A guide to Balboa Park in downtown San Diego

Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in America and the second largest in North America behind Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia.

With over 1,200 acres, there's lots to do -- picnicking under the majestic eucalyptus trees, watching volleyball games on weekends, visiting museums, taking in a live performance, visiting the world-famous San Diego Zoo, and much, much more.

If you're going to spend some extra time sightseeing in San Diego, you can't go wrong with Balboa Park. The Park offers a Passport for $39/$21 (adults/children) that gets you into fourteen of the Park's Museums, a savings of over 50%:

1. Japanese Friendship Garden
2. Mingei International Museum
3. Museum of Photographic Arts
4. Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
5. San Diego Air & Space Museum
6. SDAI- Museum of the Living Artist
7. San Diego Automotive Museum
8. Museum of San Diego History
9. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
10. San Diego Museum of Art
11. San Diego Museum of Man
12. San Diego Natural History Museum
13. San Diego Hall of Champions
14. Veterans Museum & Memorial Center

If you want to add the Zoo in, you can get a Zoo/Passport Combo for $65/$36 (adults/children). Note that many of the Museums are closed on Mondays, and some of the Museums offer free admission on Tuesdays.

For more information about Balboa Park, log on to balboapark.org. Meanwhile, here is all that Balboa Park has to offer. Not all events occur year-round.

Family friendly

1. San Diego Zoo-both an internationally recognized zoo and botanical garden
2. Butterfly ride at the Zoo
3. Carousel at the Zoo
4. Miniature railroad at the Zoo
5. El Prado walkway
6. Pepper Grove Playground and Picnic Area
7. Morley Field-golf, tennis, swimming, and more)
8. December Nights
9. International Summer Organ Festival
10. Twilight in the Park-free concerts under the stars
11. Summer camps
12. Balboa Park Tram

Gardens

1. Botanical Building
2. Japanese Friendship Garden
3. Alcazar Garden
4. Australian Garden
5. California Native Plant Garden
6. Casa del Rey Moro Garden
7. Desert Garden
8. Old Cactus Garden
9. Florida Canyon Native Plant Preserve
10. Marston House Garden
11. Palm Canyon
12. Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden
13. Trees for Health Garden
14. Veterans Memorial Garden
15. Zoro Garden
16. WorldBeat Center's Children's Ethnobotany Garden

Restaurants

1. The Prado at Balboa Park
2. Albert's Restaurant
3. Galileo Café
4. Time Out Café
5. Village Grill
6. Waters Café
7. Café in the Park
8. Lady Carolyn's Pub
9. The Tea Pavilion

Museums

1. Mingei International Museum
2. Museum of Photographic Arts
3. Museum of San Diego History
4. Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
5. San Diego Aerospace Museum
6. San Diego Art Institute
7. San Diego Automotive Museum
8. San Diego Hall of Champions
9. San Diego Junior Theatre
10. San Diego Model Railroad Museum-the world's largest operating model railroad museum
11. San Diego Museum of Art
12. San Diego Museum of Man
13. San Diego Natural History Museum
14. Timken Museum of Art
15. Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

Cultural

1. Centro Cultural de la Raza
2. WorldBeat Center
3. House of Pacific Relations
4. Spanish Village Art Center
5. United Nations Building
6. American Indian Cultural Center and Museum

Theatre and performances

1. Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre
2. The Old Globe theatre
3. Spreckels Organ Pavilion-the world's largest outdoor organ.
4. Starlight Theatre at Starlight Bowl
5. San Diego Civic Youth Ballet
6. San Diego Youth Symphony

Miscellaneous

1. House of Hospitality
2. Marston House
3. Lawn bowling
4. Balboa Park Food and Wine School

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