Balboa Park is the nation's largest urban cultural park. It is home to museums, performing arts venues, beautiful gardens, the San Diego Zoo, recreational facilities, restaurants and more. The Park has an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes—all in the beautiful and timeless setting of this must-see San Diego attraction.

Attractions

The attractions at Balboa Park include the San Diego Zoo, a miniature railroad, the 1910 Balboa Park Carousel and more.

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. Zoo guests may view rare giant pandas, cuddly looking koalas, reptiles of various shapes and sizes and many more interesting species.

House of Pacific Relations
The House of Pacific Relations (HPR) is a consortium of ‘houses’ representing 32 countries, which promotes multicultural goodwill and understanding through educational and cultural programs. The park contains historic 1935 Exposition cottages plus 4 new cottages where HPR member countries can offer visitors a window to their culture, history and traditions.

Spanish Village Art Center
The Spanish Village Art Center is a working studio community of over 250 artists from the San Diego region. These studios enable visitors to meet the artists, see demonstrations of art being created and enjoy a unique Spanish Village atmosphere. The Art Center offers free admission to 37 working artist studios/galleries who host over two hundred independently juried local painters, sculptors, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay artists, gourd artists, photographers, printmakers, fiber artists, basket makers, mixed-media artists, glass artists, enamel artists and many more arts. Here you can purchase fine art and contemporary American crafts. The Art Center is home to the San Diego Potters' Guild, Art Glass Guild of San Diego, Sculptors Guild, Enamel Guild, Southwestern Artist Association and the San Diego Woodcarvers Guild.

Museums

The museums at Balboa Park include science, air and space, natural history, sports, anthropology and more.

Centro Cultural de la Raza
San Diego's Centro Cultural de la Raza was founded in 1970 as a Chicano Community Cultural Center and functioned as an alternative space that encouraged and facilitated artistic growth and cultural interchange in the San Diego/Tijuana region. The Centro's mission is to promote preserve and create Mexican, Chicano, Indigenous and Latino art and culture.

San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum
This museum evolved from the Breitbard Athletic Foundation, an organization Bob Breitbard founded in 1946 to honor San Diego athletes. What began as sports memorabilia collected by Breitbard in his garage has grown into a San Diego institution. The scope of the Hall's exhibits cover sports from high school to college to professional. There are the traditional sports of baseball and football as well as exhibits for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Surfing Legends, Action Sports and Disabled Athletes.

The Marston House
This classic 1905 Arts and Crafts style museum home was built for noted civic leader and merchant, George W. Marston and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by renowned local architects William Hebbard and Irving Gill, it sits on five acres of landscaped English and California influenced gardens. It is furnished with original furniture and decorative arts from the early American Arts and Crafts period including exquisite pottery and Native American basket collections.

Mingei International Museum
The word mingei means 'art of the people' and this museum is the nation's largest urban cultural park. It features six spacious galleries featuring dynamic, changing exhibitions of folk art, craft and design. The Museum also houses a multi-media education center, a theater, visitor kiosks for collection overview, an Art Reference Library and The Collectors' Gallery, Mingei International's popular museum store.

The Museum of Photographic Arts
The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video. This mission is accomplished through MoPA’s Permanent Collection, which includes more than 7,000 photographs that span the history of photography, and its 226-seat state-of-the-art theater. This museum is one of the few museum facilities in the United States designed exclusively to collect and present the world's finest examples of photographic art. The museum is generally open every day except Mondays.

Museum of San Diego History
The Museum of San Diego History is the headquarters of the San Diego Historical Society. Here you will not only find a collection of intriguing exhibitions that chronicle San Diego’s diverse history, but also a Research Library with over 45 million pieces of paper and 2.5 million images that document the people, places and events of San Diego’s past. In addition to the exhibitions at the Museum of San Diego History, the museum also presents a number of public programs including lectures, workshops and educational programs. This museum, located in the Casa de Balboa Building, is open every day, with only a few exceptions for holidays.

