New York has Central Park, San Francisco has Golden Gate Park. San Diego's crown jewel is Balboa Park, a 1,174-acre city-owned playground and the largest urban cultural park in the nation. The park was established in 1868 in the heart of the city, bordered by downtown to the southwest and fringed by the early communities of Hillcrest and Golden Hill to the north and east. Originally called City Park, the name was eventually changed to commemorate the Spanish explorer Balboa. Tree plantings started in the late 19th century, while the initial buildings were created to host the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition; another expo in 1935-36 brought additional developments.
The park's most distinctive features are its mature landscaping, the architectural beauty of the Spanish-Moorish buildings lining El Prado (the park's east-west thoroughfare), and the outstanding and diverse museums contained within it. You'll also find eight different gardens, walkways, 4 1/2 miles of hiking trails in Florida Canyon, historic buildings, several restaurants, an ornate pavilion with the world's largest outdoor organ, a high-spouting fountain, an IMAX domed theater, the acclaimed Globe Theatres, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
If you really want to visit the zoo and a few of the park's museums, don't try to tackle them both the same day. Allow at least 5 hours to tour the zoo; the amount of time you spend in the 13 major museums will vary depending on your personal interests. There are informal restaurants serving sandwiches and snacks throughout the park, and the Prado Restaurant is a San Diego favorite.
The park is divided by Highway 163 into two distinct sections. The narrow western wing of the park is largely grassy open areas that parallel Sixth Avenue; there are no museums in this section, but it's a good place for picnics, strolling, sunning, and dog walking. The main portion of the park, east of 163, contains the zoo and all of the museums, and is bordered by Park Boulevard; just east is largely undeveloped Florida Canyon. There are two primary entrances to the park. The most distinctive is from Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street: Laurel enters the park via the beautiful Cabrillo Bridge across Highway 163 and turns into El Prado. You can also enter via Presidents Way from Park Boulevard, just north of downtown. Major parking areas are at Inspiration Point on the east side of Park Boulevard at Presidents Way, in front of the zoo, and along Presidents Way between the Aerospace Museum and Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Other lots, though more centrally located, are small and in high demand, especially on weekends.
Public bus routes 7, 7A, and 7B run along Park Boulevard; for the west side of the park, routes 1, 3, and 25 run along Fourth/Fifth avenues (except for the Marston House, all museums are closer to Park Blvd.). Free tram transportation within the park runs daily from 8:30am to 6pm, with extended hours in summer months. The red trolley trams originate at the Inspiration Point parking lot to circuit the park, arriving every 8 to 10 minutes and stopping at designated pickup areas. Stop by the Balboa Park Visitors Center, located in the House of Hospitality (tel. 619/239-0512; www.balboapark.org) to learn about free walking and museum tours, or to pick up a brochure about the gardens of the park.
Balboa Park Money-Savers--Most Balboa Park attractions are open free of charge one Tuesday each month; there's a rotating schedule so two or more participate each Tuesday. If you plan to visit more than three of the park's museums, buy the Passport to Balboa Park, a coupon booklet that allows entrance to 13 major museums (the rest are always free) and is valid for 1 week for $30. If you plan to spend a day at the zoo and return for the museums another day, buy the Best of Balboa Park Combo, which provides one ticket to the zoo, and 3 days' admission to the 13 museums, for $55. The passports can be purchased at any participating museum or the visitor center.
Balboa Park Guided Tours--In addition to the walking tour we've mapped out in chapter 8, there are rewarding guided tours of the park that cater to a wide variety of interests. The visitor center conducts free rotating tours on Saturdays at 10am that highlight either the palm trees and vegetation or park history; they meet at the visitor center (tel. 619/235-1122). The park rangers lead free 1-hour tours focusing on the park's history, architecture, and botanical resources Tuesday and Sunday at 1pm, also meeting in front of the visitor center. The author of Discover Balboa Park conducts free walking tours of the park on Fridays at 11am and 1pm, meeting at the visitor center; call tel. 619/239-0512 for more information.
The Committee of 100 (tel. 619/223-6566), an organization dedicated to preserving the park's Spanish colonial architecture, offers a free exploration of the Prado's structures on the first Wednesday of the month at 9:30am, starting from the visitor center. The Globe Theatres Tour visits the three performance venues on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30am; the tour costs $3 for adults, $1 for seniors and students (tel. 619/231-1941). Plant Day at the San Diego Zoo is held the third Friday of each month from 10am to 2pm, and features self and guided horticultural tours and functions; the orchid house is open to the public on this day (zoo admission required; call tel. 619/234-3153 for more details).
