Secrets and Highlights of Balboa Park Tour

We’ll kick off this San Diego experience at the Founder’s Statues on the west side of the park. We think you’ll agree San Diegans were visionaries when they set aside 1400 acres of land for the park all the way back in 1868.

Next we’ll stop at the California Tower, built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. The face of the tower depicts the early history of the city, and the tower itself is a city landmark.

Then we’ll head to Alcazar Garden, which was inspired by the same-named gardens in Spain. Used for both the 1915 and 1935 expositions, the garden offered fair-goers a respite from the hustle and bustle of the exposition, and it provides a picturesque foreground to photos of the California Tower. Don’t worry, we’ll help you snag the perfect Instagram shot.

Afterwards, we’ll head to the Old Globe Theater which is a Tony Award-winning, world-renowned professional theater group modeled after The Globe Theatre, London.

From there, we’ll walk through the heart of the Prado, where we spot unique building façades.

We’ll also check out Zoro Gardens, a sunken garden that was once a nudist colony (seriously) during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Today, it’s a butterfly garden that contains everything butterflies need for their life cycle.

Next, we’ll pop into the Spanish Village Art Center to observe artists at work in their studios.

By now you will have worked up a thirst so we’ll grab a drink at a local coffee cart, Daniel’s Coffee Cart(opens in a new tab), before continuing past one of the largest Moreton Bay fig trees in California.

But we’re not done yet! We’ll then head to the Botanical Building, the largest wooden lath roofed building when completed in 1915 (closed for restoration until 2023). It’s the perfect stop for photographers and flower-lovers alike, and the adjacent lily pond full of koi makes more than just a pretty picture — you’ll learn how the pond was an important part of the war effort during WWI and how it helped injured sailors and soldiers during WWII.

Our tour will end at the Plaza de Panama, but before we say goodbye, your guide will give you directions to the nearby Visitor Center (for snacks, maps, souvenirs, and museum passes), suggestions for places to eat, and tips on what else to see and do within the park.