1. Balboa Park
9.6
1549 El Prado (at Park Blvd), San Diego, CA
Park · Balboa Park · 334 tips and reviews
Maya Byrne: Beautiful park with clean restrooms. Perfect place to spend an afternoon
The Most Interesting Man in the World: According to my good friend Nayang in Botswana, there’s a meerkat wandering this place that stole his nana’s wedding band. So if you see a meerkat with a ring, grab him and contact me immediately.
HISTORY: Placed in reserve in 1835, this is one of the oldest sites in the U.S. dedicated to public recreational usage. It is named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
2. Elephant Odyssey
9.5
2920 Zoo Dr (San Diego Zoo), San Diego, CA
Zoo Exhibit · Balboa Park · 10 tips and reviews
Katie M: The whole exhibit is amazing but be sure to check out the tar pit demo/replica in addition to admiring the elephants. Fascinating historical stuff!
San Diego Zoo: Watch the elephants play in their 7-foot pool, stop by the Elephant Care Center to see the keepers give the elephants pedicures, don’t miss the busy dung beetles & admire the condors’ 9-foot wingspan.
Charlie: Check out the elephants getting a bath at noon
4. Koala Exhibit
9.5
2920 Zoo Dr (Australian Outback, San Diego Zoo), San Diego, CA
Zoo Exhibit · Balboa Park · 5 tips and reviews
Ren Moss: San Diego zoo has the largest collection koalas outside of Australia! Crazy! It's because San Diego is perfect for growing eucalyptus!
San Diego Zoo: We received our 1st koalas as a gift from Australia in 1925. These fuzzy marsupials are not bears, and not as cuddly as you think. They're actually independent, feisty, and often grumpy.
Tiger Leatherwood: Amazing theatrics
9. Mission Beach Park
9.3
W Mission Bay Dr (Ocean Front Walk), San Diego, CA
Park · Mission Beach · 14 tips and reviews
Jana: Walk the beach instead of the promanade. Bikers and skaters make it hard to relax while strolling.
Libby Hall: Don't leave food unattended - the seagulls WILL dig through your bags, rip open your containers, and devour it.
Ece: Well, I love this place but Uber/Lyft is highly recommended on summer. Parking would drive you crazy!
10. Giraffe Exhibit
9.3
2920 Zoo Dr (Urban Jungle, San Diego Zoo), San Diego, CA
Zoo Exhibit · Balboa Park · 3 tips and reviews
San Diego Zoo: The Zoo’s adult male giraffe, Silver, is more than 17 feet tall. With such a long neck, it’s surprising that giraffes have the same number of vertebrae that we do—each one is just much bigger!
Cyn: Feed the giraffes!
Paul Fu: Two new baby giraffes! Robert and Makali! Also here: Silver, Nicky, Harriet, and Bahati.
11. Petco Park
9.3
100 Park Blvd (at Tony Gwynn Dr), San Diego, CA
Baseball Stadium · East Village · 260 tips and reviews
Abi Panicker: Really nice, clean stadium. Great for kids and families.
HISTORY: The first baseball game ever played at Petco Park, on March 11, 2004, was the first game of a four-team NCAA invitational tournament hosted by San Diego State University.
The Most Interesting Man in the World: I had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at this very stadium. As soon as I left the mound I was offered a 7-year contract. Unfortunately, I was not able fulfill due to a prior engagement.
14. Gorilla Exhibit
9.2
2920 Zoo Dr (Lost Forest, San Diego Zoo), San Diego, CA
Zoo Exhibit · Balboa Park · 6 tips and reviews
San Diego Zoo: We have 2 gorilla family troops, and they trade off on exhibit. Each is led by a mature male known as a silverback. One troop is led by Paul Donn and the other by Memba.
Katie M: Fantastically designed exhibit with multiple places to watch the gorillas from. Such a lively bunch.
Miriam Goldman: Beautiful. They're so humanoid, it's stunning.
billy o: Great trails, best views of San Diego, the bay, Coronado, and Mexico!
HISTORY: This overlooks the spot where European explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stepped ashore in 1542 naming the bay San Miguel; explorer Sebastian Vizcaino changed the name to San Diego in 1602.
Nam: Your entrance ticket is good for 7 days!