‘Balboa Park’ Theme

Balboa Park Museums and Attractions

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Park and Gardens are always open; Many Museums are Open Daily, including Holidays

Cost: Parking is Free; Most Museums offer Discounts for Seniors, Students, and Military.

Features: Home to the San Diego Zoo, 15 Museums, 7 Performing Arts Theatres, 4 Cultural Centers, IMAX Globe Theater, Antique Carousel, Miniature Railroad, and Countless Gardens.

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The World-Famous San Diego Zoo

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Entrance allowed 9AM – 4PM (8PM during Summer)

Cost: Several options starting at $28.50 ($17.50 for Kids ages 3-11)

Features: World Famous; 4,000 Animals on 100 Acres; 700,000 Exotic Plants; Pandas; Koalas

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Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Generally open 9:30AM -  8PM Summer & Weekends (5PM on Winter Weekdays)

Cost: $10 ($8.75 for Kids ages 3-12 and Seniors 65+); Additional Cost for IMAX Movies

Features: Over 100 Hands-on Science Exhibits, Southern California’s only IMAX Dome Theater, Planetarium, Simulator Ride.

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San Diego Natural History Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 7PM (9:30PM on Fridays and Saturdays) Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Cost: $16 ($10 for Kids ages 3-12 and $14 for Seniors 62+)

Features: Dinosaur and Mastodon Artifacts; Over 8.2 Million Artifacts in all; World Class Visiting Exhibitions; Giant Movie Screen for Enjoying Nature Films.

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San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 11AM – 4PM (5PM on Weekends). Closed on Mondays.

Cost: $7 (Free for Kids under 15 with a Parent, $6 for Seniors 65+)

Features: World’s Largest Indoor Model Railroad Display

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Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM. Closed on Mondays.

Cost: $3 Donation

Features: Extensive Collection of Stories and Artifacts from Military Conflicts; Represents Veterans from the Marines, Navy, Army, and Air Force.

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San Diego Air & Space Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM (Must enter by 4PM). Open until 5:30PM during Summer. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cost: $15 ($6 for Kids ages 3-11 and $12 for Seniors)

Features: One of the Nation’s Best Aerospace Museums; San Diego has the Richest Aviation History in the World

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San Diego Museum of Art

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM. (Opens at 12PM on Sundays; Stays Open Until 9PM on Thursdays through Labor Day.) Closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Cost: $12 ($4.50 for Kids ages 6-17 and $9 for Seniors 65+)

Features: Paintings from Old World Masters; Popular Works from French Impressionists; Largest Collection of South Asian Art in America; Numerous Exhibitions available at the Museum and Online.

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Timken Museum of Art

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM. (Opens at 1:30PM on Sundays). Closed on Mondays and Holidays.

Cost: Free

Features: World-Class Collection from European Masters (especially Dutch and Flemish), American Art, and Russian Icons; One of the Great Small Museums of the World

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San Diego Museum of Man

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

Cost: $10 ($5 for Kids ages 3 – 12, $7.50 for Seniors and Students)

Features: Anthropology Museum Famous for its Galleries covering 4 Million Years of Human Evolution; a Children’s Discovery Center; Ancient Egyptian Exhibition; Extensive Collection of Pre-Columbian Artifacts.

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Mingei International Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM. Closed on Mondays and National Holidays.

Cost: $7 ($4 for Kids ages 6-17 and $5 for Seniors)

Features: Art of the People. Look at art made by man from 3rd Century BCE to current times.

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San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM

Cost: $8 ($4 for Kids ages 7-17 and $6 for Seniors)

Features: Nation’s Largest Sports Museum; Interactive Exhibits; Hall of Fame; Covers a Broad Range of Sports; Many one-of-a-kind Trophies on Display.

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San Diego Automotive Museum

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM (Must enter by 4:30PM). Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Cost: $8 ($4 for Kids ages 6-15 and $6 for Seniors 65+)

Features: Over 100 Cars and Motorcycles, including a 1909 International Harvester Wagon, 1914 Model T Ford, 1981 De Lorean, and a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa.

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Information for Foreign Visitors in San Diego

There are many resources for foreign visitors in San Diego.  While traveling far from home, take comfort that there are many people from your country who now live in San Diego.  They host cultural events and provide San Diego resources for fellow emigrants and visitors to San Diego.

You can find San Diego resources from the internet links below to help make you feel at home or find assistance if you need help.  Come visit San Diego.  It is a great international city where you will feel welcome and experience travel that you will remember for a lifetime.

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International Cottages at Balboa Park

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open: Sundays 12PM – 4PM

Cost: Free

Features: Visit the Cottages of 21 Countries (+11 more on a rotating basis) to learn their cultures through food, music, dance, and more.

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Spanish Village Art Center

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 11AM – 4PM (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Cost: Free

Features: Village of 37 art studios hosting over 200 artists working with paint, jewelry, clay, metals, baskets, and more.

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Balboa Park Flower Gardens

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Most Gardens are Open Daily

Cost: All Gardens, except one, are Free

Features: Over a Dozen Gardens are Spread Throughout Balboa Park, Representing Plants from Around the World.

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Japanese Friendship Garden

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (must enter by 3:30); Closed Mondays. (During Summer, the Gardens are Open Mondays and until 5PM during Weekdays.)

