- Inside The Park
- Calendar
- Plan Your Visit
- Park Information
- Travel
- Conservancy
San Diego, CA
69.8 °F
Museums
Posted on Apr 25, 2012.
Long before I began my career as the Park’s resident canine blogger, I enjoyed many an idyllic summer as a young pup frolicking through Balboa Park’s gardens and sniffing every corner of its historic architecture. It is those experiences that made me the alpha dog I am today—at least in my own little pack. If I had the benefit of the kinds of organized summer camp experiences currently offered by the Park’s first-class cultural organizations, who knows where I would be today!
Fortunately, it’s not too late for your own pups, and there’s never been a better time to introduce them to the many facets of Balboa Park’s cultural kaleidoscope. Whether your younglings prefer ballet, photography, airplanes, arts and crafts, astronomy, trains, dinosaurs, archeology, nature, and everything in between, you’ll find something in the many half-day Balboa Park summer camps that they won’t mind putting down the Nintendo for.
And if your pups are more like fickle felines, no problem! A special collaborative program allows each kid to spend the morning in one camp and the afternoon in a completely different one, with camp staff providing lunchtime supervision and an escort to the second venue. The only catch is you’ll need to register at each institution separately, as there is no centralized registration process.
And if you’re the type of workaholic or commuter that can’t fetch your child by 4:00pm each day, the Old Globe Theatre is now offering an aftercare program from 4:00 to 6:00pm. Full-day camps are also offered by the San Diego Junior Theatre, San Diego Zoo, and San Diego Art Institute.
But you’d better hurry, as the most popular camps fill up quickly! To start your planning, be sure to paw over this handy brochure.
Posted in
Posted on Dec 28, 2011.
So you have the week off, kids are out of school, sis and her pups are in from out of town, weather is gorgeous … but ocean water temperatures are too doggone cold—even for a hot dog like me! What’s the hostess with the mostess to do?
Since you’ve clicked through to this blog, you are obviously intrigued by Balboa Park’s numerous options. In no particular order here my five favorite activities for families this week:
1. Botanical Building/Poinsettia Display — The historic wood lathe structure, one of the largest of its kind, is festively adorned for the season—and always free! But plan on going this Wednesday or Friday as it’s closed Dec. 29 and this weekend.
2. Reuben H. Fleet Science Center — Serving a smorgasbord of hands-on exhibits your pups will never realize are educational, the Fleet is also home to the region’s only domed IMAX theater, which is now showing a film very near and dear to my heart: Born to Be Wild.
3. San Diego’s Craft Revolution — Treat your brood and bipedal guests to this comprehensive showcase of the unique styles and designs you grew up with at the Mingei International Museum.
4. Modern Day Mummy — Though not recommended for the very young or squeamish, this fascinating exhibition at the Museum of Man explores the worldwide practice of mummification—featuring actual mummies, of course!
5. SPACE: A Journey to Our Future — Closing January 8, this is your final chance to see the Air & Space Museum’s blockbuster exhibition of interactive displays, models, and environments that reveal the history and future of outer space exploration.
Could I have made this a list of the top 10 things to do in the Park this week? Most certainly! But as I covered many other worthwhile activities in recent posts, I’ll let you scroll down to see what else is going on, as well as a list of special museum holiday hours.
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Dec 21, 2011.
When it comes to holiday hours, Balboa Park’s museums are like that cute little puppy some will welcome into their homes on Christmas morning: they each have a mind of their own.
Though it doesn’t look like the weather will be too frightful this holiday weekend, preventing my two-legged readers from enjoying Balboa Park’s many outdoor amenities, I know many will want to bring their guests to some of the Park’s indoor cultural attractions.
Though it’s best to check each museum’s page on this site before coming to the Park, here are the holiday hours in a nutshell for most (but not all) of the major attractions.
December 24 (Christmas Eve):
Only the Botanical Building will be completely closed all day. However, while some museums will stick to their regular hours, most will close early including: the Zoo (4:30pm), Museum of Man (3pm), Natural History (3pm), Fleet Science Center (6pm), History Center (3pm), MoPA (3pm), Automotive Museum (1:30pm), Air & Space Museum (2pm). Visitors Center closes at 3:30pm.
December 25 (Christmas Day)
Basically everything will be closed, including the Visitors Center, except the Zoo (open until 8pm) and the Fleet Science Center (11:30am-5pm). There will also be a free concert in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at 2pm.
December 26
Pretty much regular hours for everyone except the Museum of Art and Model Railroad Museum, which are normally closed on Mondays and will be open.
December 31 (New Year’s Eve)
Like December 24, the Botanical Building is closed all day while some museums are on a regular schedule and others will close early. Closing early are Natural History (3pm), History Center (3pm), MoPA (3pm), Automotive Museum (1:30pm), and Air & Space Museum (2pm).
