USS Midway Museum
Search results
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. [3] [4] Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo.
Experience the steeped history of Balboa Park and learn how city leaders developed this barren land into the masterpiece it is today. Balboa Park is central to the story of San Diego. In 1868, civic leaders took the audacious step of setting aside 1,400 acres of a scrub-filled mesa, an area that now overlooks what is downtown San Diego.
People also ask
What is Balboa Park?
Why should you visit Balboa Park?
Is Balboa Park a cultural district?
What is El Prado & Balboa Park?
Balboa Park began as 1400 acres of land set aside in 1868 by San Diego civic leaders. Known then as “City Park”, the scrub-filled mesa that overlooked present-day Downtown San Diego sat without formal landscaping or development for more than 20 years. (Today the Park’s total land parcel has been reduced to 1,200 acres.)
Your guide to San Diego's Balboa Park, including world-class museums, gardens, attractions, performances, and the San Diego Zoo.
- Centro Cultural de la Raza. Located in a former water tower, the Centro Cultural de la Raza features exhibitions, theater, dance, music, and films by Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous, and Latino artists.
- Comic-Con Museum. Don’t worry if you missed Comic-Con this year, or have never grabbed tickets—you can explore all things pop-culture-related at this Balboa Park institution.
- Fleet Science Center. The Fleet Science Center is home to over 100 interactive exhibits exploring science and innovation. The museum also features an IMAX theater where you can traverse outer space, follow alongside African mammals, and deep-sea dive with sea creatures in ancient caves.
- Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego. Yokohama, Japan became San Diego’s first sister city in 1957. The Japanese Friendship Garden followed in 1991, designed to foster appreciation and understanding of the country’s culture.
Programs & Events. Design & Development. Balboa Park History. On May 26, 1868, a 1,400-acre tract of nine City pueblo lots was set aside as a public park by the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego following the recommendations of a far-sighted citizens committee.
Balboa Park is home to a host of museums and cultural institutions that provide an enriching and enchanting look at the human experience from multiple points of views. While all are open year-round, February is Museum Month and a great time for special deals and extended hours.
