From Wikitravel

Balboa Park-Hillcrest is an area of San Diego, located in the heart of the city just north of Downtown. Balboa Park [1] is a massive urban park with beautiful open spaces, gardens and vegetation, the renowned San Diego Zoo, the historic Old Globe Theatre, and numerous museums. Hillcrest, just to the northwest of Balboa Park, is a dense urban community that has recently undergone a lot of gentrification and is home to many locally-owned businesses and most of San Diego's gay nightlife.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By car

Being in the heart of the city, Balboa Park and Hillcrest are accessible by a number of major streets. Park Boulevard runs north-south through the park and the eastern edge of Hillcrest, connecting to Downtown to the south. 5th and 6th Avenues also provide a direct connection to the area, where one can continue north to Hillcrest or into Balboa Park via Laurel Street/El Prado over the Cabrillo Bridge. Laurel Street continues west towards the San Diego International Airport. Washington Street and University Avenue provide the major east-west connection through Hillcrest, connecting to neighborhoods east and west.

SR-163 runs north-south through the neighborhood, connecting Hillcrest to Downtown to the south and Mission Valley to the north. However, there is no direct connection into Balboa Park from SR-163.

Parking can be very hard to find around here. Lots are located throughout Balboa Park, but most are small and fill up quickly. There on two large lots in the park: one for the San Diego Zoo, and one at Inspiration Point (on the east side of Park Blvd. north of Presidents Way), which is served by a tram which connects the lot to many of the museums in Balboa Park. The tram is totally free and runs 8:30AM-6PM daily, with extended hours during the summer.

[edit] By bus

The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) [2] operates buses in San Diego, which can be a good way to avoid parking hassles. The MTS has one line which directly serves Balboa Park, the Route 7, a frequent service which runs along Park Boulevard and connects Balboa to downtown to the south and several neighborhoods to the northeast. Hillcrest is quite well connected, with routes running south to downtown (along the western edge of Balboa Park) and in other directions.

[edit][add listing] See

• Marston House, 3525 7th Avenue (off of 6th Avenue and Upas), +1 619 298-3142, [3]. Operated by the San Diego Historical Society, this historic residence is open for guided tours. Tours take place Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM, with an additional tour at 4PM during the summer months. $5 adults, $4 seniors/students/military, $2 youth, free for children under 6.
• Spruce Street Bridge, in south Hillcrest at the end of Spruce Street, west of First Avenue. Something of a neighborhood secret, this steel-cable suspension footbridge dates back to the 1910's, and connects to a nearby residential neighborhood. There's not a whole lot to it really, but it is very scenic as you walk right through the treetops on the sides of the canyon.

[edit] Museums

• Museum of San Diego History, 1649 El Prado (in Casa de Balboa), +1 619 232-6203 (fax: +1 619 232-6297), [4]. Daily 10AM-5PM. This museum has a large collection of artifacts and exhibits showcasing the history of the city. If you don't want to pay to enter the museum itself, you can just walk into the building (which contains three separate museums) and look at some historical photographs on the walls of the atrium. $5 adults, $4 students/seniors (65+)/military, $2 ages 6-17, free for ages 5 and under.
• San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum, 2131 Pan American Plaza, +1 619 234-2544, [5]. Daily 10AM-4:30PM. This massive museum covers all sport-related things in the city, with large exhibits on the history of baseball and football in San Diego and special exhibits for the local athletic heroes. $8 adults, $6 seniors/military/students, $4 ages 7-17, free for ages 6 and under.
• San Diego Model Railroad Museum, 1649 El Prado (in Casa de Balboa), +1 619 696-0199, [6]. Tu-F 11AM-4PM, Sa-Su 11AM-5PM. If you have kids or know a train buff, a visit to this fantastic museum should be high on your list. Just like the name suggests, this institution is dedicated to model railroading, with some of the largest model railroad layouts in the world. There's also some interactive exhibits and displays on the history of railroads in San Diego. $6 adults, $5 seniors (65+), $3 students, $2.50 military, free for ages under 15.
• Veterans Museum & Memorial Center, 2115 Park Boulevard, +1 619 239-2300 (fax: +1 619 239-7445), [7]. Tu-Sa 9:30AM-3PM. Situated in the Old Navy Chapel, this museum contains artifacts and memorabilia honoring the men and women of the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and Wartime Merchant Marine. Free; donations accepted.

