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Balboa Park
Rating Details »
Categories: Parks, Venues & Event Spaces
Neighborhood: Balboa Park1549 El Prado
(between Plaza De Panama & Village Pl)
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-0512
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
235 reviews for Balboa Park
From picnics with my hubby to friend's weddings,
you can find me here.
Hope to see you there!
Dear Balboa Park. I like you, I like you alot. In fact, you are the reason I moved to San Diego. I hate to gush but, seriously, how can anyone help but to fall in love with you? Your architecture is straight out of Sevilla, yet you've got something they don't have (to my knowledge)- a pipe organ! I guess it isn't enough to be located in an ideal climate and just exist? No, no, you have to throw in a pipe organ and Spanish architecture into the mix too! Add to that a world-class zoo, hiking trails, numerous museums, a fantastic outdoor dining restaurant and quirky unexpected details around every corner and... sigh... let's face it, you're just dreamy.
P.S. Please don't tear down all of your historical buildings and replace them with all modern ones like Golden Gate Park is doing. Thanks, I appreciate it. See ya next weekend!
Another San Diego excursion that I felt was long overdue.
I don't really like to ever go somewhere to wander around aimlessly without a plan, but that's pretty much what I did on Sunday's adventure. I wasn't feeling museum-y that day, but I did know that I at least wanted to take photos at the park and to eat at The Prado.
I walked...and I took photos...and I ate!
Balboa is a nice place for families, particularly for families with young children and/or dogs. The park certainly caters to children, and I especially enjoyed seeing all the artsy craftsy activities going on while live Hawaiian music played. (Growing up my mom was an art teacher, so seeing children involved in artistic activities always holds a special place in my heart.) The park also seems to be super dog-friendly.
To me one of the most endearing aspects of Balboa is the artist village. This charming area with brightly colored, randomly painted cobblestone walkways showcases work of local artists, with each artist having his/her own uniquely decorated rustic suite.
I like that the park has free activities/exhibits in conjunction with activities (i.e., museums, theatres) that require a purchased ticket. For example, the greenhouse-like Botanical Building is a really cool and free of charge feature at Balboa.
The one thing that bothers me about the epicenter of Balboa Park is that there are cars EVERYWHERE, and to an extent the ever-present vehicles take away from the whole park experience. I understand why there are roadways and parking throughout the majority of the park: (A) the park's in the middle of a city, and (B) there are museums scattered throughout the park. Still, Balboa is incredibly urban to me, and not really in a good way. There are horns honking, there are near-accidents, there are all the things that are to be expected when cars converge in unfamiliar areas with roundabouts and different parking patterns.
Balboa Park--an urban park that is "A-OK!" A must for children.
I would give this a 6 star if I could! How can you go wrong here, anyone that visits SD or lives in SD has to make it a point to visit.
The architecture of all the buildings are great. They have great art placed in open areas. Great street performers, but not over crowded. Good museums and attractions, the science center is always fun. The mini train museum is fun too. So much here it's a never ending fun.
So thanks to all the furloughs at SDSU, my friends and I were able to take the day off from school this Tuesday to go to Balboa Park. We first went to the San Diego Museum of Art and ended up spending most of our time there. The museum showcased a large variety of works and had a special section of handcrafted jewelry (can't remember the artists name) that was amazing. Next we went to the Mingei museum and then the Museum of Man, which I haven't been to since 4th grade. We finished up our adventure with happy hour at the Prado. 3.50 drinks!
I highly recommend Balboa Park for an inexpensive day in SD.
This park is an amazingly beautiful park with museums, restaurants, running trails, and the Zoo. There are street performers throughout the park and on a sunny day its a great place to just bring a book, camera, and walk around or find a spot and relax. I highly recommend Balboa park especially if you have never been there.
Balboa Park is a beautiful place anyway you slice it!
This is my ALL time favorite spot to be in San Diego. I never get tired of going here. I recently started hiking the trails. (My fave is the Bridal trail which winds along the 163 and offers some fantastic picture taking spots.) It's just a great place to stroll and look at the architeture and landscape.
