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See photos & get details about stunning, attraction-filled Balboa Park San Diego here! Updated July 10, 2008. Related info--- HOME :: Latest News :: Balboa Park/San Diego Griffith Park/Los Angeles :: Griffith Park Observatory :: Griffith Park FAQs :: Griffith Park Christmas Activities :: Green & Lovely Balboa Park San DiegoIn the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of San Diego's lovely Balboa Park. A huge oasis near the city's downtown area, Balboa Park is both home to cultural and educational activities as well as "typical" park activities, such as sports and recreation. On this page, you'll see still more photos of the park, and discover its many enjoyable and entertaining museums and attractions. Balboa Park overview
Who hasn't heard of the book (or movie) "The Wizard of Oz?" Its author, Frank Baum, certainly must have been to Balboa Park in San Diego, California...because this well-manicured park is green as the emerald city of Oz itself!Here, amongst the lush, rolling lawns canopied by towering eucalyptus trees, you can enjoy what very well may be the absolutely "greenest" location in all of arid Southern California! Balboa Park San Diego is a huge park, at over 1200 acres. True, Griffith Park, with its 4107 acres, dwarfs Balboa Park, (and all other city parks in the USA, as well.) And yet, as you have already read on the Griffith Park page (just previous to this page), not all of Griffith Park's land is developed. Its hillsides covered in natural California "chaparral" vegetation make Griffith Park a great place for hikers. If, on the other hand, you want to enjoy the cultural pleasures of a developed, urban park, you'll find that Balboa Park is exactly the place you'll want to discover. Balboa Park proclaims that its the largest urban cultural park in the USA. After you see Balboa Park, I'm sure you'll agree that this must certainly must be true! Balboa Park San Diego does include "traditional" park activities and attractions. You'll find sports fields for all the typical team sports, plus lawn bowling, disc golf, a swimming pool, golf, tennis, playgrounds, picnic areas, and biking areas. Nevertheless, the biggest focus of visitors to Balboa Park is the large concentration of museums and cultural attractions at the park's core, as well as the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The bulk of this page will focus on these cultural activities of Balboa Park. Balboa Park's Attractions for kidsWorld Famous San Diego Zoo!
The World-Famous San Diego Zoo sits in the heart of San Diego's Balboa Park. This huge zoo stands at the forefront of animal conservation and breeding programs for endangered wildlife species, and provides a superb "zoo experience" for thousands of visitors each and every year.In fact, summing up the San Diego Zoo's attractions and activities in just one paragraph would be utterly impossible...and so, I've made a page on this website devoted just to the San Diego Zoo, all by itself. You may get to the San Diego Zoo page at any time by pressing the "Zoos" link on the NavBar at the left hand side of the page, or else you may use the following link to view the "San Diego Zoo" page of this website. Balboa Park's Science Museum, the Reuben Fleet Science Center
The Reuben H Fleet Science CenterThe Fleet Science Center was made with kids in mind, featuring over 100 interactive science exhibits with which children can learn while they play. The Fleet Science center features both permanent and rotating "guest" exhibits. One of the cutest, most child-appealing permanent exhibit areas is Kid City, where children can explore a smaller kid-sized town. they can "work" with conveyer belts and cranes, play grocery store, construct "buildings" with giant foam building blocks, play computer games, etc. Another feature of the Fleet Museum that you won't want to miss is the Demonstration Station, where interesting, live science demos are given throughout the day---free with your admission! For an extra fee, you can enjoy a science-themed show at the IMAX Dome Theater, a Planetarium show, or a spin in the Motion Simulator ride. (A movie called "Comet Impact" plays inside the 23-passenger ride; you'll really, truly bump and jostle as if you're in a space ship trying to thwart the menacing comet from slamming into poor, defenseless Mother Earth!) A science store sells all the coolest science-related toys, gadgets, and kits...and there's also a cafe you may enjoy during your visit to the Fleet Center, too. The Reuben H Fleet Science Center hours: open daily at 9:30 am. For further information, you may call the Reuben H Fleet Science Center phone number at (619) 238-1233, or visit the Fleet Science Center's official website at www.rhfleet.org.
