Larger than New York’s Central Park and older than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Balboa Park is the cultural heart of San Diego. Spread out over 1,200 acres, the park offers everything from Shakespeare to live elephants. Each year Balboa Park hosts more than 14 million visitors from around the world who come to experience a cornucopia of museums and theater, as well as the park’s lavish gardens.

You can get to many of the 15 museums and attractions located in the park by taking the acclaimed El Prado, which runs through the center of the park. Venues include: the Museum of Photographic Arts, Mingei International Museum, San Diego Art Institute, The Timken Art Gallery, Spanish Village Art Center, The Museum of Man, Natural History Museum, San Diego Historical Society, Centro Cultural de la Raza, Aerospace Museum, The Hall of Champions, The Automotive Museum, Fleet Science Center, The Model Railroad Museum, and The Museum of Man. (NOTE: You can get into many museums for free on Tuesdays).

Four theaters are scattered throughout Balboa Park. Situated just behind the Museum of Man is the renowned Old Globe Theatre, a replica of the 15th-century London theater that was once the primary playhouse for William Shakespeare. Another distinctive venue is the Starlight Theatre. The Starlight is an open-sky theater that happens to be under the flight path of airline jets making their descent toward the nearby San Diego airport. When a jet happens to rumble noisily overhead during a performance, all the actors freeze their positions and speech, only to resume exactly where they left off when the plane is out of earshot. Other performance venues include the San Diego Comic Opera and the San Diego Junior Theatre.

Balboa Park features a number of lush gardens. The Botanical Building displays an ever-changing world of flowers and trees, while the Japanese Friendship Garden is more of a place of contemplation for visitors, with its traditional sand and stone garden, koi pond and a wisteria arbor viewing area overlooking the canyon below. Also, guests can enjoy time in the sunken stone grotto of the Zoro Garden, where a butterfly garden has been planted, containing both the larvae and nectar plants needed to attract butterflies.

Balboa Park is also home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Spread over 100 acres of mesas and winding canyons, the Zoo has been pleasing and educating visitors for three-quarters of a century. In addition to supplying entertainment and education, the Zoo is the last hope for many species that stand in the shadow of extinction.

Don’t forget that Balboa Park also provides plenty room for those in search of a little solitude on the green grass underneath a warm sun. Picnic areas and eateries are easy to come by, and there is a golf course contiguous to the park. It’s not inconceivable that one could spend an entire day exploring the park without having seen half of what it has to offer. No doubt, this place is the treasure of San Diego.---Words and photos by Michael Rando

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