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!
While I very much enjoy the three wonderful off-leash dog parks in Balboa Park, it’s almost as much fun to watch children “off-leash” in a play paradise known as Pepper Grove Discovery Playground. Surrounded by Brazilian and California Pepper trees, this expansive picnic area is located on the Park’s Central Mesa, right on Park Blvd. just south of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
Pepper Grove offers one of the widest assortments of safe, state-of-the-art playground equipment for human pups, from tots to teens, in the area. It also includes a few fun experiments for them to check out and lots of sandboxes for digging and burying.
Thanks to the dozens of well-shaded picnic tables, I don’t mind taking a breather to watch the kids climb, swing, run, and slide throughout the numerous play sets. This is also a great spot for birthday parties, and the rolling grassy hills adjacent to the picnic areas provide ample space for various games and sports.
Restroom facilities, drinking fountains, nearby parking lots, and pretty views of the California Tower give adults their own reasons to love this place. For me, it’s all about the smiles, the laughter, and, of course, picnic food scraps.
Leash-time is such quality time, especially when I get to explore new environments away from noisy cars and blistering hot asphalt. Fortunately, Balboa Park offers several miles of unpaved nature trails designed for hiking and bicycling, where I can check out a wide variety of native vegetation and constantly changing scenery.
There are several trail entrances located in and around Florida Canyon, some just off of Park Blvd. The most extensive trails, however, are found on the east side of Florida Canyon, near the Morley Field Sports Complex. A few can be accessed from behind the Morley Field Dog Park (my favorite), the tennis courts, and between the velodrome and baseball fields.
Once on the trail, you can connect to and loop back through the other trails on both sides of Florida Drive to experience the different terrain and vistas. There is so much to see and do that there is no need to wander off the marked trails, which is not a good idea anyway.
The canyon topography varies from gentle grades to steep slopes, so shoes with good traction are all your human companion will need to manage. Humans are also advised to keep a tight hold on the leash because you never know when a canyon critter will need to be chased.
Lady Wulf asks: Dear Cosmos, I think my owner would bring me to the Park more often if she knew of some good places to eat where I am welcome too. Do you know of any outdoor eateries in the Park where the scraps are particularly tasty?
I’m so glad you asked about my favorite subject. If you’re in the mood for burgers 
and dogs (hot dogs, that is) check out the Village Grill. It offers a scrumptious selection of fast-food fare all made on site, including French fries, onion rings, and ice cream.
At Galileo’s Café in front of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center you and your owner can enjoy mouthwatering pizza slices, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, and a wide array of beverages. With outdoor seating right next to the big fountain, this is a great place for people (and dog) watching.
Following your snout down the Prado, you’ll find Water’s Café at SDMA, which has a cozy patio just outside the gates to the Museum of Art’s sculpture court. Now open for dinner, with Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m., its menu of fresh gourmet sandwiches and salads appeals to those of us with a more refined palette.
Last but not least, the Tea Pavilion next to the Japanese Friendship Garden serves a nice assortment of Asian fusion cuisine. Managed by my good friends at the Prado Restaurant, it’s quite vegetarian friendly, but us carnivores will find plenty of meaty scraps to chomp on too.