Best place. (I'd give it more stars if I could!)
The architecture, museums, free activities, outdoor sports and festivals. I heart Balboa Park. Some fun things to do you may or may not be aware of:
- Residents free Tuesday: every Tuesday, a couple of museums offer free admission on a rotating basis to residents. How much more fun can you have than visiting museums for free among other unemployed, stay-home moms, homeless and families with screaming kids? Seriously, good deal! For people with a life, they also have passports for admission valid for a day or up to two weeks.
- Cooking classes and wine school at the Balboa Food & Wine School located at the Prado: not something to do everyday, but it's definitely worth the money, and nice to do on a date or as a gift. Often internationally themed, such as Spanish wine nights and sushi classes. http://balboafoodwine.com/ Other than this, Balboa park also offers art and workout classes.
- The international cottages are open on Sundays, and it's very nice to stroll through them, get some food and talk with the volunteers from the several countries. They don't have a Dutch one, so don't believe anything the Germans may say about us.
- Ride your bike: it gets you everywhere and you will actually see that the park is bigger than you thought. And you need the exercise. Include it into your running routine if you can!
- Old Globe: if you are under 30, there are good deals to see plays here for cheap. They want to lower the median age of the visitors, so take advantage of it when you are a youngster. http://www.theoldglobe...
- Random nights: if you go on a random night, there is often something going on. The orchestra, a music event and I even saw the moon once because a bunch of people-who-study-the-moon-and-stars (forgot the name) were looking at it with a bunch of telescopes. You can also BYOF (bring your own food) and BYOB (bring your own bottle) and picnic.
- December nights: this is the whipped cream on the apple pie. Gorgeous, outside, and even if you hate Christmas this is a must if you live in San Diego. First weekend of December. I will be visiting my family overseas, so I will miss it this year, and am very bummed about that. The smell of roasted chestnuts is awesome.
When I think of San Diego, I can easily name a number of it's landmarks and one of them high on my list is beautiful Balboa Park. It was the original site of a number of California Pacific International Expositions in the early 20th century. Although not all of the exposition buildings exist today, what remains have been cared for and beautifully restored by the San Diego Historical Society and it's many contributors over the years.
Many of the buildings are museums which are clustered in this park and are free or have a nominal fee and are open during the weekend. There are numerous fountains, trees, flowers, statues and benches placed around the grounds for you to enjoy the park. When I came here for a walk with my mom on a Sunday morning, I was drawn to the sound of a large pipe organ which someone was practicing on at the Organ Pavilion. Later I found out there is a free organ concert each Sunday at 2PM. I got to enjoy the "El Cid" statue and walked past the Japanese Tea Garden.
Balboa Park is one of the great public spaces in California. If you are ever in San Diego, don't miss it.
Amazing beautiful in its own way.
This is why I am proud to be a San Diegan, We have historical sites and the Museums are ravishing.
On Certain Tuesdays of the Months several Museums are Free for San Diego residents and Military.
5th Tuesday are when you do have to pay though.
This gorgeous place is big and perfect for a date or to pass the time.
I enjoy walking around looking at the beautiful sites and sometimes if I'm lucky the street performers are there.
Parking isn't really a pain,but for special events it is. Don't worry though, there are shuttles that drive around if you park far.
Balboa Park is the best place. I come here whenever I visit. You can definitely spend a whole day here and still not be able to see everything they have to offer. There are multiple museums, trails and just so many things to see. This park has something for everyone of all ages. And if you get tried, they have free trolleys that go around the park. Also, from someone who hates having to pay for parking, there is plenty of free parking everywhere.
Everyone who visits San Diego should come here, definitely won't be disappointed!
Balboa Park is BEAUTIFUL. It's one of the places you MUST check out before leaving San Diego. I had heard about it a lot, but assumed it was just a historical park with a fancy name. It's NOT just a park. It's amazingly beautiful site with gardens, museums, gorgeous structures, etc - it is like a town of its own!!!!
