Strolling down the Prado toward the Laurel Street Bridge, I often like to follow my snout into the floral extravaganza known as the Alcazar Garden. Set within a courtyard behind the House of Charm building, it transports you to a Moorish-style garden from Seville, Spain—the Alcazar Castle Gardens to be exact. Richard Requa, the architect who designed the 1935 Panamanian Exposition, sought to replicate this Spanish garden in miniature, transposing its many pools of water into geometric flower boxes trimmed by boxwood hedges.

The large central flower beds are replanted at set times during the year to provide seasonal bursts of color and aromas. In fact, to get ready for the holiday season, 3,500 red and white Star Flowers have just been planted along with a variety of sages in the perimeter beds. This fall’s theme is Hummingbird Flowers, so don’t be surprised if you see a bunch of these speedy little critters darting in and out.

As you can tell from this picture, the Alcazar Garden is one of the most photogenic settings in the park, with colorfully tiled fountains and spectacular views of the California Tower. For warm afternoons, there’s even a cozy pergola, which is just a fancy word for a colonnaded garden structure covered by an open wood lattice and climbing vines (at least that’s what they said on HGTV the other night).

Like playing fetch with your best friend, some traditions just never get old. And when it comes to Balboa Park, one of the longest-running traditions is free weekly organ concerts at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Since 1917, San Diego has had an official Civic Concert Organist, and currently that title belongs to Dr. Carol Williams, pictured here with my buddy Ambush. As Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society, Dr. Williams puts her talents on display each Sunday at 2:00 p.m. for all to hear. 

Built for the 1915 Panamanian Exposition, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion is one of the few original buildings from that world’s fair still around. John D. Spreckels, a civic leader and entrepreneur who loved pipe organ music, wanted to build an organ in a public park. Since major temperature swings cause organ pipes to go out of tune, he knew San Diego was one of the few places in the world where a massive outdoor organ would be possible.

Thankfully his generous gift to the city continues to be shared each week through performances of a wide variety of musical styles. So be sure to dog-ear your calendar for this Sunday’s concert when Dr. Williams treats listeners to a selection of works by J. S. Bach, Louis Vierne, Scott Joplin, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Nate’s Point has to be one of the most popular and well-known dog parks in San Diego. It was named for a city employee, Nate Wells, who on his own time, turned a pile of dirt and weeds into a lovely picnic area, which officially achieved dog park status in 1996.

Nate’s Point has the wonderful distinction of being totally fenced in. It even features a double-gated entry to let new four-legged visitors in without letting others escape. It is centrally located off of Sixth Ave. near the west end of the Laurel Street Bridge, so it’s easily accessible to all the well-heeled hounds in the Banker’s Hill/Hillcrest ‘hoods. Parking is usually available along Balboa Drive.

Clean and well-maintained, Nate’s Point is open 24/7, giving insomniac pooches a place to expend some energy before hitting the hay (though I look forward to more lighting being added soon). The 2.3-acre park has a gentle slope and is surrounded by tall mature trees, providing ample space for running and fetching and, of course, much-needed shade for cooling down.

Ground-level water fountain service, plenty of pick-up bags, and hip location make Nate’s Point San Diego’s number one doggie hot spot!

While thousands of people flock to the San Diego Zoo each year to see rare, endangered animals, they might not be aware that Balboa Park’s Botanical Building also houses rare, extinct-in-the-wild specimens, such as this amazing Deppea Splendens, which produces these spectacular blooms this time of year only. No photograph can do it justice.

It’s amazing how many things I’ve taken for granted walking through Balboa Park every day for the past year. But now that I’ve done it with the Walking Audio Tour, I’ll never look at the Park’s architecture and landscaping the same way again!  

For only five bucks, the Balboa Park Visitor’s Center offers these nifty wands that tell you the rich history behind all the major buildings, gardens, and people that made Balboa Park the glorious destination it is today. Narrated by longtime local news personality, Larry Himmel, the audio tour is entertaining and informative, complete with lively music and sound effects. A park ranger, historian, architect, and horticulturist also lend their expertise and voices, making you feel like you have a half-dozen tour guides in the palm of your hand—literally!

These high-tech wands are so simple to use that even dogs and children can take part. There’s even a specially designed tour just for kids in which the Park’s founding parents, Kate Sessions and George Marston, come to life to tell the tale of the Park’s past and present.

The walking tour lasts approximately one and a half hours, so by all means, grab a leash and give your best buddy a workout everyone in the family will enjoy!