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Kate Sessions:
Mother of Balboa Park
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Balboa Park Gardens and Carousel and Miniature Train
Some of Balboa Park's most unique attractions are not in museums, they are outside attractions that encourage park visitors to sit back and enjoy the great outdoors.
- The Japanese Friendship Garden is one of the most tranquil places in the park. Discover a different world by walking along the meandering paths through carefully tendered landscapes. Admire the koi pond, the bonsai, and the many varieties of bamboo. To complete your experience, sip a cup of tea at the separately owned tea pavilion.
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10:00am - 5:00pm; Sat.- Sun. 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Free: Third Tuesdays - Spreckels Organ Pavilion -
Organ Pavillion
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The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the home of the world's largest outdoor pipe organ with over 4,500 pipes. Free, public organ concerts by the Civic Organist or guest artists are presented at 2:00pm every Sunday. After spending a summer day in the Park, stick around to enjoy the many local bands that entertain for the 'Twilight in the Park Concert Series' on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays at 6:15pm. The Organ Pavilion is a great place to either kick up your heels to dance to the music or to rest your feet after all that walking.
- Palm Canyon - Like palms? This area of the Park features more than 50 species of palms from around the world as well as other complementary plant species. It was developed in 1912 for the Panama-California Exposition, and enhanced in 1976 with additional palms, a wooden footbridge, and a stairway to access the canyon.
- The Lily Pond - The Lily Pond was built for the 1915 Exposition to serve as a reflecting pool and to display water lilies. It still serves the same purpose and is carefully tended to by the Park staff (Peter) on a daily basis. Koi are supposed to be the only species of fish in the pond but people have been known to dump aquarium fish, catfish, bass, turtles, and for some reason, craw daddies.
- The Botanical Building Hours: - Open Friday through Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; closed on Thursday and City holidays. Admission is free. The lathe structure behind the pond is the Botanical Building, an oxygen-rich sanctuary of ferns, orchids, bromeliads, herbs, seasonal plants, Vietnamese Bonsai, and a special Venus fly trap bog. This special place is a must-see when you visit Balboa Park.
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