San Diego Aerospace Museum
The San Diego Aerospace Museum---At the San diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park, you and your family can enjoy seeing real, vintage "flying machines" ranging from the earliest days of flight, on to the Space Age. (You can even see the real Apollo 9 command module.) Also, you'll find other exhibits, some of which are interactive and especially interesting to children. Balboa Park's San Diego Aerospace Museum hours: open daily from 10 am until 4:30 pm. For further information, call the San Diego Aerospace Museum phone number at (619) 234-8291, or see their website at www.AerospaceMuseum.org House of Pacific Relations/Sunday Lawn ProgramsDuring those times of the year in which no outdoor presentation is given (November through February), you may still get your Sunday afternoon dose of international culture, nevertheless. Each of the member nations has a little "cottage," which originally were built for a 1935 exposition at Balboa Park. Within each country's cottage, you may see a display of artifacts from that particular country. Called the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, these mini-embassies of good will host their open houses every Sunday afternoon from noon until 4 pm. For further information, you may call (619) 234-0739, or visit the House of Pacific Relations website at www.sdhpr.org. Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater
The children in today's world don't often get the chance to see a puppet show. However, kids living near the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater do---in fact, the theater presents a new puppet show each and every week!At the Puppet Theater in Balboa Park, your children will get to see all types of puppets in action---marionettes, hand-held puppets, rod puppets and shadow puppets. Resident puppeteers, along with visiting puppeteer troupes perform these fun-for-kids shows. Puppet show performances are held Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10:00 am and 11:30 am. On Saturdays and Sundays, there are 3 puppet show given---at 11 am, 1 pm and at 2;30 pm. (During the summer---June through August---the weekend "3-performance" schedule is in effect Wednesdays thru Fridays, as well.) For further info, you may call the Hitchcock Puppet theater phone number at (619) 544-9203, or view the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater's official website at www.BalboaParkPuppets.com San Diego Natural History Museum
The San Diego Natural History Museum is where your family can come to enjoy exhibits about the flora and fauna of the world, both present and past. (To your right, you can see a photo of this lovely, classic-style building.) This attractive and informative museum is conveniently located across a plaza from the Fleet Science Center, making it convenient for families to tour both museums in one afternoon---although, the sheer number of activities housed in each building might make that effort difficult! The San Diego Natural History Museum hours are the same daily. The Natural History Museum's opening time is at 10 am, and its closing time is at 5 pm. For further info...and there's PLENTY more info about this great museum!---visit the San Diego Natural History Museum's official website at www.sdnhm.org.The Balboa Park Miniature Railroad and Antique Carousel
Located near the San Diego Zoo entry, the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad train rides have delighted children and their parents since 1948. The 1/2 mile jaunt takes you through 4 scenic acres of Balboa Park. The Balboa Park train ride hours: open from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and school holidays; daily hours are available during summer vacation time. For further info, call the Balboa Park Railroad phone number at (619) 231-1515.
