Balboa Park Travel Guide | San Diego Attractions | California Travel Tips

California travel journalist Veronica Hill shares her Balboa Park travel guide in this episode of "California Travel Tips." Called the Smithsonian of the West, Balboa Park is one of the top San Diego attractions and our nation's largest urban cultural park. It sits on 1,200 acres of lush gardens, world-class museums and performing arts venues.
You can spend an entire day just at the San Diego Zoo, a lush landscape of botanical gardens that's home to more than 4,000 animals and 800 species. In October, kids under 12 are free!
If you're here for the Balboa Park museums, park at Inspiration Point off Park Boulevard and take the free trolley to the Visitor Center. From here, you can walk to most of the San Diego attractions.
Start with a morning stroll in the peaceful Japanese Friendship Garden, which is home to colorful koi and Zen gardens, then check out the park's impressive Spanish-Renaissance revival buildings, which date back to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
The Museum of Man is housed in one of Balboa Park's most striking buildings, just beneath the 200-foot-tall California Tower. Here you can explore the world of anthropology, ranging from impressive Mayan monuments and figurines, to one of the country's best collections of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.
Kids will enjoy the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center - which boasts more than 100 hands-on activities - and the charming San Diego Model Railroad Museum, which is the largest of its kind in the United States.
Learn about prehistoric bones and fossils in The San Diego Natural History Museum, or check out major exhibitions in the San Diego Museum of Art.
When it comes time to eat, there are 11 eateries throughout the park. Enjoy signature cocktails and gourmet fare at the full-service Balboa Park Prado Restaurant, or nibble on sushi and soba noodles in the Tea Pavilion.
During the summer, you can enjoy free organ concerts at Spreckels Organ Pavilion - a tradition since 1915. The park's historic Old Globe Theatre, founded in 1935, serves up everything from Broadway productions to a summer Shakespeare Festival.
For the best bang for your buck, buy the "Stay for the Day" pass, which allows access to five attractions (excluding the zoo). The 7-day Passport is a Balboa Park Museum Pass that offers admission to 14 museums. San Diego residents can enjoy Balboa Park Free Tuesdays, which allows free admission to select museums on Tuesdays.
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[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

You're welcome! It's such a cool place. So many more museums and things to see there! I think you need at least 4-5 days to cover it all!

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Thanks! It really is gorgeous. Next time, we're going to get all dressed up and take some family pictures there. So many beautiful backdrops to choose from. :)

[@dirkjently]

Nice clip, Veronica! BTW...you hit the nail on the head---It would take a couple days to get through Balboa Park. But I loved the time I spent there.

[@sharkey360]

Cool! I was there last year during the week of Comic-Con in San Diego! Heck, I hiked all the way from the Gaslamp Quarter to Balboa Park and back. I love the place! :)

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Yes, the price can add up quickly, especially when you tack on lunch and individual attractions, which range anywhere from $5-$15 each. I recommend the Stay for the Day Pass, which is $35 and includes admission to five museums. Their 7-Day Passport is $49 and includes admission to 14 museums. The Balboa Park website currently has several discount coupons that you can print off at home. I recommend seeing the Titanic Exhibit, which is running at the Natural History Museum through Sept. 9.

[@landdcollection]

Thanks for posting! I really want to go there someday, I heard its really beautiful, and your video proved it to be right.

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Thanks! I'd LOVE to do a video on Comic-Con. That would be so much fun!

[@superalex121]

Always love your videos. Especially knowing I'm so close to these fantastic features :D

[@jeffacosta123]

thank you for posting a video about balboa park. i visited it last year and it was amazing:)

[@aqstoy]

planing a trip withing next few weeks thanks for the info, I been there many moons ago is time to get reacquianted GREETINGS FROM DOWNEY CALIFORNIA

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Thank you!

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Thanks so much. I have more from San Diego coming this week. :)

[@ajobeidallah4210]

Ms. Hill I highly Recommend seeing the Cabrillo Statue we saw it in 2007.

[@TheMarcosgee]

Balboa park is awesome.especialy the science museum

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Yes! It's an amazing exhibit. Highly recommend, though it's a bit overpriced.

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

Thanks! What are your favorite places in the park?

[@CaliforniaTravelTips]

What a coincidence! :)

[@applefan2151]

Do they still have the titanic exhibit at the bone and fossil museum?

[@moiseswin]

if only i had a date to go with :(

[@bigbird96]

go with me ;-)