[edit] Art museums

• Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2125 Park Boulevard, +1 619 235-6135 (fax: +1 619 595-0034), [8]. Tu-Su Noon-4PM. A cultural arts center dedicated to promoting Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous and Latino art and culture. The gallery showcases rotating exhibits and performances regularly take place here.
• Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, +1 619 239-0003 (fax: +1 619 239-0605), [9]. Tu-Su 10AM-4PM. A large folk art museum which is instantly recognizable from the outside by the large colorful mosaic sculptures out front. $6 adults, $4 seniors, $3 ages 6-17/students/military, free for children under 6.
• Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado (in Casa de Balboa), +1 619 238-7559 (fax: +1 619 238-8777), [10]. Tu-Su 10AM–5PM (open Thursdays until 9PM). Dedicated to the art and history of photographic arts, with works from famous photographers such as Ansel Adams. The museum also holds changing exhibitions and a theater that plays art and cult films. $6 adults, $4 students/seniors/military, free for children under 12 (theater admission separate).
• San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, +1 619 236-0011 (fax: +1 619 236-1974), [11]. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su Noon-4PM. A large gallery with changing exhibitions of San Diego artists. $3 adults $2 seniors/military/students, free for children 12 and under.
• San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, +1 619 232-7931 (fax: +1 619 232-9367), [12]. Tu-Su 10AM-6PM (open until 9PM on Thursdays). The largest art museum in the region, with European, contemporary, and Latin American art, 19th and 20th century American art, and an Asian collection. There are also changing exhibitions, featuring show major art shows. $10 adults, $8 seniors/military, $7 students, $4 children, free for children 5 and under.
• Timken Museum of Art, 1500 El Prado, +1 619 239-5548 (fax: +1 619 531-9640), [13]. Tu-Sa 10AM-4:30PM, Su 1:30PM-4:30PM. A small art museum with collections of lesser-known pieces from famous European old masters, American, and Russian painters. Free.

[edit] Science and technology museums

• Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, +1 619 238-1233, [14]. Opens daily 9:30AM, closing times vary. This popular science museum is filled with dozens of well-done interactive exhibits of interest to children, young adults and grown-ups too. There's also an IMAX theater in the building, one of the world's first. $8 adults, $6.75 seniors/children, free for children under 3 (theater admission separate).
• San Diego Air and Space Museum, 2001 Pan American Plaza, +1 619 234-8291, [15]. Daily 10AM-4:30PM (open until 5:30PM in the summer). You may notice the museum as you fly into San Diego, the circular building is centered around a navy PBY flying boat, and features exhibits detailing the history of manned flight, from the first planes to space travel, with lots of full-scale models of aerodynamic craft. There is also an exhibit on San Diego native Charles Lindberg, whose famous flight on his Spirit of St. Louis began in San Diego. $15 adults, $12 seniors/students, $9 teens, $6 children, free for children 5 and under.
• San Diego Automotive Museum, 2080 Pan American Plaza, +1 619 231-2886 (fax: +1 619 231-9869), [16]. Daily 10AM-5PM. This splendid museum showcases some of the finest, rarest, and most famous cars in the world. $8 adults, $6 seniors/military, $5 student, $4 children, free for children under 6.
• San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, +1 619 239-2001 (fax: +1 619 239-2749), [17]. Daily 10AM-4:30PM. Located beneath the majestic California Tower near the Cabrillo Bridge, the Museum of Man is an institution devoted entirely to anthropology. The museum's permanent collection includes exhibits on the Mayan, ancient Egypt, the Kumeyaay Indians of San Diego County, Human Evolution, and the Human Life Cycle, with some incredible displays such as mummies, ancient artifacts from prehistoric cultures, and replicas of ancient monuments. $8 adults, $6 seniors/students/military, $4 children, free for children under 6.
• San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, +1 619 232-3821 (fax: +1 619 232-0248), [18]. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa-Su 9AM-5PM. Like any natural history museum, this one has lots of big dinosaur skeletons. Exhibits on the local ecology and geology are also prevalent throughout the museum, as well as a massive Foucault pendulum in the entrance hall. There are also many changing exhibitions and a giant-screen theater. $9 adults, $7 seniors, $6 teens/students/military, $4 children, free for children 2 and under.

[edit] San Diego Zoo

2920 Zoo Drive, +1 619 231-1515, [19]. 9AM–4PM (extended hours in the summer). $24.50 adults, $16.50 children, free for children under 3 (combo tickets which include Guided Bus Tour and Aerial Tram rides available).

An absolutely enormous and world-renowned institution, the San Diego Zoo showcases many exotic animals from all over the world, which include apes, giant pandas, hippos, polar bears, tigers, bears, lions, elephants, koalas, kangaroos, zebras, reptiles, hundreds of species of birds, and a whole lot of species of animals that are less well-known.

