Enjoy it while visiting San Diego in California
Balboa Park, located in downtown San Diego, is a renowned 1,200-acre park that serves as the city’s cultural hub. It offers various activities such as strolling, biking, and picnicking. As you explore the park, you’ll come across beautiful gardens and impressive Spanish-Renaissance architecture, with standout structures like the California Building and the reconstructed House of Hospitality. A must-visit spot in Balboa Park is the Botanical Building, known for its captivating beauty. This iconic building is one of the world’s largest lath structures and attracts countless photographers. Inside, you’ll find over 2,100 permanent plants, including vibrant tropical plants and exquisite orchid collections. Additionally, Balboa Park boasts other delightful gardens, like the cactus garden, rose garden, Japanese-style garden, and palm tree canyon, among others.
If you’re looking for things to do and explore in this area, don’t worry! There are plenty of attractions available, and many of them are free. You can watch a show at the Old Globe Theatre, which was inspired by Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Another option is visiting the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, where you can see one of the largest outdoor pipe organs in the world with over 5,000 pipes. They even offer free seasonal concerts there. If you have kids with you, they’ll love the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater.
When it comes to museums, there’s something for everyone. Art enthusiasts will appreciate the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Mingei International Museum, the Timken Museum of Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (previously known as the San Diego Art Institute). Science lovers should make sure to visit the Fleet Science Center, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Us (formerly the Museum of Man), located inside the California Building.
If you’re traveling with your family, don’t miss out on the San Diego Air & Space Museum or the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, which happens to be the world’s largest operational model railroad museum. For fans of movies and pop culture, the Comic-Con Museum showcases exciting exhibits of movie props, costumes, and other artifacts. Additionally, there’s an automotive museum and the Centro Cultural de la Raza, which celebrates Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous, and Latino art and culture.