Best of all, many of the museums and walking around the park is FREE, and if you come during one of those special weekdays, you can get in to all of their museums at a flat price.
BRING YOUR CAMERA. You won't regret it!!!
Very nice place to take a walk and enjoy the scenery, museums, festivities, gardens, architecture etc. Hitch a ride on the free trolley to get to where you need to go.
Beautiful doesn't begin to describe Balboa Park. There is so much to do and see. A must on everyone's itinerary. There is no fee to enter the park however some attractions charge admission.
They have numerous museums, concerts (including pipe organ played on Sunday), carousel, miniature train and much, much more.
There is plenty of food stands to choose from or you can pack a picnic and spread out on the grounds underneath a shade tree.
Probably one of my favorite places in San Diego. I've lived here my whole life and everytime I go I manage to find a new place I have never seen before.
Come here have a picnic, free tuesday!! (certain museums free on tuesdays which are different every week), visit the botanical gardens (always free), get your palm read, go to earth day (april), there is always something to do here.
Although parking is hard to find in the summer time so to avoid crowds come in the evening, its cooler then and more beautiful I think.
Balboa Park is one of the best places to walk around. Went to the Japanese gardens, but was disappointed. Not that big compared to a lot of the other Japanese gardens on the west coast. If you want to check out the museums on a week day, most of them close by 5:00...so make sure you're there in time.
SeaWorld? Blech.
LegoLand? Meh.
Beaches? Quite alright.
Taco shops? Getting warmer...
Regardless of what the travel brochures might say, Balboa Park is the real gem of San Diego. This sprawling and breathtakingly gorgeous expanse of gardens, museums, sports fields, and trails wows me every single time I pass through it. There are so many things to do in Balboa Park, each of which is deserving of its own review. For now I'll take a holistic approach and say that the park is holistically awesome.
Lately I've been trying to to work Balboa Park into my running routine. I'll usually run south along 6th Ave, on the west side of the park, to take in the lovely buildings that front the park in Banker's Hill. Then I'll turn onto El Prado, go to the end, loop around the giant fountain, head back to 6th, and continue south until I hit downtown. Then I turn around and head back north on 6th until I get home.
With a place like Balboa Park nearby, who needs treadmills?
Recycle Flyers review...didn't know where to put this guy, but he sets up his shop in Balboa Park near the Hospitality Houses.
pros...if you ever wanted to know what a bunch of soda cans can be turned into, then visit Cecil Ogles. Cecil owns Recycle Flyers, where he makes toy airplanes out of soda cans. think of them as weather veins in the shape of an airplane. most of the planes are WWII propeller planes, some have pontoons and others have wheels. all in your favorite soda or beer can motif.
i got the shasta hawaiian punch design, i really wanted the kirin ichiban can but that was just way out of my price range. mine is all soda can, no extra pieces except for the tires and the heavy gauge wire which is used to hold the wheels on. it's just fun, cause it also makes a nice ticking noise, reminiscent of that playing card in the spokes of your old bike. but since we are all adults the sound is more reminiscent of your CV joint about to go out, you know that clicking noise?! so i know when the wind is blowing, and when i look outside my window i can see which way it's blowing too.
cons... a bit on the pricey side, but this guy makes all the planes himself. not mass produced, and he uses all the pieces of the can, never knew what you could do with the actual soda can top, you know that little piece which you actually lift to open the can. well this guy has used them in his propellers as the radiator part of them. you will just have to see them in all their glory as a nice warm breeze sends all the planes turning in the same direction, with all their propellers turning and clicking. either way just go to balboa park and you can most likely see him there on the weekends.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/13/2008
pros...when woofstock is in town, you get to see all the cute and not so cute doggies. went here… Read more »
This place just has such a peaceful feeling to it. I always enter on the big fountain side and usually park on the street there. In college we took SO many field trips here, partly because on certain days the museums have free student days. A lot of our art and photography classes were taken here and I am really glad I so often visited.
