Things to Do in a Day at Balboa Park

By Ian Anderson

Balboa Park in San Diego. Photo © F11Photo/Dreamstime.

There’s more to see and do at Balboa Park than can comfortably be accomplished in one day, even if the famous San Diego Zoo isn’t on your list. If you’re only going to make one pass through the treasured cultural center of San Diego, here’s how to prioritize your visit with kids and without.

San Diego Museum of Art. It doesn’t have the most outstanding collection of paintings, but it’s always reliable for enchanting visual moments, and the visiting exhibitions tend to be quite good.
San Diego Museum of Man. It can be thought of as a museum of anthropology, topped by a tower with a panoramic view.
Mingei International Museum. This museum doesn’t get enough credit for bringing in unusual exhibits involving artisanal handiwork. Some objects are baffling in the sense that you can’t believe it came out of someone’s imagination; others baffle for different reasons altogether.
Botanical Building. The flora inside is as lovely as the building, and while you may not remember their Latin names, some flowers may create a lasting image.
San Diego Air and Space Museum. A stealth bomber is on display in front; inside there is much more.

front entrance of San Diego Air & Space museum — A life-size stealth bomber replica sits in front of the Air & Space Museum. Photo © Ian Anderson.

Balboa Park Sights for Kids

Children may get bored if you try to fill a whole day with museums. Bring them to these Balboa Park sights and they’ll have fun despite themselves.

Fleet Science Center. Blow everybody’s mind with hundreds of learning stations that trick you with optical illusions or turn common sense on its ear.
Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre. If there’s not a puppet theater in your town, expose your child to this sort of culture with the theater’s puppet shows, sometimes involving very large puppets.
San Diego Natural History Museum. Frankly, some parts of this museum on the natural history of San Diego are kind of ho hum, but there’s a mastodon skeleton, a 3-D theater, and some pretty engaging temporary exhibits.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum. Children love miniatures and trains, and this exhibit is huge and remarkably well detailed.
San Diego Air & Space Museum. On this point, kids and parents may agree: Everybody’s going to have fun here.

Ian Anderson

About the Author

Born in Oregon and based in California, Ian Anderson has been road-tripping up and down the west coast since before he could see over the steering wheel. Over the past two decades, he’s lived in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, logging more than ten thousand miles on coastal highways, mostly looking for great food, beautiful beaches, and fun surf.

Ian is currently based in San Diego, covering “America’s Finest City” as a reporter, beer writer, and restaurant critic for the San Diego Reader. He’s written for websites, magazines, and books on topics ranging from music to preserving the environment, but for the most part, Ian’s expertise matches his interests-chief among them exploring sights, sounds, and flavors of the west coast-and bringing these experiences to life for readers.

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