Balboa Park

Lovely massive park centrally located in San Diego.

No addmission or parking fees to the park itself.

Lots of free parking lots throughout the park. Be sure to look at a map and choose the one closest to your target destination. (i.e. zoo/museum/attraction) The zoo lot being the understanaby the largest lot in the park.

Lots of attractions throughout the west side of the park, including the San Diego Zoo which is located in the northwest corner of the park as well as lots of museums. Although we did enjoy the zoo...we found some of the museums to be a bit overpriced. If you are interesting in seeing a few (or all) of them...their Explorer Pass may be of interest to you. Also look out for other discounts including Resident, AAA, EBT or ASTC discounts for any attraction you decide to visit.

The east side of the park contains some recreational complexes and areas as well as a large golf course.

There are also lots of small shops and vendors throughout the park. A great way to spend a nice day...combine an attraction or two with a walk through the park.

Balboa Park is iconic in SD as it's known for its trails, gardens, and many museums. While it's a great place to explore (especially during the Christmas season as it's decorated with lights), there were two things that didn't sit too well.
1) Because this is a free park, there is little to no maintenance with the area so the restrooms are HORRIBLE and SMELLY. It was extremely bad and we had to hold in our breath when using it.
2) Many, if not all, the museums in Balboa Park have an admission fee. While I understand that this is a way for them to earn $$, I wish there were some free museums located here for people passing to see. Even the Japanese tea garden you need to pay and it's quite small...

Regardless, it's still a good area to explore! I wouldn't devote an entire day to this unless you really have time to kill but good place for nature and historical lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Spanish Village Art Center as there's arts and crafts to look at.

Love Balboa!

This is such a great place! If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking it out.

There are museums, water fountains, art, vendors and more here.

I loved walking around, eating and relaxing in the park while I was here.

I can't wait to stop back here.

This park has so much to see and do that we only scratched the surface. I very much want to come back sometime and do a whole heck of a lot more. But it's a beautiful park and a beautiful city.

Amazing park with lots of things to see and do!

You have the Space Museum, Japanese Garden, Art Museum, San Diego Zoo, etc... just a great time spent well.

If you come here, it is a free park to enter and just chill and hang out. You can walk around, ride a bike, rollerblade... just be mindful of the people around you, and the Po-Po!

Most of the attractions inside this park shutdown at a certain time so plan accordingly. If you are trying to visit a museum don't rush as you may have paid for an shortened experience.

Spend the whole day here, but once the darkness comes... so do the homeless.

Absolutely beautiful open space for families to visit. We came across the park by chance and it was most definitely a highlight of our trip. Stunning architecture, gorgeous flora and fauna, and people as warm as the weather :)

Ok! Let's start with this park is Huge! Think Central Park in NYC or Fairmount Park in my hometown (Philly)...spread out and many...many things to see and do! Once I understood that concept it helped me release the idea that I would see ALL THE SITES offered by this wonderful park!

You can spend hours/days..if you choose..so come with a plan-figure out how you want to spend time there so you fill satisfied vs. overwhelmed!

The landscapes and architecture are so breathtaking! The gardens reminded of
of my visit to Andalusia Spain (Alcazar) so gorgeous! There are many studios for local artists-I wish I had time to visit them.

I will keep this park on my to-do list whenever I visit San Diego! It is so many beautiful things to view...pace yourself and enjoy!

What's not to love about Balboa Park. It is truly a San Diego icon. And if you weren't already aware, this is the birthplace of inspiration for none other than the doctor of all doctors, Dr. Seuss.

Renowned for its attractions such as the myriad of museums, the San Diego Zoo, a host of charitable events/marathons, and the Old Globe theater, Balboa Park is one of the oldest public recreational parks in the US. In totality, it's even bigger than Central Park in New York.

Whether you find live music, a secret outdoor vinyl record listening club, pickup soccer and volleyball, a weekly running club, a powwow, or the huge dog park, chances are you'll surely enjoy the vibrant energy found in this wondrous space.

Restaurants, botanical gardens, lush greens, art studios, an organ pavilion, hiking trails, December Nights, and the ever-popular Haunted Trails, make up even more of the wealth of things to see here.

If you're planning to visit San Diego, or if you're a local who hasn't been in a while, come see and appreciate the beauty that is Balboa Park.

Please help keep this park clean, so that we may all appreciate this mystical and majestic space for years to come.

Enjoy!!!!

For the many that love to visit at Balboa Park there are so many clues and the historical markers of0 the park that give so many guides for so many one of the greatest is where could you come and walk among the tall plants and see the strange plants and the bids that would fly overhead and the hummingbirds they would fly very quick. The many sections of the park are coming back to life with the remodel and the reconstruction of the Botanical that was the main center point of the park with reflection pond you could see the many Koy they would come and feed. They Koy will come again.
The walk amongst the many buildings you can feel the history of the park and the many men that helped to build and design the park with one of the largest fountains at the top of the T which the water shoots very high due to the kids and the ones that run amongst the fountain the water has been brought to a safe height but never drink the water its chemically treated. When you walk down the middle of the park you can see the many buildings and the many museums that were of the Museum of Man and the Natural History for the many that have been the Museum of Photographic arts that shows so much, and the pictures taken by great photographers. For the history of Balboa Park was that of the greatest and the site of the greatest Exposition of the Panama Canal and many countries that use the canal. Just Imagine being at the event and to seed the many countries and the dignitaries were dressed up with the President that came for the Grand Opening of the Panama Canal.
Balboa Park has some of the greatest beauty with the many blooming trees that line the main stretch of the walkway that goes down the middle of the park when you come from the fountain and head down the main walkway you have the full lo0ok of the park from the Grand botanical the museums that line the walk you can see the wide stretch and the way the park was designed. The park has so many places with the borders the zoo and the canyons below the history of the park is waiting to welcome the many visitors and students that come and study at the park. My day at the park was one of the best days to see and feel the history of the park you can see the buildings they tell the story from the artwork that is on the buildings and the museums.
As a Yelp Elite Reviewer, the many years that I've grown up here in San Diego the many times that I have visited the park have been ones which have such great memories and to see the many great works of art that I have introduced there is many more treasures to Balboa Park. The one park when you have a great Holiday it's the one place to come and hear the beautiful music of the Holidays with the organ concerts.

Balboa Park is beautiful! There's so much to see! You can't see everything in one day. I have been there several times and there is always something new to see!

It's right next to the San Diego Zoo. There's also a couple of different museums and restaurants. The lady time I was there is was very busy, but it was still fun.

My family and I went to their Natural History Museum, which was small but still nice. We also had lunch a cute restaurant called Prado. We enjoyed a long walk around the park, listened to so much and my children sat and watched ducks for a while. Really nice place to spend the day.