My favorite spot to sit and draw, paint or just ponder was right by the large coy pound by the huge atrium. Photography wise my favorite place is over by the Japanese Garden. Favorite museum would have to be the aviation one at the very end of the park.
P dot S dot: If you are a student go into any of the museums and ask for a list of the student free days and they will give you a flier onto what is offered each week.
Such a beautiful place. I love to go hear and just visit all the museums and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. The park is always full of street performers just trying to make people laugh while makes a dollar or two. They NEVER ask for money but what they do makes you want to give them all your money.
There are so many different areas of the park, just recently m husband and I found the children's art area. It is so colorful and full of art and creativity. The rose garden is amazing and so peaceful. The cactus area is also very interesting.
You have great views of the Coronado bridge and others.
This park is great to go on a romantic picnic or just to ever get some relaxation in with a book. Also, the food cafes and coffee places are delish.
great for kids. all in all this is a place people of all ages can go and enjoy.
Had the best date weekend day ever! Started with a picnic in the park just past dog park. Then went on a Museum crawl... Ended with an dinner at the Prado. Fantastic!
Seriously, if you're new to San Diego, or just looking to get out and spend no money for a change, go for a walk in Balboa park. There's so much to do and see, and always something cool going on. Streetside musicians and vendors set up shop most of the time on weekends and make for a never-dull atmosphere. Add to the fact that this place feels so peaceful to begin with, and it's pretty much a win-win. The museums aren't really top-notch, but if you've got a few bucks to blow, you can spend around an hour or so in each to make the day go by. All in all it's a really great place to spend a day, or an afternoon.
Go.
I wished we could have spent more time at Balboa Park, which is beautiful. Lots of interesting architecture, tons of greens, gardens, museums, etc. Great place to spend a summer afternoon.
A cute red tram takes you up to the center of Balboa Park, where you can explore the grounds--many gardens, including a Japanese Friendship Garden, as well as the occasional event (like a live acting troupe performance). For these events though, make sure you check the schedule because it may not be happening on the day you visit.
There is a lot to explore, and it is good spot for a relaxing day. If you are vacationing to San Diego or just doing a weekend trip, Balboa Park is worth a visit (and sure beats Old Town San Diego).
Cactus garden... Rose garden... Mmmmmmmmm
I saw cacti and plants that I never even imagined existed.
I love this park - what an absolute gem for San Diego!!
I don't get what's so great about this place. It's alright. Sometimes they have good fairs, showings, and attractions there - but the park itself? It's really as interesting as all these ratings say it is? I find it almost on the verge of boring.
The buildings however are nice and the foliage is nice too. Maybe your a foliage person who likes to stare at leaves. If you like leaves, this is the place for you! =D
Sometimes you can see some of the San Diego wildlife about: rabbits, lizards, squirrels ... etc. So, for wildlife lovers, you'd enjoy it here, too! The museums here are pretty cool. You always can learn something new here, that's for sure.
For me, I still plan to only go during the Vietnamese Tet Festival and Christmas Celebration.
Completed in 1910 and named after the spanish explorer who first saw the pacific ocean, Balboa Park is incredible. Here you will find the zoo, Science Museum, Museum of Man, Botanical Gardens, Japanese Gardens, Art Museum, the new Globe Theater, and some stunning spanish architecture.
Numerous buildings with intricate facades populate the park - a misnomer in my opinion. It is more fitting to call it Balboa palace or balboa town.
"It was the 1915 Panama-California Exposition however that truly gave the park its character with the choice of a "Spanish" type of architecture for the Fair buildings. What we wound up with however, was an eclectic mix of Spanish Colonial Renaissance with Gothic & Moorish influence, and the borrowed styles of baroque and rococo." (quoted from http://www.gothere.com)
Our destination here was the Museum of Man, where I wanted to see items in their Egyptian exhibit. Their collection had a rare child coffin, and the rest of the museum was truly fascinating - especially with its Mayan stelae.