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and IMAX Movie
With exhibits to touch, virtual reality to experience, films to see and fun to be had, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is an educational, entertaining experience for visitors of all ages. The Science Center features more than 100 interactive science exhibits in five galleries, as well as major traveling exhibitions. The Center is also home to the world's first IMAX Dome Theater, presenting the biggest films on the planet. Its unique configuration wraps the audience in images and provides the illusion of being suspended in space. The Center is open 365 days a year.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum
This museum is unique to the region and serves the public through its mission – to celebrate the history of aviation and space; to educate the public regarding science and aerospace technology; and to inspire innovation and achievement. It is nationally recognized as one of the country’s premier aerospace museums. The museum covers five centuries of aviation history, demonstrating the remarkable progress of manned flight with more than 60 aircraft and space vehicles on display. The museum is open every day, with only a few exceptions for holidays. Note that in addition to the general admission fee, additional fees for certain optional exhibits.

San Diego Art Institute (SDAI): Museum of the Living Artist
A new exhibition of works by San Diego artists opens every four to six weeks in this 10,000-square-foot gallery, dedicated to the advancement of the visual arts through outreach, education, and exhibition. Solo artist exhibitions are also featured. The David Fleet Young Artists Gallery showcases youth art from San Diego schools. The gallery store offers jewelry and gift items made by local artists. This facility is open every day except Mondays.

San Diego Automotive Museum
A nostalgic look at the icon of the 20th-century features more than 80 historic autos and motorcycles. Includes Frank Sinatra’s 1967 Austin Petrol Hire Car and Louie Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000 Car. Special exhibitions every two or three months display other fine vehicles and famous autos. The gift shop has a good variety of auto-themed items. This museum is open every day, with only a few exceptions for holidays.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum
At 28,000 square feet, the museum is the world's largest operating model railroad museum. This unique museum contains four enormous scale and model layouts, built by separate clubs, which depict railroads of the Southwest in O, HO, and N scales. In addition, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum features a Toy Train Gallery with an interactive Lionel layout for children and state-of-the-art theater lighting. The gift shop offers a wide variety of rail-related items, including toys, books, videos, clothing, jewelry, works of art, and other collectibles. This museum is open every day except Mondays.

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 and 20th century American art, an encyclopedic Asian collection, and growing collections of contemporary and Latin American art. In addition, the museum presents major art exhibitions from around the world, as well as an extensive schedule of supporting cultural and educational programs. The Museum Store presents the most comprehensive collection of art books in the region. In addition, you'll find art-inspired jewelry, contemporary home furnishing accents, Asian antique décor and children's gifts. The museum is open every day except Mondays.

San Diego Museum of Man
This facility is the city’s only museum devoted to anthropology. With its Spanish colonial and mission style architecture, the landmark building was originally constructed for the 1915–16 Panama-California Exposition. Today, a key focus of the museum is to create and display dynamic and educational anthropological exhibits about people and places throughout the Americas and around the world. The museum is open every day, with a few holiday exceptions.

San Diego Natural History Museum
Founded by a handful of citizen-naturalists in 1874, the museum is an active research institution and is the second oldest scientific institution in Southern California. The museum is dedicated to interpreting the natural world through research and education, offering local and international exhibitions and promoting understanding of the evolution and diversity of the Southern California-Baja California region. The museum also features giant-screen films and offers a wide selection of public programs for people of all ages.

Timken Museum of Art
This museum houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection of European old masters American art, and Russian icons. Artworks in the collection range from 13th-century altarpieces through 18th-century portraits to 19th-century still lifes. Represented are the works of Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian painters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Petrus Christus, Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Veronese, as well as American artists such as John Singleton Copley and Eastman Johnson. Admission to the Timken Museum of Art is always free.

Veterans Museum & Memorial Center
Located in the historic Old Navy Chapel, the museum preserves and honors the memory of men and women of the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and Wartime Merchant Marine. The collection contains artifacts, documents, photographs, memorabilia, and artwork from the Civil War to the present. Changing exhibitions highlight San Diego veterans' experiences and contributions throughout history.

Gardens

Balboa Park offers lush landscaping and lovely gardens throughout its 1,200 acres, including a desert garden, Australian garden, Palm Canyon with 58 species of palms, a rose garden and more. A few of these gardens are detailed below.

