San Diego Balboa Park Walking Tour

Start tour at old Balboa Naval hospital est. 1925. Site of the 1915 Panama California Exposition.

Est. in 2021. Comic-Con started in 1970. The oldest and largest comic book convention in the world.

Ford Building built for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Has the only replica of the "Spirit of St. Louis" airplane used to fly across the Atlantic by Charles Lindberg.

Est. 1935. The San Diego Automotive Museum has a collection that includes trend-setting cars like the iconic DeLorean, international motorcycles, rare memorabilia as well as videos that put the automotive experience and evolution into a cultural perspective.

Housed in historic 1935 Exposition cottages, 34 groups promote multicultural goodwill and understanding through educational and cultural programs from different countries around the world..

Built by John Spreckels for 1915 Panama California Expo. Largest outdoor organ in the world.

Est. 1914. The garden includes meticulous stone designs, calming koi ponds, delightful water features, traditional architectural structures and breathtaking vistas.

Alcazar Garden, named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year. The garden has been reconstructed to replicate the 1935 design by San Diego architect Richard Requa.

Constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, this beautiful structure is an architectural hybrid of architectural different styles, including Baroque, Plateresque, Churrigueresque, and Rococo, with some Gothic details. Designed by Bertram Goodhue, who included intricate ornamentation, arched arcades, carvings and busts, and colorful tile adorning the tower and domes, the building is reminiscent of the Spanish-Colonial churches in Mexico that inspired him.

The Cabrillo Bridge, built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, was the first cantilevered, multiple-arched bridge to be built in Southern California. It is nearly 1,500 feet long and nearly 125 feet high. Named after Juan Cabrillo who discovered California in 1542,.

Statue of Alonzo Horton, the founder of New Town at Founders Plaza. Also statue Kate Sessions, Mother of Balboa Park. Hear the stories of both San Diego Pioneers.

Est. 1935. The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 75 years.

The museum houses a broad collection of Spanish art. It opened as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed to its current name in 1978.

The Botanical Building presents some of the Park’s vibrant seasonal flower displays. Built for the 1915-16 Exposition, along with the adjacent Lily Pond and Lagoon, the historic building is one of the largest lath structures in the world. The Botanical Building plantings include more than 2,100 permanent plants, featuring fascinating collections of cycads, ferns, orchids, other tropical plants, and palms.

The Casa del Prado comprises several reconstructed buildings that were initially built for the Panama–California Exposition. Beautiful Spanish Colonial architecture.

It was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. It is the second oldest scientific institution west of the Mississippi and the oldest in Southern California.

Established in 1973, it was the first science museum to combine interactive science exhibits with a planetarium and first IMAX Dome theater in the world.

During the 1935 Expo, the Spanish Village held different restaurants and gift shops, selling some art and curios. But after the fair ended in 1936, the buildings were left empty until artists moved in the next year. Artists have been here since.

Opened 1916 with abandoned animals from 1915 Expo. Most visited Zoo in America. Over 14,000 animals.

Built in 1910 in New York. Moved from Tent City Coronado in 1922.

Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden is an award winning All-American Rose Selection Display Garden containing over 2,400 rose bushes in 180 varieties.

Est. 1970. Founded by Salvador Torres who painted murals in Chicano Park in 1973.

Return to Old Balboa Hospital 1925. End the tour at the Veterans Museum.