Most of this wondrous day was spent exploring the gardens, sipping tea and eating sushi at the tea house in the Japanese Gardens, and watching public performances throughout the park.
You will be dazzled by all it has to offer. The beauty, the diversity, and the ability to satisfy any appetite.
SO MUCH TO DO!
GO GO GO!
Great place to hang and peoplewatch for free!
If you want to museum hop and aren't on a schedule, research the free or discount days and plan accordingly. Take your student ID!
Wow!! A couple of reviews down, did someone from the Bay Area just suggest that something in San Diego is on par with something in San Francisco?!?! Who'ld of thunk it?
You can keep your Sea Worlds and Lego Lands, for me the park and the beach are what San Diego are all about.
With outstanding highlights like the Zoo, the Museums, the Prado and the activity areas it is easy to lose track of the real beauty of Balboa Park... the abundance of nature in the middle of one of the country's biggest cities.
There are secret little alcoves made out of groves of trees. You can get dizzy from the smell of Magnolias. In one day you can walk from wide green lawns to dense forest to desert landscape and not see a quarter of what this amazing park has to offer.
Pack the kids, the dog and Grandma in the car and go experience one of the best things San Diego has to offer. Balboa Park
Darn recession...Broke but still want a romantic anniversary? Drive down to Balboa Park. You can people watch (family with their kids... first time dates... people in their wedding gowns) and walk around sites that have been there since the 1930s. I've never walked through it that much until recently and it was so much fun. A lot of sites to see and musuems to go. Museums are very cheap (especially if you're a student) and even if you don't want to spend money, the grounds are just lovely to go around. A lot of myspace photos are to be had.
I felt so at ease with my fiance walkign around. Bring some sneakers if you want to walk pretty far as it sprawls far and wide....and there's some dirt roads you can walk on as well as lil paths to escape on..
while visiting sd... we were told to come here... my conclusion is I love love love this free park! it remind me of golden gate park at sf... quiet similar in a sense that it's totally an awesome place to take good pic! For me the highlight of this park is the roses garden, botanical garden, all the exotic cactus and the Spanish village. I adore Spanish village because just look so lovely... perfect place to take good picz!
o... go find out more info on the museums if u are into museums... they have like 12 museums there i believe. The museums rotate every tue to offer free entry.
This is one of those fine places in San Diego where you take a look around and realize how lucky you are to live here (if you do in fact live here). It's beautiful - the architecture, the flora and fauna, the museums and inspiration...I love it.
If you're visiting you have to explore this park. There is always something new to discover and it's so large it seems there's always a little nook you've never seen before. This is a special place in San Diego where I draw a lot of inspiration from and I hope you will too.
There are many museums that you must visit. My personal favorite is MoPA - the Museum of Photographic Arts. The Natural History Museum and the SD Art Museum are also wonderful. And, if you want to see an IMAX film go to the Science Center! There is way too much to see here to pass it up.
Oh, and I don't care how old you are you need to take a spin on the carousel...it's too much fun!
Wow. This place is awesome. I felt like I was back in Spain for a minute.
This park is huge. I did not get to explore the whole place. I mainly stayed around the center of the park. I really need to return to explore the rest. All the museums charge a small fee. However, they offer free admission to Timken Museum of Art ;D.
A lot to see, friendly people, wonderful place to take pictures. Excellent for runners, dog lovers, families with small children, lovers....list goes on and on.
My only gripe is the Japanese Friendship garden ($4 adults, $2.50 student). Totally not worth your money. The garden is teeny tiny with maybe 4 koi fish in their mini size pond. I've been to better free gardens. Not much plants or decor to look at. You can finish the whole garden in less than 5 minutes.
I will return in my next visit to San Diego.
San Diego's beauty of a park and museum campus. So breathtaking all on its own...
