Eccentric

Balboa Park Carousel

An old favorite is the Balboa Park Carousel. Did you know this is one of a handful of carousels in the U.S. that includes the traditional brass ring game? Take a ride and try your skill by reaching out to grab the ring!

Casa De Balboa

As you walk by the Casa de Balboa, look up towards the roof. Can you spot the caryatids or weight-bearing pillars shaped like people? Architecture fans and curious observers alike have been discussing just who these caryatid figures might represent. What do you think?

Spreckels Organ Pavilion

Take a walk to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. In 2014, the San Diego post-hardcore band Drive Like Jehu played a reunion concert here, accompanied by San Diego Civic Organist Carole Williams. The appeal of playing with a live organ helped convince the band to get back together.

California Tower

Have you heard California Tower bells marking the hour or chiming a pleasant tune? These notes aren’t coming from actual bells, but from chimes controlled by an electric carillon. End your day with a Tower Tour to learn more about the instrument…and take in the spectacular view!

San Diego Natural History Museum (the NAT)

Time for a bit of the macabre at the San Diego Natural History Museum. The Skulls exhibition displays over 200 bone structures from a wide range of animals, from tiny mice to big-horned sheep.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Take a trip to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, where you can discover whimsical scenes in miniature. Spot the canyon climbers, the church filled for a wedding, the shark in the swimming pool, and the overturned chicken delivery truck!

San Diego Automotive Museum

Roll on over to the San Diego Automotive Museum and check out Louie Mattar’s Fabulous Car. In 1952, San Diego garage owner Louie Mattar modified this 1947 Cadillac, adding a makeshift shower, washing machine, and even a kitchen sink, in order to set a cross-country endurance record by driving from San Diego to New York and back without stopping.

Timken Museum of Art

Pay a visit to the Timken Museum, which holds an art collection donated to the City of San Diego by the Putnams, wealthy and reclusive siblings who lived in a Hillcrest mansion during the mid-20th century. The mysterious siblings traveled around town in a curtained limousine.

Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego

Visitors would likely not guess that the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, today an experimental contemporary art center, was originally founded as the San Diego Business Man’s Art Club. In 1950, the organization’s name was changed to the San Diego Art Institute, and in 1953, accepted its first woman. More recently, the organization merged with the Lux Art Institute of Encinitas and became the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego.

Zoro Garden

Speaking of Balboa Park expositions, take a peek at the Zoro Garden. Now a peaceful butterfly refuge, during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition this space was an exhibit featuring…nudists! Visitors could get a full view for a quarter, or catch glimpses through knotholes in the surrounding fence for free.

Panama 66 at The San Diego Museum of Art

Stop for a drink at Panama 66, a Balboa Park bar and restaurant. Enjoy lots of local beers on tap, California wine, craft cocktails, and food made with local ingredients, all in an art-filled outdoor setting.