Alcazar Garden
Alcazar Garden, named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain, lies adjacent to the Art Institute and Mingei Museum. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles and shady pergola. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year. The garden has been reconstructed to replicate the 1935 design by San Diego architect Richard Requa. Alcazar Garden is free to the public and open 365 days a year.

Botanical Building & Lily Pond
The view of the Botanical Building with the Lily Pond in the foreground is one of the most photographed scenes in Balboa Park and a "must-see" destination in San Diego. Built for the 1915-16 Exposition, along with the adjacent Lily Pond, the historic building is one of the largest lath structures in the world. The Botanical Building plantings include more than 2,100 permanent plants, featuring fascinating collections of cycads, ferns, orchids, other tropical plants, and palms. The Botanical Building also presents some of the Park's vibrant seasonal flower displays. This attraction is free to the public and open every day except Thursdays and certain holidays.

Desert Garden
The Desert Garden contains more than 1,300 plants, including succulents and drought-resistant plants from around the world, within its 2.5 acres. The peak blooming period is January through March; however, these plants are interesting at any time of year because of their unusual shapes. The Desert Garden is free to the public and open 365 days a year.

Japanese Friendship Garden
This Garden originated as a teahouse during the 1915–16 Panama-California Exposition and now lies on two acres near the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Along the Garden’s winding paths are a Zen garden for meditation, an exhibit house, koi pond, bonsai exhibit, ceremonial gate, and a Fujidana (wisteria arbor). Weekend classes are offered in sushi making, bonsai, calligraphy, and conversational Japanese. The Japanese Friendship Garden is open every day except Mondays.

Performing Arts/Theater
Balboa Park offers a variety of performances at several venues. It also offers many training outlets, including the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, Junior Theater and Youth Symphony. The Park is also home to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion featuring the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs.

Globe Theaters
Balboa Park is home to one of the country’s leading regional theatre complexes, California’s oldest professional theatre, and San Diego’s largest theatre organization. Featuring diverse programming and commitment to both classic and contemporary works, the Globe annually presents 14 productions and nearly 600 performances on its three Balboa Park stages: the 580-seat Old Globe Theatre, the 225 seat Cassius Carter Centre Stage, and the 612-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater
This theater is a 200-seat indoor theater featuring shows for people of all ages, from pre-school, grade school to adult. For the schedule of performances, please visit the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater website.

Starlight Theatre and Starlight Bowl
Constructed for the 1935-1936 California-Pacific Exposition, Starlight Bowl is the home of the Starlight Theatre (San Diego Civic Light Opera Association), which performs during the months of July, August, and September. One of the oldest continuously producing musical theater companies in the United States, Starlight presented its first season in 1946 and has featured more than 1,000 productions of 120 musicals.

Recreation

Balboa Park offers play and picnic areas throughout, as well as hiking and biking trails, lawn bowling, an activity center, tennis club, gymnasium and golf complex.

Balboa Golf Course
The Balboa Golf Course includes an 18-hole golf course (Par 72) and a 9-hole executive golf course, driving range, practice putting greens, coffee shop and half-way house. The Golf Shop offers golf merchandise for sale and the rental of clubs, hand and power golf carts. The Professional Golf staff offers group and individual golf lessons.

Morley Field Sports Complex
Located in the northeast corner of Balboa Park, this complex offers a vast array of sporting opportunities from tennis, swimming and archery to disc golf, bocci ball and velodrome cycling. Sandieson Senior Center offers a full schedule of activities for a small membership fee. There are also many programs for youth. Four athletic fields (one lighted), a two-mile jogging trail plus an 18-station fitness course are part of the complex as well.

Restaurants

Balboa Park features a variety of full-service restaurants, such as the Village Grill for burgers and such, Time Out Café featuring delicatessen fare, the Prado at Balboa Park with indoor and outdoor dining and Lady Carolyn’s Pub for hearty soups and Irish coffee. Balboa Park is also home to the Balboa Park Food and Wine School.

Official Web Site

If you are trying to find Balboa Park, you have come to the right place. Our map is interactive, includes the streets/major attractions in the immediate area, and can be easily zoomed, reformatted or repositioned to meet your needs. If you see a map that is in error, please email us at maps@mustseesandiego.com.

Map of Balboa Park Location