We came here for an evening stroll after Happy Hour at Hexagone. The view of the natural landscape of San Diego at 8PM while walking across one of the bridges was very beautiful and inspiring. A high school graduation was in full swing at one of the pavillions the night we visited. How lucky those students are to have had their graduation take place in this stately park!
We didn't get to see too much since it was getting late and apparently parts of this park turn into Sketch City after a certain late night hour, but I will make a note to come back this summer to enjoy the magnificent sights and museums again.
Balboa Park is a gorgeous and sprawling natural attraction that all visitors to San Diego must experience at least once in a lifetime...the city may be known for its famous fish tacos and beaches, but this stunning park can be on that hot list as well.
I love this place! Its so beautiful and even after spending an entire day, you won't have seen all there is to see. The botanical gardens is my favorite!
This place puts Golden Gate Park to shame and it pains me to admit that. So genius, so beautiful to have all these museums and places in such an accessible setting. Of course, parking could be a bitch, but that's how you measure how good something is.
A huge park, only had time to take a short walk around it when I was there. My friend's flip-flop broke and the nice girls at the info booth helped us out by giving him packing tape. He wrapped his foot, funny stuff.
I'm leaving off the extra star in hopes of finding something great to add to it the next time I'm there.
As a resident of San Diego for over 20+ years, this has always been my personal favorite places. I consider this is my 'personal' hometown getaways. Obviously, this place is great for all ages. Whenever I have the time to step out from an overwhelming day of work (lunch break or on my way home), I occasionally take a detour from the Laurel Street Bridge through "the Park." I always seem to find tranquility and balance here.
I suggest coming any weekday/ end and simply close your eyes... Try using your senses to heighten the experience. From the sounds of birds chirping and children playing to the smells of spring flowers fill the park (especially around the El Prado Restaurant area). Also, if you're lucky, the sun rays warming your skin (don't forget your sun block) and the breeze cooling you down...
Although, our local temperature averages in the 70s most of the year, the best time of the season to come to 'the Park' is in the SPRING. As a friend mention to me recently (thanks Danica!), the Easter lilies are wonderful this time of year. Come take a minimum of 30 minutes and take your own personal get away from your everyday life and make this one of your favorite places to be in San Diego, too!
With the exception of four shameful years in LA, San Diego has been my residence my entire life. I went to the 5th grade zoo/Balboa Park trip, took a field trip to every museum and watched nearly every show that Junior Theatre put on. I even remember climbing on the "climbing tree" across from Junior Theatre, which now has a fence around it. The first concert I ever went to back in '92 was at the Organ Pavillion. Needless to say, I thought I knew Balboa Park. Well, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I had never noticed the hiking trails.
I'm out of work right now, so late in the morning, I've been going on cardio adventures all over town. It's not too hot, and not too cool at my cardio hour so it's pretty much perfect. I can't believe how awesome the hiking trails are at Balboa Park. There are 5 options, all marked fairly well and with varying difficulty. I've done all but one of them so far, and love that in parts I can forget that I just walked over the 163 and at parts I'm surrounded by one of the few pieces of history in SD. Love it.
Hopefully, I'll have a jobby-job again soon but I'm positive that on the weekends at least, you'll be able to find me running along one of the trails happy as a clam.
Definely this is a beautiful place, I remember San Francisco Golden gate park when i ;m there, If you live in San Diego you can visit the museums by FREE , every 1st and 2nd tuesday of every month, don't miss! Enjoy this beautiful place which have a lot of Interesting Museums and beautiful gardens!
I really really love Balboa Park and really do not come here enough!
Even without going to museums, this is a great place just to hang out by yourself, with a significant other, or with a group of friends or even your dog. There is a place of park to walk around, set up a blanket and picnic, or visit a museum or two. On the weekends I love how many people are around without it feeling crowded. It feels lively without feeling overwhelming.
Also, during the summer (I'm not sure they still have this) I remember they used to have movies in the park, which are fantastic! If they don't have it anymore, I hope they bring it back.
What I know they still have are concerts at the organ pavilion - free all summer long!
