About the Park
Friends of Balboa Park Video:
Watch the 8-minute video about Balboa Park and the history of the park.
Official Websites:
www.balboapark.org
Complete and current guide to museums, attractions, events, restaurants. Sponsored by the House of Hospitality Visitors Center in the Casa del Prado. Make the Visitors Center your first stop in the park. (For location, see the map on their web site.)
www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/balboa/index.shtml
This is the Balboa park section of the San Diego Park & Recreation Department web site. The information is similar to the House of Hospitality web site but there is more detailed information on several subjects, including event use permits, the Balboa Park Activity Center, and the Balboa Park Golf Course.
Other Websites:
www.signonsandiego.com/citysearch/feature/48
A one-page summary of the park on the San Diego Union-Tribune web site.
www.sandiegohistory.org/balboapk.htm
A detailed history of Balboa Park from the web site of the San Diego Historical Society.
www.localwally.com/essential.html
The San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park are numbers 1 and 6 of seven “Essential Attractions” in “Local Wally’s San Diego Tourist Guide … a local guide by a local guy.” An idiosyncratic, up-to-date guide to Balboa Park and the rest of San Diego. Local Wally will answer questions and give personal advice by e-mail, saying “it’s the only guide where you can actually communicate with the guy who wrote it.”
www.pps.org
In September 2004 Balboa Park was selected by Project For Public Spaces as one of the best parks in the world – one of only 9 in the United States so honored - and the best park west of New York City.
Click here to read “The World’s Best and Worst parks.”
In 2003 the same organization included Balboa Park on the short list (6 parks) for selection as “best of the best” urban parks in the United States.
Click here to read “Great public spaces: Celebrating the best of America’s urban parks.
Other Information:
Governing the Park
The Soul of San Diego -- Keeping Balboa Park Magnificent In its Second Century
Click here for this landmark study of Balboa Park by The Trust for Public Land.
Botanical Building
Click here for "The History of the Botanical Building" by Paul Sirois, District Manager of Balboa Park in the January/February issue of California Garden, published by the San Diego Floral Association.
Park of Promise
Select these links for San Diego Union-Tribune columnist and historian Roger Showley’s 2015 wish list and challenge:
www.signonsandiego.com/articlelink/fobp3/fobp3.html
www.signonsandiego.com/articlelink/fobp2/fobp2.html
Parking Management Action Plan For Balboa park
Click here (3MB PDF file).
Trees of Balboa Park
Click here for slideshow of trees discussed at the Millennium Awards Luncheon November 15, 2005.
Read About Balboa Park...
Available at Balboa Park Visitors Center Gift Shop and/or San Diego Historical Society Gift Shop.
DISCOVER BALBOA PARK: A COMPLETE GUIDE
By Pamela Crooks
200 pages ~ $11.95 ~ Published 2000 ~ Photos and maps Everything you need to plan a visit to one of the world's greatest parks. Where to stay, places to eat, what to see and do, where to shop - even a complete map and self-guided walking tour are included!
THE ROMANCE OF BALBOA PARK
By Florence Christman
134 pages ~ $10.95 ~ Published 1985 ~ Black and White photos A behind the scenes look at the history of Balboa Park from 1868 to 1985. "The story of Balboa Park is a story of men and women, of their concern for the beauty and improvement of San Diego and especially of how their leadership, and, on many occasions, their large monetary gifts, have served to develop one of the great parks in the entire nation."
THE MAGIC OF BALBOA PARK
By Andrew Hudson
112 pages ~ $19.95 ~ Published 2000 ~ Full Color photos "Like the legendary city of Xanadu, San Diego's Balboa Park is a place of idyllic beauty. Its tiled dome and awe-inspiring tower, sumptuous buildings, and lavish floral gardens invoke an air of dream-like magnificence. No wonder that Orson Wells filmed the opening scenes of Citizen Kane here, using scenes of Balboa Park to portray Xanadu, the extravagant estate of the world's richest man."
BALBOA PARK - A MILLENNIUM HISTORY
By Roger M. Showley
224 pages ~ $39.95 ~ Published 2000 ~ Color and Black and White photos "For the first time, the full story of Balboa Park comes alive with extensive use of historic maps and photos, drawn from the San Diego Historical Society's extensive archives, complemented by the narrative written by the long-time San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer, Roger M. Showley."
TREES AND GARDENS OF BALBOA PARK
By Kathy Puplava and Paul Sirois
264 pages ~ $25.00 ~ Published 2001 ~ A field guide for visitors to Balboa Park. Features photos, maps, and detailed information about 106 of the park’s most popular and treasured trees, and about the park’s 15 specialized gardens. Also includes a “Blooms By Season” section, directing readers to blooms they may expect to find at the time of their visit. This book is a “must” for anyone interested in the park’s horticulture.
KATE SESSIONS: THE MOTHER OF BALBOA PARK
By Joy Raab
32 pages ~ $10.95 ~ Published 2003 ~ A delightful book introducing children to Kate Sessions, Balboa Park, and plants. Through Joy Raab’s charming illustrations and simple text, young readers will come to know and appreciate this remarkable woman and her legacy. Included are drawings of some of Kate’s trees, and a map showing where they can be found in Balboa Park. $1.00 from the sale of every book is given to the Balboa Park Endowment Fund to beautify and enhance Balboa Park.
Click here for a review of this book by Roger Showley in the March 28, 2004 San Diego Union Tribune.