The many expansive and well-designed exhibits throughout the park provide a natural setting for the zoo's animals, such as large bird aviaries, Polar Bear Plunge (a large arctic area), Ituri Forest (an African rain forest), Tiger River, Absolutely Apes, a Children's Zoo (with lots of farm animals), and many more specialized areas. The terrain of the park, with plateaus, steep canyons, and wide flat areas, creates an expansive setting with many hidden corners and less-beaten paths.

The zoo is so large there are even some special ways for getting around it. Double-decker buses provide a way to get around much of the zoo, and while one of the routes is a guided tour and more of a novelty than an actual way to travel around the park, two other routes connect you to different areas of the park without the need for walking. In addition, the Skyfari aerial tram provides a quick shortcut to get from one side of the zoo clear out to the other, providing magnificent views of the zoo.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Balboa Park's many gardens provide a scenic and quiet escape from the bustle of the city or a relaxing break between museum visits. Many of the gardens follow specific themes, with desert species, flowers, native species, a Moorish garden, a rose garden, and a Japanese garden. The highlight of Balboa's botanical collection is the Botanical Building, a historic structure which contains an adjacent lily pond and numerous species of ferns, orchids, palms, and other tropical plants.
• Near the entrance of the San Diego Zoo, the Balboa Park Carousel and the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad provide an entertaining diversion for kids. Each charges $2 per ride per person. The Spanish Village Art Center [20], a historic landmark built for an exposition in the 1930s, is a community home to many artists and art studios.

[edit] Preforming arts

• See a play at the Old Globe Theatre, +1 619 234-5623, [21]. The original theater, designed to copy Shakespeare's theatre in London, was built in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition. In 1978 the theatre was burned down; the rebuilt theatre opened in 1982. The area hosts three stages including the Old Globe itself, the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, and an outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theater. You will usually have to purchase tickets in advance.
• In addition to the Globe Theater, there's the Starlight Bowl, +1 619 544-7827, [22]. The Bowl is home to the San Diego Civic Light Opera Association, which put on plenty of live performances through the summer.
• Spreckels Organ Pavilion, +1 619 702-8138, [23]. Home to one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs, the Spreckels Pavilion holds a number of free - yes, free of charge - concerts throughout the year.
• San Diego Junior Theatre, +1 619 239-1311, [24]. One of the oldest youth theater programs in the country, the Junior Theatre holds many live performances.
• Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, +1 619 544-9203, [25]. A popular venue for renowned puppeteers, with an indoor theater holding many performances during the year. A favorite for children.

[edit] Hillcrest

• Hillcrest Cinemas, 3965 5th Avenue (in the Village Hillcrest complex), +1 619 819-0236, [26]. Part of the Landmark Theaters chain, this theater showcases many independent and foreign films.
• 6th @ Penn Theatre, 3704 6th Avenue, +1 619 688-9210, [27]. Throughout the year, this small theater stages many unusual (some controversial) plays.
• The San Diego Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade [28] and festival takes place in July in Hillcrest, running down University and 6th Avenues.
• Cityfest, a huge arts & crafts festival with lots of food and entertainment, takes place in August in Hillcrest.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Most of the museums in Balboa Park contain gift shops specializing in merchandise and items specific to that museum, like art shops at the art museums, science toys at the science museums, zoo stuff at the zoo, etc. There's also a general gift shop at the Balboa Park Visitors Center in the House of Hospitality, where you can purchase postcards and the like. In addition, the Spanish Village Art Center contains a number of art studios where you can purchase arts and crafts directly from the artist.

• Blue Stocking Books & Bindery, 3817 Fifth Avenue (between University and Robinson), +1 619 296-1424, [29]. F-M 11AM-9:30PM, Tu-Th 11AM-7PM. An excellent independent bookstore specializing in rare and out-of-print books.
• Bountiful Books, 3834 5th Avenue (between University and Robinson), +1 619 491-0664. Wide selection of new and used books.
• Fifth Avenue Books, 3838 5th Avenue (between University and Robinson), +1 619 291-4660, [30]. A little bookstore with lots of used and out-of-print titles.
• Wear It Again Sam, 3823 5th Avenue (between University and Robinson), +1 619 299-0185, [31]. Vintage clothing store with fashions from the 1900's up to the 1950's.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Expect food to be overpriced in Balboa Park. Most food options in the park revolve around museum cafes, as there aren't many stand-alone restaurants in the park. You can find a cafe in the Casa de Balboa building, the House of Hospitality, the Natural History Museum, the Science Center, the Old Globe Theater, the Sports Museum, and the Museum of Art. A tea pavilion is located at the Japanese Friendship garden, just south of the House of Hospitality. There are also snack carts located around Balboa Park. The San Diego Zoo also provides a number of eating options.