Balboa Park Antique Carousel MORE Balboa Park museums & attractions!Centro Cultural de la RazaThe Centro Cultural is a center for Mexican and Mexican-American arts. There's an Art Gallery here which features rotating exhibits of the fine arts. Plus, there's a performance are here for theater, dance, musical concerts and film events. Perhaps the most interesting events at the Centro are the performances of the Ballet Folklorico. Both men and women perform this traditional Mexican style of dance. One notable feature is the particularly beautiful and colorful costumes that the women wear for the performances. In the photo slide show to your left, you can see pictures of some of these lovely ballet folklorico costumes. (These were taken at a performance in Balboa Park by a member of the Flickr photo sharing website, since I didn't have any images of this event.) The Centro Cultural de la Raza hours: open Tuesdays thru Sundays from noon--4 pm. For further information, call the Centro Cultural de la Raza phone number at (619) 235-6135, or visit their Centro Cultural de la Raza official website at www.centroraza.com San Diego Automotive Museum
At the San Diego Automotive Museum you'll find an interesting exhibit of antique cars. The permanent collection at the San Diego Automotive Museum numbers over 80 vehicles, plus you'll be able to enjoy rotating exhibits, as well. (For example, one interesting exhibit at the museum in the past featured Low-Riders!) The San Diego Automotive Museum opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm. The San Diego Automotive Museum phone number is (619) 231-2886, and the museum's official website is www.sdautomuseum.orgDiscover San Diego HistoryFor scholars, there's a research library featuring over 2.5 million photos documenting the history of the San Diego area...plus maps, architectural drawings, and---of course---books. Both the Museum of San Diego History and the Marston house share one website, which is www.sandiegohistory.org. You can contact the Marston House phone number for further information at (619) 298-3142, or the San Diego History Museum phone number at (619) 232-6203. San Diego Art MuseumsBalboa Park houses not just one, but rather SEVERAL museums of special interest to art-lovers. 1.) San Diego Art Institute (SDAI) Museum of the Living Artist The Museum of the Living Artist is open from Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 4 pm. On Sunday, the galleries are open from noon untio 4 pm. For further information about the museum, you may call the San Diego Art Institute phone number at (619) 236-0011, or log on to the San Diego Art Institute's website at www.sandiego-art.org. 
2.) The Mingei International MuseumAt the Mingei International Museum, you'll be able to enjoy folk arts and crafts from around the world. The museum exhibits both its own permanent collections, plus hosts touring collections from all over the globe. For example, currently "on tour" at the Mingei, you'll find a pottery exhibit; a collection of clothing and crafts from norway; a showing of Japanese dolls and statuettes; and an array of Indonesion folk arts. New collections rotate in and out of the museum every month or two, so to discover what will be there on your planned visit, look at the Mingei International Museum's official website, www.mingei.org or call them at (619) 239-0003.
5.) The Spanish Village Art Center Timken Museum of Art Balboa Park---MORE attractions!San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions Sports MuseumFor a complete change of pace, located amongst the art and cultural museums of Balboa Park, you'll find the Hall of Champions Museum...dedicated to sports. A number of different sports are celebrated in the Hall of Champions, and a particular emphasis is placed on San Diego sports. The San Diego Hall of Champions hours: daily from 10 am to 4:30 pm. The Hall of Champions phone number is (619) 234-2544, and here is a link to the sports museum's website, which is www.sdhoc.com. Japanese Friendship GardenYour family can enjoy a stroll through a lovely and restful garden featuring bonsai and other greenery, a koi fish pond, and an exhibit house. Inside, you'll see rotating exhibits relating to Japanese life. For example, during March 2006, visitors enjoyed the interesting-sounding exhibit, "Ohina Samu," which showcased traditional dolls for the Japanese Girl's Festival. Other past exhibits have showcased Japanese ceramics and traditional Japanese calligraphy. The Japanese Friendship Garden hours: open 10 am--5 pm on weekdays, and 10 am--4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For further information, you may call the Japanese Friendship Garden phone number at (619) 232-2721, or visit their official website at www.niwa.org. San Diego Model Railroad MuseumTrain enthusiasts will be in Model Railroad Heaven here; this Balboa Park museum is the world's largest indoor model railroad exhibit! You'll enjoy O Scale, N Scale and HO scale layouts, and a special toy train gallery. An annual highlight at the museum is a special Lego model train exhibit which visits the museum every year around Thanksgiving time and lasts through the Christmas and New Years holidays. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum's phone number is (619) 696-0199. Here's a link to the museum's official website, which is www.sdmodelrailroadm.com. Balboa Park Museum discount tickets
