At 1,200 acres, Balboa Park is significantly bigger than most public green spaces, including New York City’s Central Park—in fact, some refer to it as Central Park’s cooler younger sister. Okay, fine, no one has ever called it that, but it is pretty damn cool.
After all, it’s home to a world-famous zoo, numerous gardens and eateries, and tons of opportunities for shopping and recreation. On top of it all, visitors to the park can explore 18 museums, each offering their own distinctive flair. To celebrate Museum Month (when admission is half-off at cultural institutions throughout the county), here’s our guide to all of Balboa Park’s.
Centro Cultural de la Raza
Located in a former water tower, the Centro Cultural de la Raza features exhibitions, theater, dance, music, and films by Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous, and Latino artists. The center also hosts community events such as tango nights and poetry readings.
Address: 2004 Park Boulevard
Hours: Closed Monday; open Tues.-Sun. from 12 p.m.-5.p.m.
Price: Free; suggested donation of $5
Comic-Con Museum
Don’t worry if you missed Comic-Con this year, or have never grabbed tickets—you can explore all things pop-culture-related at this Balboa Park institution. Year-round exhibitions focus on everything from superheroes to sci-fi franchises, and other special events include movie screenings and art-making activities.
Address: 2131 Pan American Plaza
Hours: Closed Wednesday; open Thurs.-Tues. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: $25 for adults; $18 for seniors(65+), students, and military; $12 for youth (6-12); free for kids under 6
Free Resident Day: Second Tuesday of the month
Fleet Science Center
The Fleet Science Center is home to over 100 interactive exhibits exploring science and innovation. The museum also features an IMAX theater where you can traverse outer space, follow alongside African mammals, and deep-sea dive with sea creatures in ancient caves.
Address: 1875 El Prado
Hours: Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; first Wednesday of the month 10 a.m.-8:15 p.m; accessibility morning hours third Saturday of each month 9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Price: $25 for adults; $20 for children (3-12); $23 for seniors(65+)
Free Resident Day: First Tuesday of the month
Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego
Yokohama, Japan became San Diego’s first sister city in 1957. The Japanese Friendship Garden followed in 1991, designed to foster appreciation and understanding of the country’s culture. The garden includes a bonsai exhibit, black pine trees, azaleas, and ornamental plants, as well as the US’s largest and oldest bronze statue of the Buddhist divinity Kannon.
Address: 2215 Pan American Road East
Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; last admission at 5 p.m.
Price: $14 for adults; $12 for students, seniors(65+), and military; free for children 6 and younger
Free Resident Day: Third Tuesday of the month (excluding March); fourth Tuesday of the month (March)
The Marston House
You can thank George W. Marston, famous for his contributions to the planning and development of Balboa Park, for much of what you know and love about this place. Visit his home, built in 1905, in the northwest corner of the park to wander five acres of gardens and a gift shop.
Address: 3525 Seventh Avenue
Hours: Closed Mon.-Fri.; open Sat. & Sun. from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: $20 for adults, $15 for active duty military, seniors(65+), and students; $7 for children(6-12); free for children 5 and under
Mingei International Museum
After three years of renovations, Mingei International Museum has reopened its doors, showing off folk art, craft, and design objects from all over the world. Additionally, the gallery now features a theater, education center, gift shop, café, and new restaurant Artifact.
Address: 1439 El Prado
Hours: Closed Monday; open Tues.-Wed. & Sat.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Thurs.-Fri. from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Price: Commons Level is free; Gallery Level costs $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, students, and military; children are free
Free Resident Day: Third Tuesday of the month
Museum of Photographic Arts
The Museum of Photographic Arts showcases photography, film, and video, with nearly 9,000 permanent images and 24,000 items in the Edmund L. and Nancy Dubois Library. If you’re interested in getting behind the lens yourself, enroll in one of their onsite photo workshops for adults.
Address: 1649 El Prado
Hours: Closed Mon.-Wed.; open Thurs.-Sun. from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: Free; donations recommended
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Take flight with some of the most famous aviation and space innovators at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, this museum is home to the Apollo 9 Command Module, the only real GPS satellite display in the world, and artifacts from the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earheart, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and other beloved pilots and pioneers.
