Balboa Park is celebrating the 100th anniversary of hosting the 1915 Panama-California Exhibition by upgrading exhibits and having special events throughout the year.
Upgrades include expanding the Japanese Friendship Garden and reopening the California Tower – which provides 360-degree views of San Diego – after it was closed for 80 years. There are also improvements such as new lights along the El Prado area and nearly 40 new signs to help you find your way around the park.
Balboa Park covers more than 1,000 acres and offers 15 museums, various gardens, arts and international culture associations, plus the San Diego Zoo. The park’s museums feature displays of art treasures, exotic animal species, unique model railroads, world folk art, sports memorabilia, and rare aircraft.
In addition, Balboa Park is known for its beautiful seasonal flowers, shady groves of trees, and walking paths winding through fascinating areas. Many of the museums are in magnificent Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, which were built for Panama-California Exhibition 100 years ago.
Balboa Park is also home to The Old Globe Theatre, which produces a year-round season of 15 plays and musicals on its three stages, including its highly-regarded Shakespeare festival.
Balboa Park Museums
Japanese Friendship Garden
Marston House
Mingei International Museum
Museum of Photographic Arts
Reuben H Fleet Science Center
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Automotive Museum
San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego History Center
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Museum of Man
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Museum of Art
Timken Museum of Art
Veterans Museum and Memorial Center
Balboa Park Attractions and Performing Arts
House of Pacific Relations International Cottages
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet
San Diego Junior Theatre
San Diego Youth Symphony
San Diego Zoo
Spanish Village Art Center
Spreckels Organ Pavilion
The Old Globe
