hospitality Building, the Spanish Village Art Center and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Click here for detailed maps of Balboa Park and directions on how to get their via car or public transportation.
- Parking inside Balboa Park is free. Since there are 11 different parking lots, and often crowded, it is wise to find a parking spot near one of the tram stops and use the tram to visit different parts of the park. Even then, be prepared to do some walking, since the tram doesn't stop at every venue.
- Since there are so many venues within Balboa Park, you may want to start your visit at the Visitor Center where you can receive helpful information on hours, prices, and recommendations based on your interests.
- Click here for a rundown on rules and regulations within the park.

Nearby: USS Midway Museum, Seaport Village, SeaWorld, Mission Trails Regional Park