Cost: $4 ($2.50 for Students and Seniors 55+)

Features: Quaint Japanese Zen Garden, Koi Pond, and Visiting Exhibits

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Museum of San Diego History

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Cost: $5 ($2 for Kids under 18, $4 for Seniors 65+)

Features: Great Stories and Photos of San Diego’s History; Learn about the Changes in Power from Kumeyaay Indians to Spanish Colony, followed by Mexican Independence and then American Statehood.

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Museum of Photographic Arts

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM. Closed on Mondays and some Major Holidays.

Cost: $6 ($4 for Students, Seniors, and Military)

Features: Home to one of the World’s Largest Collections of Photographs

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Marston House

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Hours: Guided Tours Start every half-hour, Friday-Sunday 10AM-4:30PM

Cost: $8 ($4 for Kids 6-12, $5 for Seniors 65+)

Features: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Built in 1905 and surrounded by Gardens; Part of 7th Avenue Walking Tour.

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Spreckels Organ Pavilion Concerts in Balboa Park

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Show Times: Sundays at 2PM Year-Round; Mondays at 7:30PM from June – August; Additional Concerts Tuesdays – Thursdays from June – August

Cost: Free

Features: Enjoy a Variety of Musical Performances at this Beautiful Outdoor Venue in Balboa Park, which is home to one of the World’s Largest Outdoor Pipe Organs played by an Internationally-Acclaimed Organist.

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The Old Globe Theatre Complex

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Show Times: Year-round

Cost: $29+ Per Show; Cheaper with Subscriptions; $20 Tickets for those Under 30

Features: Tony Award Winning Theatre is “Home to the Most Acclaimed National Artists, Designers, Directors and Playwrights in the Theatre Industry”. Twenty Productions have gone on to Broadway including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Damn Yankees, and A Catered Affair.

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Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Show Times: June to September at 7:30PM

Cost: Ranges from $10 – $75

Features: Musicals Performed Outdoors by Well-Known Actors from Hollywood and Broadway

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Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Show Times: Generally Wednesdays – Sundays at 11AM, 1PM, and 2:30PM. (More details below.)

Cost: $5 ($3 for Kids 2 and up; $4 for Seniors 65+)

Features: Nation’s Longest Running, Full-Time Puppet Theater

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San Diego Junior Theatre

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Show Times: Six Performances Each Year in Balboa Park with More in Additional Locations

Cost: $10 – $15

Features: Watch Performances of Future Academy Award and Tony Award Winners. Past Alumni Include Dennis Hopper, Raquel Welch, Annette Bening, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Christian Hoff. This is the Oldest Youth Theatre Program in the Country.

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WorldBeat Cultural Center

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Hours vary

Cost: Varies

Features: African Artifacts; Music Events and Classes that promote the understanding of Indigenous Americans, African-Americans, and other African Heritage

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Centro Cultural de la Raza

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 12PM – 4PM. Closed on Mondays.

Cost: Varies

Features: Visiting Exhibitions and Events that promote the understanding of Chicano, Mexican, Latino, and Indigenous Cultures.

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San Diego Art Institute

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (12 – 4 on Sundays). Closed on Mondays.

Cost: $3 ($2 for Seniors and Students)

Features: Exhibitions of Artwork from Local San Diego Artists.

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Balboa Park Historic Carousel

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 11AM – 5:30PM during Summer; Otherwise 11AM – 4:30PM on Weekends & Holidays

Cost: $2

Features: Built in 1910; Award Winning Historic Carousel with Original Equipment; Still offers Brass Ring Game

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Balboa Park Miniature Railroad

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)

Hours: Open Daily During Summer 11AM – 6:30PM. Otherwise, Only Open on Weekends and School Holidays from 11AM – 4:30PM.

Cost: $2

Features: Miniature Replica of a Real Train takes you on a 1/2 mile ride and includes a Tunnel.

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Balboa Park Golf Course

Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles East of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Year-Round; Dawn – Dusk

Cost: $36 – $45; Discounts for Juniors, Twilight Play, and San Diego City Residents

Features: Municipal Golf Course offering Great Views of the City Skyline and San Diego Bay; Golf Club Rentals Available

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Wheel Fun Rentals

Location: Balboa Park, Downtown along San Diego Bay, Coronado, Oceanside

Open Daily: Each Location is Open Year-Round but offer Different Hours

Cost: $20+ per Hour for Surreys and $10+ per Hour for Bicycles.

Features: Bicycle and Surrey Rentals for the Whole Family. Surreys can seat up to 6 Adults and 2 Small Children.

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Old Town Trolley Tours

Location: Downtown San Diego, Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado

Tour Schedule: 9AM – 5PM or Later (Tours extend up to 8PM on Summer Weekends); No Tours on Thanksgiving or Christmas

Cost: $32 ($16 for Children)

Features: 32 Mile Tour Route with 10 Pick-up and Drop-off Points; Narrated Sightseeing Tour; Amphibious Rides

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Official Tour of San Diego

Location: Downtown San Diego, Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado

Tour Schedule: April through October; 9AM – 5PM or Later (Tours extend up to 8PM on Summer Weekends); No Tours on Thanksgiving or Christmas

Cost: Two-Day Pass for $25 ($15 for Children)

Features: Two 1-Hour Loops on a Double Decker English-Style Bus; 10 Pick-up and Drop-off Points; Narrated Sightseeing Tour.

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