Balboa Park

San Diego Zoo

Take everything you’ve ever heard about the San Diego Zoo (sandiegozoo.org) and multiply it by two: that will give you some idea of how vast and wildly impressive the place is. The justifiably famous attraction has over 4000 animals representing more than 650 species in a beautifully landscaped setting. Typical enclosures replicate a species' natural habitat.

Specialized bioclimatic environments like the Elephant Odyssey, Panda Canyon and the Monkey Trail are home to the zoo's many inhabitants: big cats (cheetahs, jaguars and leopards), elephants, giraffes, grizzly bears, red pandas, king cobras and much, much more.

Wear comfortable shoes: walking is the best way to get close to the animals. Alternatively, you can hop on a double-decker bus for a 35-minute narrative overview tour (free with your ticket): sitting downstairs puts you closer to the animals. Another option for those unable to walk far is the Kangaroo Bus, which lets you hop on and off at four stops. The Skyfari aerial tram flies from one side of the zoo to the other, with beautiful views of the rest of the park. The San Diego Zoo has been instrumental in saving the endangered California condor, which you can also see while you’re there.

Arts Appreciation

For those who love the fine arts, there are several museums in Balboa Park worth checking out. The Museum of Photographic Arts (mopa.org) has a vast collection, ranging from Ansel Adams to avant-garde cell-phone photography. The San Diego Museum of Art (sdma.org) has international exhibits that range from El Greco to Japanese woodblock prints, as well as an outdoor sculpture garden. The Timken Museum of Art (timkenmuseum.org) has a collection of works by European old masters like Rembrandt.

The Centro Cultural de la Raza (centrodelaraza.com) is an arts center highlighting Mexican, Indigenous and Latino art and performance. The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (icasandiego.org) exhibits the works of artists in Southern California from Los Angeles to Tijuana, and has a second outpost in Encinitas. The round, steel building, originally a water tank, is impressively painted with 240 feet of murals. The folk-art focused Mingei International Museum (mingei.org) has exhibits showcasing handmade arts and craft from people and cultures around the world.

The Spanish Village Arts Center (villageartscenter.org) is a community of more than 200 local artists showing their works, with open studios and art demonstrations in a vibrant recreation of a Spanish village. It’s also home to the San Diego Mineral and Gem Societies’ Museum (sdmg.org).

Science & Technology

To learn about the world, try the Museum of Us (museumofus.org), dedicated to anthropology, human history and a deeper understanding of what makes us "us." Exhibits hopscotch from ancient Egypt to the local Kumeyaay people and from beer to the long-running cannibals exhibition. The San Diego Air & Space Museum (sandiegoairandspace.org) has the real Apollo 9 Command Module and artifacts from Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. The Fleet Science Center (fleetscience.org) has 100 interactive science exhibits which aren’t just for kids; every month, the center hosts an adults-only "after dark" event.

"The Nat," as the San Diego Natural History Museum (sdnhm.org) is called, offers a summer Fridays deal: admission is half-price after 5pm, the museum stays open until 10pm, and there are special events throughout the night and dining on the rooftop. In addition to dinosaur fossils and a "living lab," the Nat offers lectures, events and hikes led by "Canyoneers."

For the Fun of It

Since 1970, the San Diego Comic-Con in late July has been a standard bearer for fandom events; its Comic-Con Museum (comic-con.org/museum) celebrates all things superhero and fan culture. The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater (balboaparkpuppets.com) stages whimsical performances every weekend. The park is also home to a 1910 carousel with hand-carved animals and a miniature, rideable antique railroad train.

History & Transportation

The Marston House (sohosandiego.org) is a beautifully preserved example of California’s signature arts and crafts architecture. The San Diego History Center (sandiegohistory.org) focuses on local history. The Veterans Museum of Balboa Park (veteranmuseum.org) is housed in the former chapel of the naval hospital and is devoted to local military history.

For transportation nerds, there's the San Diego Automotive Museum (sdautomuseum.org) that delves into car culture, and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum (sdmrm.org), which has the world’s largest operating model railroad running through a miniature California.

Public Gardens

Balboa Park started as a public garden and grew into what it is today thanks to the World’s Fairs of 1915–16 and 1935–36. The natural landscape is still the heart of the park experience. The park has remarkable public gardens, including Palm Canyon, with 58 species of palm trees; Trees for Health, a medicinal plant garden; the Kate O Sessions Cactus Garden; the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, which has 130 varieties of rose and is in bloom almost all year; and the Zoro Garden, which was once a nudist colony and is now a butterfly garden.

All the Park's a Stage

Balboa Park hosts an incredible number of live performances, from the international dance-focused WorldBeat Cultural Center (worldbeatcenter.org) to the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet (sdcyb.org), San Diego Junior Theatre (juniortheatre.com) and San Diego Youth Symphony (keynote-music.org). The Old Globe (theoldglobe.org), based on the original theater in London, has three stages and hosts productions that often head to Broadway.

One of the most unique things to do on a trip to San Diego is to attend a free Sunday afternoon organ concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion (spreckelsorgan.org), which has the largest outdoor organ in the world, with more than 5000 pipes.