The end of Balboa Park drive is known as the "Fruit Loop" for a reason. It's a beautiful park with many old memories of the World's Fair. Just remember if you drive through the western loop of the park, you are considered to be cruising for sexual activity. Police, male prostitutes, and all kinds of oddities hang out here waiting for whatever may come their way. Be careful, and watch who you stop to talk with along the way.
The zoo, the museums, the flowers, botanical gardens, the architecture all make this a place worth visiting. Especially fun if there is an art festival or some other community event going on. Check the calendar. Beautiful area with lots of trees, open area organon Nice restaurant in the park- Prado! The park is a great place to learn stuff and explore. The park has many features that may quickly nickel and dime a travelers budget.
Recommended strategy: arrive early on weekends for parking, have a plan of action, and review prices before you go. This is a special place in San Diego. A must see and do. Beautiful gardens, gorgeous architecture, history in abundance. Something for everyone Zoo nearby. We spent two days here and really enjoyed ourselves. The park is small by Central Park standards, everything is walking distance to each other. There are 13 different museums and many little gardens to enjoy.
We went to 7 out of the 13 museums. They are very small and I think over priced but not if you get the 7 day pass. We got the 7 day pass including the pass to the zoo. Parking is free, and there are many different parking lots but they fill up if you are not there before noon. It's not really worth the money but it is included in the 7 day pass making it worth it.
They are doing a very big addition to the garden but it unfortunately won't be open until We unfortunately were busy on the Sunday of our vacation to San Diego so didn't visit Balboa Park then, but I have heard that that is a great day to go because of all the activities that are in the park!
