Balboa Park sits in the heart of San Diego, just east of downtown. As accurately stated on their website, Balboa Park is “Where culture, science, and nature collide.” It is home to the world famous San Diego Zoo, but also numerous museums, gardens, and trails. It is a beautiful, historic and not to be missed, whether you all San Diego home or are visiting for the sunshine.

Balboa Park certainly markets itself well and I do not work for them in any capacity, so that isn’t the point of this post. This post is for families who want to make the most of the park. We absolutely love Balboa Park so I simply want to share what we’ve learned, enjoyed and how we’ve made the most of the park. Where are the best places to visit with kids? Which museums work and which can you skip? How do you get the best deals?

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3 Options for Visiting Balboa Park

1. Stick to Free Days

The first and obviously least expensive option is to stick to free days. If you are a San Diego resident, Balboa Park offers Resident Free Tuesdays to various museums in the park on a rotating schedule. You can check out the schedule on their website. Many of the museums and the zoo are also free to kids in the month of October – you can learn more about that here.

2. Individual Museum Fees & Packages

The second option is to simply visit a museum and pay the entrance fee. If you’re particularly a lover of art or have a kid who loves science, then going to just that museum or paying for a single membership to a museum is an option.

3. Explorer Pass

If you want to visit more than one museum then the Explorer Pass is 100% the way to go. You can get an annual, one day or multi-day Explorer Pass, so regardless of whether you are a resident or just visiting for a couple of days I would still recommend one of these variations. My main reason is this – while together, the area, the gardens, the playgrounds, the trails, and the many museums are extraordinary, I do not personally think that any of the individual museums is spectacular or particularly large. There are really good ones. Ones we’ve been to many times and I will get into some of that below, but really what is so great about Balboa Park is the diversity of experiences that you can pop into and out of.

We get the annual Explorer Pass. 365 Days. 16 Museums. 1 Pass. The only thing not included is the Zoo, which although adjacent to the park is a separate entity. I personally think this pass makes for a great holiday gift idea if you like gifting experiences.

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What to do in Balboa Park with Kids

So now that you are on board for a morning or day at Balboa Park, where do you go? I will admit to being completely overwhelmed by that question the first time I visited. A few tips first, before we start picking out museums:

• Parking, especially on the weekend, can be difficult. I usually try to arrive early (always my advice, especially if you’re already up with little ones or trying to fight your body over the time change). We usually park near the Air & Space Museum which is on the opposite side of the park from the zoo and is a large lot, so it seems to fill up a little more slowly.
• Another good parking option if you’re there early enough is behind the Fleet Science Museum which situates you close to some of the best museums and near the playground on that end of the park as well.

About Balboa Park

Balboa Park was set aside by the city in the 1800s and was beautified in the 1890s, largely in preparation for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and largely by a woman named Kate Sessions. If you’re a book person, like I am, you might enjoy sharing this wonderful picture book about Kate Sessions. It is about how one woman who loved trees completely transformed San Diego from a desert into what it is today. It’s one of our favorites and really affected how we see the park and our city.

What to Do in the Park with Kids

Now the biggie. What do you actually do in the park with kids. Balboa Park’s website does have a list of kid friendly things to do in the park and it’s a good one, but if you’re trying to figure out priorities, here are some thoughts.

Japanese Friendship Garden

The Japanese Friendship Garden is one of our family’s favorite parts of Balboa Park. We have visited it more times than anywhere else in Balboa Park and it is beautiful any time of the year.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is their biggest event of the year. We went the first year we lived here and did enjoy it, but the garden is SO crowded during this time. Personally I think it is much more pleasant on a normal week day or even early on a normal weekend day.

Best for: All ages, Families who love gardens, nature.
Kid Tip: Don’t miss the two large coy ponds and the opportunities to walk over the stream on all of the bridges.

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

My kids love the Fleet Science Center. There are lots of hands on activities and they often have a fun visiting exhibit (that costs a little extra money). I wouldn’t say it is the best science center we have ever visited but it is a fun way to spend a few hours and one of my twins’ favorite parts of Balboa.

Best for: Toddlers and up. Great for families who love science.
Kid Tip: This one has a decent food area adjacent that has kid friendly options.

San Diego Air and Space Museum

Having been to both amazing space museums in Washington DC, I find it hard to be impressed by other Air and Space Museums. This one does have some interesting parts about Naval and Air Force history. The best part about this museum is probably the visiting exhibits – so pay attention to the calendar and try to get over there when something good is visiting.

Best for: there is a space for little kids, but I would say this is best for kids who are 5+

San Diego Art Institute

It isn’t huge, but I was impressed with this little Art Museum. It has good and diverse (albeit small) collection and is very family friendly.

Best for: ages 3+, families who love art. Highly, highly recommend bringing your kids something to do – their own drawing materials, a scavenger hunt, etc.
Kid Tip: make sure to check out their free family events. My kids always love these opportunities to create and it gets them more excited about the exhibits at the museum afterwards. These were temporarily suspended during Covid19.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

If you know someone who loves trains, this is a not to be missed museum. Tucked into the lower level of the Casa de Balboa Building on the Prado in Balboa Park is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. Don’t let the basement entrance fool you, at 27,000 sq. ft., it is the largest such indoor model train exhibit in North America, and one of the largest in the world. Read Full Post

Best for: all ages. This is a great one to visit with grandparents.
Kid tip: for the kid who loves trains, make sure to go ride the miniature train afterwards. Check the hours first to avoid disappointment!

San Diego Museum of Man

This is a fun museum full of interesting exhibits. We loved the ones about Monsters and Living with Animals. Note: Going up in the tower and the special exhibit are not included in the main cost.

Best for: kids 5 and older.

San Diego National History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a lot of fun for kids who like animals, dinosaurs, or science – my kids happen to like all three. There are lots of exhibits that engage kids. It isn’t a children’s museum in the sense that it’s super hands on, but there are still plenty of things to touch and manipulate and explore.

Best for: Kids who are 5+ and interested in one of the topics covered at the museum.

Mingei Museum

I explained this museum to my kids as an art museum full of art that people actually use. The museum website calls them “arts of daily life.” It is a small, but beautiful collection.

Best for: 5+ The museum is not interactive but the “every day” aspect – beads, quilts, etc. is appealing on a broader basis than other art museums might be.

All in all, we love Balboa Park. While there isn’t a single amazing museum, together if you have the explorer pass and view them as one big museum – together they are impressive. We love spending days in the park wandering in and out of different museums or popping in for an hour to our favorites.

Balboa Park itself is a beautiful place to walk around and there are always interesting things to see and people to watch.

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