Enjoy one of the Country’s Most Unique Urban Parks

San Diego’s Balboa Park is more than just a park: The 1,200-acre expanse features a mix of 18 museums, a rose garden, an IMAX theater, a lively promenade, the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ, and a group of international houses with displays about each country. Families can stroll through the park alongside photographers, cyclists, and musicians. Unlike other urban parks, Balboa Park is famous for its combination of nature and architecture: The ornate facades of the Spanish colonial-style buildings were built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition and were the first of their kind in the U.S.

Museums dedicated to art, anthropology, natural science, photography, and aerospace (to name a few) offer myriad opportunities for education and discovery. For a special lunch or dinner, snag a table at the highly-rated Prado at Balboa Park Restaurant. The park is next to the San Diego Zoo and minutes from downtown, about 35 miles south of Carlsbad. Anytime is good, but weekends are the busiest.