Overview

Explore San Diego's Balboa Park with a private guide, and hear informative narration about this 1,200-acre (485-hectare) cultural icon, declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1977. See areas like the Botanical Building or Rose Garden, and pass by a plethora of museums as you learn about the park’s history and architecture. Travel from your hotel to Balboa Park by luxury vehicle, and enjoy provided bottled water and snacks during this 2-hour tour.

Description

Pass By: Balboa Park, 1549 El Prado, San Diego, California 92101

Where culture, science, and nature collide, Balboa Park is home to more than 16 museums, multiple performing arts venues, lovely gardens, trails, and many other creative and recreational attractions. A variety of cultural institutions among its 1,200 beautiful and lushly planted acres, there is something for everyone.
Home of the San Diego Zoo. (Something to see another time).

Pass By: Spanish Village Art Center, 1770 Village Pl, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92101

San Diego’s coveted secret for art lovers at Spanish Village Art Center. Located between the Zoo and theNAT these quaint buildings and colorful courtyard were originally built in 1935. They depicted a charming old village in Spain for the second California Pacific International Exposition.

Pass By: Japanese Friendship Garden, 2215 Pan American Rd E, San Diego, California 92101

The Japanese Friendship Garden ("JFG") is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama.

Pass By: Museum of Us, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92101

Specializing in cultural anthropology, the Museum of Us explores the human experience from multicultural perspectives to spark dialogue, self-reflection, and human connections. During your visit, you’ll explore a variety of unique, interactive exhibits that cover a vast range of human history and culture.

Stop At: Botanical Building and Lily Pond, 1549 El Prado, San Diego, California 92101

The Botanical Building with the Lily Pond and Lagoon in the foreground is one of the most photographed scenes in Balboa Park. The Lily Pond, built as a reflecting pool for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition features annual plantings of water lilies and lotus.

The plantings inside of the Botanical Building include orchid displays, cycads and palms, a scratch-and-sniff garden, and seasonal displays.

Duration: 5 minutes

Pass By: San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92101

The San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat). From rattlesnakes and flesh-eating beetles, to dinosaurs and fossils, to historic archives and art, there’s something for every type of nature nerd here at the home of one the oldest biological research centers in the region. Visitors will be impressed by the unique, interactive exhibitions that span across five floors. The museum features a giant-screen theater with daily showings, as well as rotating exhibitions that bring nature to life.

Pass By: Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, 2455 Park Boulevard, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92104

The Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden contains more than 1,600 roses including Hybrid Teas, Florabundas, Grandifloras, Miniature Shrubs, and Old Roses.

Pass By: Comic-con Museum, 2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, California 92101

The Comic-Con Museum will encourage an appreciation of comics and related popular arts through exhibits, programs and events drawn from across the Comic-Con universe.

Considered the cultural heart of San Diego, Balboa Park is already home to numerous museums, galleries and theaters along with the famous San Diego Zoo. Now, with the help of the City of San Diego, CCI is in the process of converting the 1935 Federal Building into what is planned to be a world-class museum by day, and a very unique fan community venue by night.

Stop At: California Tower, 1350 El Prado, At the San Diego Museum of Man, San Diego, California 92101

The California Tower, the soaring, intricately detailed, portion of the California Building, is an icon of San Diego, and can be seen from miles around. The building houses the San Diego Museum of Us.
The nearly 200-foot-tall Tower and Dome of the California Building are covered with intricate carvings, colorful tile, and glass beads.

Duration: 5 minutes

Pass By: Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Suite 10, San Diego, California 92101

This unique organ contains more than 5,000 pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 feet and is the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. The Spreckels Organ is housed in an ornate vaulted structure with highly embellished gables.

Pass By: Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, California 92101

Modeled after Shakespeare’s Old Globe in London, the Old Globe. Theatre was built in 1935 for the presentation of abridged versions of Shakespeare’s plays as part of the California Pacific International Exposition.