January 1 (New Year’s Day)
Here is where it really gets tricky as some museums will be closed, others open, and still others will have different hours:
Closed: Botanical Building, Visitors Center, Mingei, Museum of Art, History Center, Air & Space Museum, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Timken Museum of Art.
Open (regular hours unless otherwise noted): Zoo (8pm), Museum of Man, Natural History, Fleet Science Center (7pm), MoPA (3pm), Automotive Museum.
If you are still having trouble keeping this all straight, just remember the dog parks remain open every day, regular hours, over the holidays.
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Jul 06, 2011.
While most residents agree that San Diego, and Balboa Park in particular, are some of the coolest places on Earth, they certainly aren’t among the coldest, which is why we love to live, work, and play here.
The dubious “honor” of the coldest places on Earth of course goes to the two Polar Regions—though certain flippered and fury friends of mine aren’t complaining. In fact, a new exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum examines just how important it is that the Poles stay nice and chilly for both cold-loving critters and us warm weather hounds.
Through special interactive displays, videos, games, and authentic artifacts, Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins transports visitors to two of the most remote and mysterious regions on the planet, beginning with the Arctic Circle, a.k.a. the North Pole, before heading down to Antarctica, the bottom end of the Earth.
Young pups will especially enjoy climbing inside a polar bear’s den, putting on a penguin suit to learn how to walk and slide like a penguin, and testing their skills at the “Feed the Chick Game.” At the end of each main section, visitors have an opportunity to test their knowledge in a four-person video quiz game.
But while polar bears and penguins steal the show, other displays explore various aspects of polar geology, including ice bergs and seasonal ice movements, as well as the fragile existence of other animals, insects, birds, and even plants that thrive in sub-zero temperatures—more power to them!
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Jun 01, 2011.
Hot diggity dog! The Blue Star Museum Initiative is at it again—coordinating with hundreds of museums nationwide to offer free admission to active duty military and their spouses and children this summer.
That means here in San Diego County, over two dozen museums, including nine in Balboa Park, are granting free admission now through Labor Day (September 5). The list of Balboa Park museums includes
-Japanese Friendship Garden
-Mingei International Museum
-Museum of Photographic Arts
-San Diego Hall of Champions
-San Diego History Center
-San Diego Museum of Man
-San Diego Museum of Art
-Timken Museum of Art
-Veterans Museum and Memorial Center
A collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, a military support organization, the Blue Star Museum Initiative provides military families a great way to connect with one another during deployments and leave time at some of this country’s top cultural attractions.
And since summertime is “exhibition season,” this is also a great time to catch some of this year’s biggest shows, including: From El Greco to Dalí at the San Diego Museum of Art, Face to Face: Works from the Bank of America Collection at the Museum of Photographic Arts, and Modern Day Mummy: The Art & Science of Mummification at the Museum of Man … to name a few.
And if you plan to travel this summer, be sure to check out the Blue Star Museum website for a complete listing of all the participating museums in each state.
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on May 18, 2011.
I’m such a sucker for a feel-good story, especially when it involves my fellow fury friends. And a new IMAX film at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Born to Be Wild, gives you two feel-good stories for the price of one!
Born to Be Wild takes audiences deep into two different remote locations, in Kenya and Borneo, where two dedicated women have spent decades caring for orphaned elephants and orangutans. Heeding the lyrics of the famous Steppenwolf song that gives the film its title, these two heroes of the earth truly “take the world in a love embrace” through their animal-rescuing efforts.
At her facility in Borneo, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has pioneered methods for rehabilitating and releasing Asia’s last great ape species. The film captures this process in which a female caregiver raises the abandoned orangutan from infancy as if it were her own child. Once it’s old enough, a male caregiver takes over to climb alongside it high in the trees, as the young orangutan is gradually reintroduced into the wild.
Thousands of miles away in Kenya, Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick developed a similar process with baby elephants at a complex she created with her husband. Also enlisting the help of a team of fellow caregivers, she knows the key to raising an elephant from infancy is to give it what any animal wants (speaking from experience): lots of play and attention! She is aided by four-legged ‘graduates’ of her facility who show the babes the best watering holes in the wild before returning them to the facility before curfew.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, Born to Be Wild, is not a wildlife film; it’s a film that just happens to star animals. What more could you want?
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Apr 20, 2011.
With kids out of school and universities on break, it’s an awful shame ocean water temperatures are still so cold. What to do? What to do?
Well, if you are looking to fill your basket this Easter week, Balboa Park will put you hot on the trail of some of the finest gems (better than eggs) San Diego has to offer. Whether you are hunting for the prettiest spring blooms or a spectacular museum exhibition, here are a few suggestions to get your snouts pointed in the right direction:
Easter Lily Display. Nothing says Easter like a brilliant display of over 300 white Easter lilies, and once again, for the 52nd time to be exact, the Botanical Building is providing a colorful backdrop. In other words: go for the lilies, stay for the orchids.
