BALBOA PARK ADVENTURES

One of the treasures of San Diego is Balboa Park. Such an interesting place! The 1,200 acre park is named after the Spanish explorer, Vasco Nunez de Balboa. It was the setting for the 1915 Panama – California Exposition as well as the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Many of the buildings created for these events were intended to be temporary structures but proved to be so popular that they were preserved and are still enjoyed by visitors from all over the world.

Balboa Park Visitors Center

Balboa Park is one of the oldest sites in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. In addition to natural vegetation, gardens and walking paths, it contains a variety of cultural attractions including 15 museums, several theaters, and the world famous San Diego Zoo.

We made three separate trips to the park during our California trip. The longest was a day at the zoo and we’ll report on that in a separate blog entry. Our first park visit was to the Marston House, an Arts and Crafts style home (http://sohosandiego.org/main/marston2.htm). Visiting homes and gardens is one of our favorite things to do while on vacation and Marston was a great treat. We especially enjoyed the Stickley and Roycroft furnishings and the Rookwood pottery. 

On Saturday we returned to Balboa. Our first stop was the Spanish Village Art Center (http://www.spanishvillageart.com/) for the “Art in Bloom” celebration. The 37 working art studios/shops were overflowing with pottery, glassware, jewelry, paintings and many other wonderful offerings throughout the picturesque courtyard. 

Mosaic Whale Sculpture

Artists submitted their work to local florists who then prepared arrangements inspired by the submission.

After leaving Spanish Village we walked the main avenue and were greeted by various street performers – a magician, a violinist, an evangelical music group, and San Diego Bird Rescue.

We even saw a couple of different wedding parties!

After lunch at The Prado Restaurant (www.pradobalboa.com), we visited the Timken Museum of Art (www.timkenmuseum.org) and saw world-class European old master paintings, American works and Russian icons.

Then we went to the San Diego Natural History Museum (www.sdnhm.org) to see the traveling Titanic artifact exhibition.  As we entered we were given a “boarding pass” to mimic one of the original passengers.  Lee was Nils Martin Odahl from Orajo Sweden who was traveling alone to Peoria, Illinois to study botany and agriculture. He was a third class passenger who perished when the ship went down. Deb was Eleanor Widener of Philadelphia. Eleanor and her husband George were returning from a trip to London and Paris where they bought furniture and a trousseau for their daughter who was to be wed. On the evening of April 14, 1912, the Wedeners hosted a dinner aboard ship in the sumptuous A la Carte Restaurant to honor Captain Smith. Eleanor, a first class passenger, survived the tragedy. We greatly enjoyed reading the stories and seeing the Titanic artifacts including propellers, dishes, and personal effects. The exhibit was very well done and included replicas of both first-class and third-class cabins.

Balboa Park has something for everyone and we highly recommend a visit. Allow plenty of time as there is so much to do and see, both indoors and out. You could easily spend a week and not see it all. We’d love to return one day.