Address: 2001 Pan American Plaza
Hours: Open daily 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Price: $28 for adults; $23 for students, seniors(65+) and retired military; $17 for children (3-11); free for active military and children under 3
Free Resident Day: Second Tuesday of the month
Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego
The Institute of Contemporary Art spotlights experimental art, presenting bold and sometimes surreal exhibitions tackling issues facing the modern world. One of their most exciting recurring exhibits is NextGen, a juried showcase of new grads from San Diego’s many arts programs.
Address: 1439 El Prado
Hours: Closed Mon.-Wed.; open Thurs.-Sun. from 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Price: Free; $10 donations recommended for adults; $5 for students, seniors, and military; free for children 12 and under
San Diego Automotive Museum
Check out more than 80 historic cars and motorcycles at the San Diego Automotive Museum, which is known for its unique collection of 20th-century automobiles, including Louie Mattar’s 1947 Cadillac that set a cross-country endurance record in 1952.
Address: 2080 Pan American Plaza
Hours: Closed Monday; open Tues.-Sun. from 10 a.m-5:00 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m.
Price: $16 for adults; $12 for seniors(65+), military, and students; $11 for children(4-15); free for children 3 and younger
Free Resident Day: Fourth Tuesday of the month
San Diego History Center
San Diego History Center tells the story of our city with a wide variety of exhibits showcasing photos, art, videos, documents, clothing, and regional objects. Visitors can also watch the award-winning documentary Balboa Park: The Jewel of San Diego.
Address: 1649 El Prado
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wed.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: Free; $10 donation recommended
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego is home to the world’s largest operating model railroad museum, which clocks in at a whopping 28,000 square feet. Feast your eyes on miniature representations of California railroads, a toy train gallery, and an interactive Lionel layout.
Address: 1649 El Prado
Hours: Closed Monday; open Tues.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: $20 for adults; $12 for seniors(65+) and military; $10 for students
Free Resident Day: First Tuesday of the month
San Diego Museum of Us
One thing we all have in common? We’re human. The San Diego Museum of Us explores this fundamental similarity with immersive exhibits focusing on humanity’s relationship to animals, the origins of race, the development of beer, and more.
Address: 1350 El Prado
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wed.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: $20 for adults; $17 for military, seniors(65+), students, youth(6-17), and educators(with ID)
The San Diego Natural History Museum
Unfortunately, the animals and ancient figures on display at the Nat probably don’t come alive at night, but there’s still much to see during open hours at the San Diego Natural History Museum, including dinosaur bones and other fossils and preserved wildlife, plants, and bugs.
Address: 1788 El Prado
Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: $24 for adults, $20 for seniors(65+), military, and students
Free Resident Day: First Tuesday of the month
MOPA@SDMA
At the heart of Balboa Park sits the MOPA@SDMA, with a gorgeous Spanish-style entrance that sets the scene for the artwork inside. In addition to Spanish works, the collection includes Italian old masters, South Asian manuscript illustrations, and 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculptures.
Address: 1450 El Prado
Hours: Closed Wednesday; open Thurs.-Sat. & Mon.-Tues. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; open Sun. from 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Price: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors(65+), free for children under 17
Free Resident Day: Third Tuesday of the month
Timken Museum of Art
The Timken’s airy, mid-century modern building is home to works by European (including Dutch, Flemish, and French), American, and Russian icons. Through May, visitors can see the dazzling, massive-scale Equestrian Portrait of Prince Tommaso of Savoy-Carignan by celebrated painter Kehinde Wiley, the artist behind Barack Obama’s presidential portrait.
Address: 1500 El Prado
Hours: Closed Mon.-Tues.; open Wed.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: Free
The Veterans Museum
The Veterans Museum honors military service members, focusing on the history of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines. It holds a unique collection of artifacts, memorabilia, artwork, and papers related to World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, and other conflicts.
Address: 2115 Park Boulevard
Hours: Closed Sun.-Tues.; open Wed.-Sat. from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: $5 for adults, $4 for veterans and seniors; $2 and students; free for children 12 and under; free for active duty military
Free Resident Day: Second Tuesday of the month
WorldBeat Center
The WorldBeat Center celebrates African, African-American, and Indigenous cultures through art, music, dance, education, and technology. All are invited to join the museum’s concerts, lectures, and community classes in dance and drumming.
Address: 2100 Park Boulevard
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Fri.-Sun. from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Price: Free; donations recommended