At the Balboa Park Visitor's Center (located in the House of Hospitality; see link to Balboa Park map below), you may buy a super-discount ticket to 13 of Balboa Park's museums for $39/adults or $21/kids age 3-12. This "Passport to Balboa Park" discount ticket includes the following museums:* Reuben H Fleet Science Center * San Diego Aerospace Museum * San Diego Natural History Museum * Japanese Friendship Garden * San Diego Automotive Museum * San Diego Model Railroad Museum * Museum of Photographic Arts * Mengei International Museum * SDAI Museum of the Living Artist * Museum of San Diego History * San Diego Museum of Art * San Diego Museum of Man * San Diego Hall of Champions For an extra-fun visit to Balboa Park in San Diego, you may get the "Deluxe Zoo Passport Combo," price $65/adults and $36/children ages 3-12. (These are the prices as of July 2008, and are subject to change at any time.) The Balboa Park Deluxe Pass gives you entry to all of the museums listed in the above paragraph PLUS a Deluxe Admission ticket to the San Diego Zoo (which includes all exhibits and animal shows, the 40 minute double-decker bus tour or the zoo, plus the Skyfari overhead ride. Hours of the Hospitality House Visitor's Center at Balboa Park--- * "Free Tuesday" The entrance to Balboa Park itself is always free * San Diego Go Card--- If you're visiting San Diego and planning to see more attractions than the museums of Balboa Park, you might enjoy getting a San Diego Go Card. This interesting plan lets you purchase a discount card depending on the number of days you plan to tour...then all of the attractions on its extensive list of members let you enter during that time period without paying any additional fees. Many of the museums at Balboa Park are members of the San Diego Go Card...and so are other major area attractions, such as Legoland Park, Hornblower Cruises, the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wildlife Park, and many more. The card is especially valuable for those visitors who'd like to take a quick "look-see" around the museums. You can make quick tours of the Balboa Park museums, then use your San Diego Go Card for visiting still other attractions later on in the day---giving you the very best "bang for your buck." If you're interested in saving money through the San Diego Go Card plan, you may use the following link to view the Go San Diego Card Balboa Park San Diego -- Address, Map and Directions
The Balboa Park address is 1549 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101. (Note: this is the House of Hospitality Visitor's Center address---the place where you can buy multi-museum admission passes and get general information about the park.)
The Balboa Park Phone number is (619) 239-0512. Directions to Balboa Park--- Looking for directions to Balboa Park in San Diego? Luckily for tourists, Balboa Park is easy to find---it's just off of Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego, CA. From northern San Diego county, Orange County, or Los Angeles, take I-5 heading south bound. Keep going past the exit to SeaWorld...and then past the exit to the San Diego airport, as well. Next, Interstate 5 will enter the Downtown San Diego area...and you'll want to start watching for the Balboa Park exit, which is Park Boulevard. After you've passed through the tall buildings of downtown San Diego, you'll find the exit clearly marked for Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. That's your exit--take it and follow the signs! Road Map to Balboa Park: To get a better mental picture of where you'll be heading, use the following link to see a Google map to Balboa Park in San Diego, CA. Balboa Park Maps: Inside the parkDownloadable Balboa Park PDF Map: Are you thinking, "Hey, with so many attractions at Balboa Park, I'll never remember where they all are once I get there!" If so, then you may enjoy finding a downloadable PDF map of the Balboa Park grounds that you may print and take along on your trip! You may use the next link to see this detailed and printable PDF map of Balboa Park's attractions and grounds. Balboa Park Official Website: If you'd like further information about the attractions available at Balboa Park, then use the following link to see the Balboa Park's official website, which is www.balboapark.org You'll discover still MORE Balboa Park attractions which there wasn't room to mention on this page. Plus, you'll see a list of special exhibits currently being featured by the museums at this moment.
Or, choose a different page from one of many other topics on this site, some of which are listed below---
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4.) The San Diego Museum of Art