All that Glitters. Speaking of gems, how about a jewel-encrusted Faberge egg. Or better yet, a Faberge pig? From natural mineral crystals to sparkling jewelry and fine art, this exhibition at the Natural History Museum is filled with enough bright and shiny objects to hold any pup’s attention.
Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman. Consisting of 11 of the British painter’s finest portraits, this remarkable display at the San Diego Museum of Art is the definition of good things come in small packages. But you better catch it soon; it closes on May 1.
Counter Cultures: The Secret Lives of Games. Though searching under shrubs for plastic eggs filled with candy may be the game du jour this weekend, this exhibition at the Museum of Man surveys the entire world history of non-chewable board games and card games.
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Mar 30, 2011.
I’ll admit it, though I’ll probably have my dog license revoked, I like cats. They’re cute, cuddly, make soft purring noises when happy—what’s not to like?
As if all that wasn’t enough reason to appreciate our fair feline friends, there’s a centuries-old tradition in Japan that holds that cats bring good fortune and drive away evil spirits. Called Maneki Neko, these beckoning cats, with one paw raised, have been represented in various art forms since the 19th century.
And “fortunately,” for anyone who wants to improve his or her luck, a new exhibition at the Mingei International Museum has over one hundred of these talismans of all things good on public display.
Made in wood, metal, ceramic, and even papier mâché, they range in height from one half of an inch tall to well over two feet. Some are highly ornate and others come in colors symbolic of special properties. For instance, gold-colored Maneki Neko are said to help attract money (of course), and white-colored kitties are associated with happiness and satisfaction (ever heard the expression “contented as a cat”?).
The popular cultural icon can be seen all throughout Japan, in homes as well as at the entrances of shops, restaurants, and other businesses where the beckoning cat calls out to potential customers.
So to all my canine readers out there, please think twice before chasing a neighborhood cat that wanders into your yard, because it just might be your lucky day!
Posted in
Post new comment
Posted on Feb 16, 2011.
Unbeknownst to most bipeds, we canine critters have a real knack for science. How else would we be able to anticipate how high to jump to snag a Frisbee or food scrap in mid-air, or know how fast we need to run in a circle to catch our tail?
My human friends can close this science learning gap next month when Balboa Park presents the second annual Science Family Day on Saturday, March 19. As the official kick off to the week-long San Diego Science Festival, the Science Family Day encourages pups of all ages to explore the science behind everything from optical illusions in art to paper airplane making to catching food with a 12-inch tongue (dare to dream!).
Over 20 Balboa Park institutions are presenting activities, entertainment, and information from 11am to 3pm as participating museums offer FREE admission to children 17 and under with a paid adult.
In addition, there will be a free drawing for a number of cool prizes at the Balboa Park Visitors Center, including a Family 4-Pack of Balboa Park Passports. And outside the Visitors Center, booths hosted by various organizations, such as the San Diego Zoo, SDG&E, and MTS, will offer even more goodies and activities.
For a complete list of activities and updates, visit Balboa Park’s website. And for the scoop on the San Diego Science Festival 2011, visit www.sdsciencefestival.com.
Posted in
Posted on Feb 02, 2011.
San Diegans are truly blessed this time of year. And I’m not just talking about a conspicuous lack of blizzard conditions. For over two decades, a coalition of all the best museums in the county (a.k.a. The Museum Council) has banded together to make February Museum Month.
Far from just a clever PR tactic, Museum Month is actually a gift to residents and visitors to the region, who can take advantage of ridiculously reduced admission fees, as in 50% off! For the entire month! For your entire family!
To get in on this deal, my bipedal pals just need to stop by any Macy’s Department Store in San Diego County (no purchase necessary) to fetch a free Museum Month pass. One pass is valid for up to four pack members.
And while 40 participating museums may seem like a lot, 14 of them are conveniently located here in Balboa Park, making February the ideal time to check out:
- Lizards & Snakes: Alive! at the San Diego Natural History Museum
- Glitz & Glam Luxury Cars of the 20s and 30s at the Automotive Museum (opens Feb. 4)
- Zandra Rhodes—A Lifelong Love Affair with Textiles at the Mingei International Museum
- Dressing the Part: Costume Design at the Old Globe at the San Diego History Center
- Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman at The San Diego Museum of Art
- Earth Exposed at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
- Strange Bones: Curiosities of the Human Skeleton at the San Diego Museum of Man
And that’s just to whet your appetite. For a complete list of all the current exhibitions at Balboa Park museums, be sure to browse the Calendar.
Posted in
Post new comment
Post new comment