• The Prado, 1549 El Prado (in the House of Hospitality), +1 619 557-9441, [32]. Lunch M-F 11:30AM-3PM, Sa-Sun 11AM-3PM. Dinner Tu-Su from 5PM onward. Just about the only full-service restaurant in Balboa Park (save for a couple of places in the zoo), The Prado has a diverse menu with appetizers, salads, soups, seafood, pastas, and sandwiches. $11-$40.

Hillcrest, on the other hand, has numerous fine restaurants:

• Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe, 1220 Cleveland Avenue, +1 619 574-1111. Daily 11AM-9PM.
• Busalacchi's, 3683 5th Avenue, +1 619 298-0119, [33]. Lunch: M-F 11:30AM-2PM, Dinner: Su-Th 5PM-9PM, F-Sa 5PM-10PM. Fine Italian restaurant. $10-$35.
• Corvette Diner, 3946 5th Avenue, +1 619 542-1001, [34]. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM. A fun faux-50's diner, great for the kids.
• Crest Cafe, 425 Robinson Avenue (between 4th and 5th Avenue), +1 619 295-2510, [35]. Daily 7AM-Midnight. $6-$15.
• Hash House a go go, 3628 5th Avenue, +1 619 298-4646, [36]. Breakfast/Lunch: M-F 7:30AM-2PM, Sa-Su 7:30AM-2:30PM. Dinner: Su, Tu-Th 5:30PM-9PM, F-Sa 5:30PM-10PM.
• Ichiban, 1440 University Avenue (at Richmond Street), +1 619 299-7203, [37]. M-F 11AM-9:30PM, Sa 12PM-9:30PM, Su 12PM-9PM. Good Japanese food. $6-$8 (Sushi/Sushi rolls $3-$8).
• Kemo Sabe, 3958 5th Avenue, +1 619 220-6802, [38]. $15-$30.
• Khyber Pass, 523 University Avenue, ☎ +1 619 294-7579, [39]. M-Su 11:30AM-10PM. A mix of Afghan, Turkish, and Indian dishes served by a friendly staff. Lamb, beef, chicken, and vegetarian/vegan dishes. Located on University Avenue, amongst many other restaurants. Street parking only. $13 - $30.  edit

• La Pizzeria Arrivederci, 3789 4th Avenue (at Robinson), +1 619 542-0293. Often cited as one of the best, if not the best pizza place in San Diego.
• Ono Sushi, 1236 University Ave, ☎ +1 619 298-0616, [40]. Great sushi, with inventive rolls. Popular, may have to wait for a table. $10 - $20.  edit

• Ortega's, a Mexican Bistro, 141 University Avenue (3rd and University), +1 619 692-4200 [41]. Daily 11AM-Midnight. $7-$10.
• Parallel 33, 741 W. Washington Street (at Falcon Street), +1 619 260-0033, [42]. M-Th 5:30PM-10PM, F-Sa 5:30PM-11PM.
• Pizza Nova, 3955 5th Avenue (in the Village Hillcrest center), +1 619 296-6682, [43]. Another fine pizza place. $8-$18.
• Tapas Picasso, 3923 4th Avenue, +1 619 294-3061. A good Spanish restaurant.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 120 W Washington Street, +1 619 574-7588.
• Nunu's Cocktail Lounge, 3537 5th Avenue, +1 619 295-2878. Daily 6AM-2AM. Neo-hip dive bar.
• The Wine Lover, 3968 5th Avenue, +1 619 294-9200, [44]. A lovely wine bar with a wide selection of wines and some light meals.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Balboa Park Inn, 3402 Park Boulevard, ☎ +1 619 298-0823 (info@BalboaParkInn.com, fax: +1 619 294-8070), [45]. Check in: 3PM; Check out: 12 Noon. This is the closest accommodation to Balboa Park; just north of the zoo on Park Blvd, right across Upas Street from the park itself. The inn is small guesthouse made up of four Spanish colonial homes attached via courtyards, with 26 unique suites. $100-$240.  edit

• Sommerset Suites, 606 Washington Street, ☎ (800) 962-9665, [46].  edit

[edit] Contact

This is a guide article. It has a variety of good, quality information including hotels, restaurants, attractions, arrival and departure info. Plunge forward and help us make it a star!