San Diego’s Balboa Park: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park, and it began as dusty scrub and rattlesnakes. This self-guided walking tour follows the crowds who poured in for the 1915 and 1935 World’s Fairs, and uncovers the scandals that turned an arid hillside into San Diego’s cultural oasis. Begin at the Kate Sessions statue and cross Cabrillo Bridge, the dramatic 1915 entrance above a canyon now carrying Highway 163. The California Tower rises ahead. From the Plaza de Panama, once a parking lot, the route winds past the Old Globe, the Botanical Building and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, home to one of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs. Zoro Garden is a butterfly habitat today; in 1935, it hosted a staged nudist colony. A footbridge through Palm Canyon’s century-old palms leads to the Alcazar Garden’s star-shaped fountain. Perfect for first-time visitors and anyone who prefers stories to lectures. Install the VoiceMap app and enter the ticket code from your confirmation email to start touring.