California - San Diego

Balboa Park

Balboa Park contains one of the biggest groups of museums in the USA , many of them housed in magnificent Spanish-Mexican buildings, in addition to more than 85 Performing Arts and International Culture Organisations including theatres like the internationally acclaimed Old Globe Theatre, and several art galleries. The park also houses the world-renowned San Diego Zoo with more than 800 species in spacious re-created natural habitats. The oldest and most famous of the 15 museums is the Reuben H Fleet Science Centre with a big screen Omnimax Theatre and virtual reality simulator that transports visitors to outer space. Other museums cover a wide range of interests, including cars and motorbikes, anthropology, various forms of art, and natural history. The Spanish Village Art Centre provides a traditional ancient village setting for viewing sculpture, painting, glassblowing and pottery performed by crafts people in classic tiled-roofed studios. The park has numerous features and facilities including golf courses, hiking and cycling trails, promenades, extensive landscaped gardens and horticultural treasures, a Japanese Friendship Garden , fountains and restaurants, a pavilion for Sunday afternoon concerts and the world's largest outdoor organ.

Address: 1549 El Prado;

Telephone: (619) 239 0512;

Website: www.balboapark.org

Transport: Buses 7, 16 or 25 from downtown. There is free tram transportation within the park;

Opening time: The visitor centre is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm ( 4pm in winter). Most museums are closed on Mondays;

Admission: Park entrance is free. A US$30 Balboa Park Passport allows admission to all the museums and the Japanese Garden . Individual museum admissions are US$6 to US$11.50. On Tuesdays museums offer free entry on a rotating schedule

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