Extra time in San Diego, California? Long layover at the San Diego Airport? Vacationing in San Diego and looking for a new place to visit? If you want something to do for half of a day in San Diego, I recommend a visit to Balboa Park.  

Visit Balboa Park

Located less than five miles from the San Diego Airport, Balboa Park has something for everyone. An Uber ride from the airport will cost you about $10. This would be a great way to spend a long layover at the San Diego Airport (SAN).

If you have your own vehicle, Balboa Park is easy to get to. Parking is free at many locations throughout the park. There are free shuttles available to take you to different areas of the park if you don’t want to walk.  Paid hop-on hop-off trolly service also travels the park with many different stops. It was a beautiful day so we chose to park our car and walk. The park covers 1,200 acres and is also home to the San Diego Zoo.  For this visit we skipped the zoo and explored the other areas of the park.

Visit the Pipe Organ

We started our visit to Balboa Park with a stop at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. It happened to be a Sunday when we were visiting and the sign said, “Concerts every Sunday at 2 pm.”  We made a mental note to ourselves to stop back by the pavilion to hear the organ playing. Unfortunately, when we returned we were told that the air blower that powers the organ was broken and there wouldn’t be a concert that day. The massive pipe organ was open for viewing so we were still able to get some nice photos of interesting details even though we didn’t hear the organ play.

Visit the Japanese Gardens

After taking some photos of the interesting details of the architecture at the Organ Pavilion, we moved on to the Japanese Friendship Garden located right next to the Organ Pavilion.

We were hungry and wanted a bite to eat. Located outside the Japanese Friendship Garden is the Tea Pavilion restaurant. The counter-service restaurant serves tea, sushi, noodle dishes, Asian salads, and sandwiches.

 There are tables on a patio overlooking the gardens. After a quick sushi and cold noodle salad lunch, we headed to the garden.

The Japanese Friendship Garden takes about one hour to walk the entire path system. Plan to spend more time if you’re going to stop and take multiple photos of the pretty flowers. I liked the garden so much I wrote a whole separate post – (coming soon) about the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Visit the Sculpture Garden

After visiting the gardens, take a stroll along the walkways of the bustling urban park. You’ll find street performers, festivals and cafes  – perfect for people watching. Stopping at the outdoor sculpture garden provides a relaxing spot to sit in the shady courtyard and enjoy a beer.

If you prefer, you can simply walk around and enjoy the large sculptures, free of charge. The sculpture garden is also a prime location for getting a close-up photo of the exterior of the California Tower. The California Tower, located at the Museum of Man, is 154 feet tall.

 If you buy an admission ticket to the museum (currently $23) you can visit the museum and climb the 7 flights of stairs up to the lookout level of the tower for panoramic views of San Diego and beyond. We didn’t have time for a full museum visit this trip, so we didn’t go up in the tower.

Visit the Botanical Building

Refreshed after your beverage break at the sculpture garden, take a walk over to the Botanical Building.  

The Botanical Building houses a beautiful, free botanical garden. Colorful flowers, lacy ferns, and abundant greenery fill the Botanical Building.  

Unique pieces of driftwood and tree bark are scattered among the plants.

The wooden structure of the building provides ample shade and keeps the temperature inside the building very comfortable.

Enjoy the Unique Architecture

The stunning architectural details of the different buildings throughout Balboa Park captured my attention as we walked along

If you’ve more time to visit, there are museums of all types available at the park: model train, modern art, and photography museums, to name a few.

We didn’t go into the museums, instead, we enjoyed the beautiful day and walked around the park photographing the unique, intricate building facades.

Visit Little Italy

If you started your adventure around noon, you might be getting hungry for dinner.  You could choose from several restaurants available in the park. If you have a bit more time, I recommend a visit to the Little Italy section of San Diego.  Only about 3 miles from the park, the Little Italy section has several blocks of delicious restaurant choices. I highly recommend visiting Davanti Enoteca. The meal we enjoyed there was one of the best meals we’ve ever had! There’s a small outdoor courtyard in the back of the restaurant. Since the weather was perfect, we ate outside. There are heaters on the patio in case the weather is cooler.

We followed our server’s recommendations and feasted on what he called the “Holy Trinity.” Our first course was Crispy Brussels Sprouts prepared with prosciutto, chiles,  pecorino, and topped with a fried egg. These could convert a non-brussels sprouts eater into a brussels sprouts lover. Note: this dish is listed as gluten free.

Our second course was Focaccia di Recco. This was a Ligurian flatbread with pockets of a delicious Crescenza, a soft cow’s milk cheese, served with a fresh honeycomb. Honey drizzled over the bread created a focaccia with a tasty salty/sweet combination that I’m anxious to eat again.

Next, we tried the Polenta & Ragu of the Day.  This dish is a mascarpone polenta with a ragu that changes each day.  Prior to visiting San Diego, I saw this dish on the Davanti Enoteca’s Facebook feed and was anxious to try it.  I was happy to learn that on the day of our visit, the Ragu of the Day was a short rib ragu. This amazing dish, served on a wooden plank, is flavorful and the meat was very tender. Note: this dish is listed as gluten free.

Several times throughout the meal Kevin exclaimed, “This is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth!” I agreed with him. This was an amazing meal.  

Since our server had been so great at making recommendations, we didn’t hesitate when he suggested we finish our meal with the Caramel Crostata. This delicious, decadent dessert is a layered creation with a chocolate crust, caramel mousse, mascarpone whipped cream, and chocolate and caramel sauces. It’s topped with pecan sponge toffee chunks that give a unique texture contrast to the dish. It was a heavenly dessert.

We followed up the meal with a stroll along the streets of Little Italy. A perfect ending to a perfect afternoon.

Have you visited Balboa Park?  What’s your favorite attraction there?

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