My absolute favorite spot in San Diego to stay, play and enjoy the outdoors, restaurants and…read moreactivities!

Great spot for a relaxing weekend outing! We come here all the time with friends for BBQ since it's…read morea convenient location for families with kids. Plenty of space for the kids to play, at the sand area or the playground. It can get crowded so parking can be tricky but we always manage to find a spot so no complains. Piece of advice...stay away from the public restrooms there!

it is unfortunate that a place that is supposedly a welcome center, can treat visitors with great…read moredisregard. At least this was my experience when I tried to get some information and maps. Amanda was playing with her cell phone the entire time and showed she was irritated when me and other visitors interrupted her game to get information from her.

I picked up a brochure in the San Diego Airport that said to come here for a free postcard. It did…read morenot disappoint. If you've gotten tired of tourist traps especially the nearby "seaport village", or Old Town, but you still want to get your souvenir on, definitely stop in here before you spend money at the Midway museum or Kansas City BBQ (where the Great Balls of Fire scene with Anthony Edwards & Meg Ryan in the OG Top Gun movie was filmed) down the road. The selection of items is sparse but it is the least price-gougiest I've encountered in town, probably because they're subsidized by the tour companies. I got a hefty fridge magnet for $8 (same one cost $14 in seaport village) and some SD-themed sweatshirts for $26 that were selling for $30-$40+ in Old Town. Also, you can book various private San Diego Bay sailing tours at the same time. If you are a fan of the Navy, I highly recommend stepping right outside and booking the 2 hour Flagship tour.

I have so many fond memories of Balboa Park and I look forward to making more, from Halloween…read moreparties at the San Diego Air and Space Museum and my friend's wedding to exploring Spanish Village Art Center for the first time, visiting the Botanical Building, going to the Japanese Friendship Garden, discovering the museums, and experiencing December Nights. San Diego wouldn't be the same without this beautiful landmark!

Word to the wise, do your research and know where you're going beforehand. Unfortunately we just…read moredecided to come spur of the moment and didn't really know what we were doing. So apparently there are a lot of parking lots which are not free, $10 unless you're a native and have a pass. We found one lot, called lower inspiration that's free for 3 hours. Also, we didn't realize how big that place is, with so much to see! There are museums, places to eat, the zoo, a playground for kids and I'm sure so much more. The museums are not free, they do sell passes or individual tickets. It's a nice place to spend a day or even a few hours.

I stopped in for some last-minute gifts on the final day of my San Diego trip. The Visitor Center…read moreis small and no one greeted me or asked if I needed help, but there were plenty of different T-shirt options specifically. I was able to find those, plus some pens to purchase. Prices were probably slightly inflated but not terribly. Check out was easy. Bathrooms were right outside of the center in the courtyard, and those were clean and orderly.

We sometimes stop by the Balboa Park Visitors Center to grab brochures and explore the little gift…read moreshop. The staff is always nice, and there are some really cute things in the gift shop. Located near the Prado Restaurant, this Visitors Center is fairly easy to miss. Since there is so much to see in Balboa Park, I'm so glad that they have several knowledgeable employees working here. The gift shop contains a small selection of cute souvenirs. There are also drinks, snacks, and some great books on Balboa Park and the surrounding San Diego area. We are planning on getting the Passport to Balboa Park the next time we are here. If you like Balboa Park as much as we do, this Visitors Bureau Center is worth a stop when you are here!

Make sure to check out this hidden gem tucked up behind old town…read more Free parking in a small lot, but plenty of free parking on the street, just make sure you turn your wheels toward the curb or you will get a ticket. The Park is small but well maintained. Ranger on site. There are a selection of old houses and a temple that you can peruse and take photos of. Meticulously manicured landscaping. Restroom is open limited hours like after 10 am or 11 am, but at least there is one onsite. There is even a voter drop box there as well. I could not believe how calm, quiet, relaxing and not very crowded it was for a nice spring Saturday morning. Enjoy the photos.

I love Victorian architecture, so it was nice to spend some time walking around this park to view…read morethe homes. The restrooms on site were well-kept also. If you're from the East Coast (or have visited somewhere like Cape May, NJ), this area might not be super impressive, but it's worth a quick stop I'd say.

If you are looking for a place to hold an event, this is right in Balboa Park and the servers are…read moretop notch.

A Balboa Park Explorer Pass offers discounted access to art, science, history, and culture museums…read morein Balboa Park. We love them. Visiting for only one day? See four museums with the Limited Pass ($56 adults/$33 children 3-11). The Parkwide Pass ($56/$35) gets you into all 16 museums over seven consecutive days). Living in San Diego, we like the Annual Passes ($99-$129 for Individual Pass, starting at $229 for Family Pass). You can buy Passes either online at https://explorer.balboapark.org/ or here in the Park Visitor Center. N.B. Comic-Con Museum is not included with any Explorer Pass options.

Very good buy, especially if you are a museum fiend. Balboa Park offers something for everyone.read more

There is paid parking, but there's also plenty of free street parking around if you search for it…read moreand keep in mind for the signs that are posted around. It's a must stop if you're in San Diego and it's worth a visit too, even if you're not planning on paying for any of the tours or the tourist spots. Lots of historical architecture, including authentic adobe buildings, statues, signs, and themed shops and such. Each time I've gone here it's been lively, especially so during the holiday season with the decor and the live music playing in the main central square. Lots of photo opportunities and shops and such to peruse and look around. Easy to grab souvenirs here as well and depending on what you're looking for, there may be more than one shop offering it (cultural souvenirs and pieces). Great to shop for outdoor garden decor (little statues and wind chimes) too. There's also toy stores, a hot sauce store, a "Chinese" themed store which is quite funny to visit, and lots of spots to grab food too, sit down and dine in or casual take out. I personally like the churro and champurrado place when it's open. There's a couple restrooms here too, but can get crowded and a bit gross with the large volume of people visiting. Free house museums for self tours where you just walk through and read the little signs that they have, and sometimes there's historical actors as well, which is always a treat.

I went around this place before heading back to Los Angeles. So many historical buildings…read more Unfortunately, most of them were closed. I only was able to get inside the cigar shop. I've seen some employees wearing costumes from this era. I wanted a picture with them but they were walking in a hurry so I wasn't able to stop any of them. I'd like to visit again and see the other buildings. Hopefully, they'll be open the next time I visit.